A Second Chance (Squeal to Friends With Benefits)

EPILOGUE

We were all here for mum’s 44th birthday and if you can’t do the math that makes dad 45 and me 25. I sat at the big patio table with everyone.

Nina El which is Spanish for god mother, mum’s Spanish side came in every so often. Nino Lou, Uncle Zayn and Aunt Perrie, Uncle Niall and Aunt Brooklyn, Uncle Liam and Aunt Amy.

If you’re wonder, which you probably are, I have 5 cousins. Elizabeth and Brianna, twins from Zayn and Perrie. Charlotte from Eleanor and Louis. Nathan and George from Liam and Amy. Niall and Brooklyn haven’t planned on a new addition yet.

“Wow mum you actually managed to get all the family here. Hey everybody.” Grabbed some lemonade from the pitcher in the middle of the table.

“Took me forever.” She rolled her eyes.

“How’s work Hales?” Uncle Niall asked, the name sounded weird but wasn’t bad.

“Good actually fantastic. I’m working on a case with a 13 year old girl and she just so, so unconfident.”

“Well you’ve saved many before I don’t doubt you won’t this time.” Mum smiled at me.

My job? Well since you asked, when I was 17 I found mum’s journal. At first she was crying and said she never wanted me to know but it got me here. She told me how Grandma Nicky and Grandpa John took her in when her real mother let her go, how she got in a bad place but never told me how or why, she was just in a bad part of her life and then dad came in like Superman and helped her, made her happy and soon they had me. Her story of self harming opened up my mind and my career dream went from a hair dresser to a teen counselor that helped them stop or prevent them from self harming.

Later on after I got a job at a practice then I got the courage to create my own practice and called it, “HHH” which stood for Haley’s Helping Hands  I know I know how cheesy but it had a nice ring to it, then more and more cases kept coming in and I started to enjoy it.

 Mum told me about the day dad purposed to her. It was the last day of their Where We Are tour and I ran out on stage, note that I was only 1 and a half. But I ran out on stage during What Makes You Beautiful; little did mum know it was a set up and Lou was actually the one who sent me on stage and then she pushed mum out to go get me. Mum was so embarrassed and wanted to run back as soon as she got me but uncle Niall and Lou stopped her, took me from her arms and when they turned her around. Dad was already on one knee ready to pop the question.

I was everyone’s flower girl since I was the only little girl. Brianna and Elizabeth are 5 years younger than me and I still get them mixed up, though I can always tell them apart from their laughs, Bri has a high pitch quite one and Elizabeth’s is flat out loud and crazy. Mum says I have Uncle Niall’s laugh and all the 1D fans agreed. Charlotte, Nathan and, George are 6 years younger.

When I was 2 we moved to London and lived in the house mum lived with Lou and El for a while till I was ten and we moved out. They turned mum’s old room into my room. Mum said America was filled with memories that she rather keep away from me but I’ve only heard the good ones and only read about the cuts on her thigh. Sometimes I wondered what happened like if there was something more to that part of her life, over the years as I grew up I would ask and ask till dad finally told me to stop because it was making mum sad, that’s the one thing we’re not allowed to do. Make mum sad. I never really understood the reason to it but Uncle Liam said it was a part of the reasons why we left the house in California.

If you’re wondering about mums boxing career, when I was three mum got right back in it, she kept going till she was 30 then called it quits. I loved watching her fight and loved listening to her tell me the Vegas story when she won the fight and  dad gave her the promise ring even more because she told them with such passion and detail. They still have them, the rings; they are in a show case hanging on a plaque with the words ‘Forever and Always’ written across the top. That show case held mum’s fighting and cheer trophies and her robe she walked out in in every fight, dad’s award from the group and lots and lots of pictures.