Rewrite The Stars

JUXTAPOSITION

"Morning, mama. We go to granny?" she asks her mother cutely.

She beamed at her daughter, "are you excited because you know you'll get a new toy from granny?" she teased the toddler, tickling her fat, onesie covered tummy. She always tells her mum to stop spoiling the kid.

"Don't spoil your child, Michelle. But she is in my house, so everything that my beautiful granddaughter wants, she'll get. You be the firm and strict parent all you want, but not when you're under my roof," her mother argued. She just heaved a defeated sigh, knowing she's not gonna win that one.

She put her daughter on the other side of the bed so she could sit up. "Should we eat breakfast first, Dani? Or do you want granny's pancakes?"

The four-year-old toddler's face lights up. "Pancakes wif granny and.. Choco milk, mama?" Dani asks her mother.

"No. Warm milk first, okay? Then I'll tell granny to give you chocolate milk for snacky, deal?"

Her baby smiled, her round cheeks bunching up. "Deal, mama. Thank you."

She sighed. God, she has the most adorable and smart baby.

After changing Dani's clothes, she puts her daughter on her cot in the room so she can get ready. Dani has her own room, but she hasn't slept there yet. Since there's only the two of them living in an enormous house, Michelle wants her daughter to sleep beside her. For her, it's better this way so she can see her, especially when she's sick, plus she doesn't need to get out of her room when Dani cries at night.

Her mother lives in the same neighbourhood as them, Michelle has been asking her if she wanted to move in with them but her mum refuses. All set to go to work, a day she knew would be full of meetings, she picks her daughter up, along with her child's duffel bag filled with snacks, change of clothes, nappies and some of her toys.

"You behave at granny's house, alright?" Michelle tells her daughter, setting her down on the booster seat. She and Dani were still adjusting to living in Makati after living in America. Her mother took her there after she graduated from high school. Applied in various universities until she graduated and was ready to handle her father's business that was based in the US.

It wasn't a long drive to get to her mother's house, she could see her already waiting for them on her lawn. Smiling, excited to spend the whole day with her granddaughter.

"Okay, Dan, ready?" the toddler clapped her hands, already wanting to get out of the booster seat.

They went inside, not a minute later Dani had already been snatched in her arms.

"Hello, my sweetheart. Granny missed you! Because your mother is too lazy to visit and bring you here. Did you have breakfast?" Michelle rolled her eyes.

"I was just trying to spend more time with her since I'm gonna be more busy here now. Unlike in New York, mum."

"Are you excited to work here in your father's office?" Her mother questioned, looking at her daughter.

Michelle smiles a little, "yeah, he came by last night to visit Dani. Which reminds me, the two of you really should tone down on bringing her gifts whenever you visit, I don't know where to put those toys anymore."

"Oh, please. You have a big house, dear. I'm sure you have a lot of space for where to put them." She handed her mum's helper the duffel bag, and she's ready to leave for work.

"Have you heard from her?" Her mother asks her daughter quietly.

Michelle put her hands in her pockets. The mother of her child is busy touring the world, probably doing exhibits. "No, I haven't. Have you? Well, she calls only for Dani, so."