Paws, Promises, and Love

Thea

I wake up to find my little sister screaming in her room. She must have had a nightmare again. I get up and walk down our long hallway, walls covered in family photos, before reaching her room. My mum of course, was out til 1am at the bar. And now since it is 3am there is no way she's getting up to calm Daisy. That's how most nights go. Mum stays out late and Daisy wakes up yelling. Dad was never around to help out. He never wanted kids, so as soon as mum got pregnant with me, he ran for the hills. Mum reached out to him a few years ago to try and work things out. Apparently, he just wanted a hookup because that is when she got pregnant with Daisy.
I step into Daisy's room to find her on the floor. She climbed out of her crib again. I keep telling mum that Daisy is too big for a crib and she's gonna hurt herself climbing out and hitting the floor, but of course she doesn't listen. I look around for her lovey. When our nanny, Meave, first started with us, she bought each of us a present. She got me a super soft teddy bear that, til this day sleeps on my bed, and she got Daisy a stuffed cat with a soft pink blanket attached. The ones that usually come with matching blankets, but since that Daisy is five, she didn't think getting the blanket to match was a good idea.
I look around, noticing how much Bluey stuff she has. There are pictures on the wall and toys galore. One day when Daisy was crying, mum decided to put on the tv for her so she could clean the kitchen in peace. That is when she discovered Bluey and she's been obsessed ever since. I look over to her box with the whiter polka dots and says Little One on the top. I open it up to find her lovey right on top. Gertrude, our maid, must have put it away while tiding up her room and Meave forgot to get it out before Daisy went to sleep. I pick it up and walked over to Daisy, picking her up.
"Another nightmare Daisy?" She doesn't answer. The doctors told us she may have speech delays due to her autism but being completly nonverbal was also a possibility. Mum is in denial even though she still hasn't talked in her five years on this Earth. She still thinks she just "Doesn't have anything to say." But I know that isn't true.
I take Daisy out of her room and back to mine, as I do every night. I lay her in my bed and then curl in beside her, pulling up my white fluffy blanket to cover her more than me. Since Daisy has temperature regulation issues, I try to keep her as warm as possible. This also helps to prevent her from screaming or hitting in the middle of the night. I reach over to my nightstand and pull open the drawer to grab the remote. I turn on the tv and open Netflix to put on The Vampire Diaries. It is our favourite show to watch together. She never did mind the fighting and blood, it seemed to calm her in a way. I watch about half of the episode before drifting to sleep.
When I wake up the next morning, Daisy is no longer right next to me. Meave must have grabbed her already and taken her downstairs for breakfast. I look over to my clock to see that it is now half past ten. Crap. I start work at 11am. I look up to the tv and read the message "Are you still watching The Vampire Diaries?" I click back and turn the tv off. I quick grab some clothes and put them on, thankful I took a shower last night. I choose a pair of dark blue jeans matched with a carabiner on the loop, of course. I choose a red carabiner to match my red shirt with my job's logo, Quiet Quarters, on the front. I brush my hair and teeth before quickly hurrying down our swirled staircase with more family photos on the walls. Mum sure does love hanging a lot of photos considering she doesn't spend that much time with us. I think she just puts them up to show off to her church friends when they are over for book club. "I just love my family, my favourite thing to do is spend time with them." She always says. Yeah right.
When I make it downstairs, I'm greeted by Meave at the island.
"Good morning sunshine!" She says quite cheerfully. I don't know how she can be so happy first thing in the morning.
"Baaaa" Daisy exclaims while drinking her milk at the table along with her oatmeal. Meave added fresh berries to go along with it. She knows Daisy so well. She always gives her breakfast in the same matching Bluey cup and bowl, washing it right away so it's ready for later.
"I have more oatmeal in the fridge. I can heat it up for you." Meave offers.
"I actually have to get going I start work in..." Crap. I look at the oven to see the time is 10:50am. "Ten minutes."
"You can't skip breakfast, Thea. It is the most important meal of the day you know!" Meave tells me, handing me a granola bar. "At least eat this on your way."
"Okay, thank you!" I reply with a smile. As if I'll have time to eat it on my drive down the street. I work at the local bookstore down the street. Pretty nice since I love reading and I'll gladly take any discount they want to give me. I say goodbye to Meave and Daisy, placing a kiss on her head. I walk out of the house and hop in my black Toyota and drive to work.
11:05am. "Well, better late than never." I say to myself and hop out of the car. I walk into work and place my name tag on to begin my day.