The Unknown

"Ahhh! Help me! Help me, Auntie Cass!"
I huffed out a sigh as I rose to collect the child. As I approached him his upside down face melted slightly from its mask of terror and began to show some signs of relief. I squated down to his height with a slightly mocking smile and spoke to him gently, knowing he wasn't really in any immediate danger and I could always intervene if I had to.
"How did you get yourself into this one mate?" His blonde locks hung below him as his big blue eyes peered at me. His fear began to show again and his breathing quickened as he realised I wasn't helping him immediately.

"I fell! Help me!" He squealed it out and I had to stifle a giggle. He was hanging upside down from the playground bars only a foot off the ground with his knees bent over the bar above, keeping him in place. As an auntie I have very little authority over him, however I try to take every opportunity to teach him to learn, to problem solve, to be independent. So I spoke to him softly and calmly.
"Alright mate, you got yourself into this mess so you'll have to figure a way out for yourself too. Put your arms up to hold onto the bars and pull yourself up."
"I can't! I can't do it, Auntie Cass!" He screeched out before even trying. I had to stifle the urge to laugh but a small smile did creep out.
"You're alright. Look I'm right here to help if anything goes wrong." With my words of encouragement he seemed convinced and attempted to pull himself up. It took a while but he got there in the end and ran off beaming to shouting "I did it!"

Smiling as I watched the little 3 year old run off towards the slides I retreated to my previous position on a bench at the edge of the park. It was a small village park near to my sisters house, surrounded by a mass of green grass that was slightly overgrown that was used as a dog park. I was baby sitting for the day and had my little nephew Arlo whilst my sister recuperated from having the most recent baby, Idris. My sister really was one for the unusual names. Poor little fuckers.

"Arlo!" I called out to him and when his head perked up I waved him over. He such a beautiful little boy. He comes running immediately and I scoop him up swinging him over my head before settling him in my hip, him giggling all the while.
"You ready for the cinema then little dude?" We were off to see the new incredibles 2 film, as promised over breakfast this morning when I rocked up with a cheeky Maccies breakfast for the family.
"Yeah! Can we get popcorn an- an-and.." he stutters out as he's far too excited to get his words out until they seem to burst out of him "NACHOS!" At the sudden outcry I chuckled and promised him anything he wanted. It was very rare I got to see him nowadays. After graduating uni just a year ago I was plunged straight into full time work at the hospital. The hours are super awkward and they constantly have me switching between the night shift on call and the day shifts so any free time I do have I seem to spend sleeping. Today was a rare occasion where I had the weekend off managed to spend some quality time with my little man. I had visited nearly everyday when Arlo was just born because it was so close to my University I would stay the night just to avoid the extra 30 minute drive back to my house. The hospital I'm working my pre-reg at now is around an hour away from them.

After a very funny film which to be honest, I was more excited to see than Arlo- it was my childhood after all, Arlo and I arrived back at my sisters house. Her husband, Charlie, had his blue Audi parked in the drive next to her black mum-bus. So I pulled up on the curb. Arlo took great joy in delving every detail of the film to his mum and dad.
I approached the kitchen to raid their fridge, as per usual, and grabbed a babybel. As I returned to the living room, I peeling the red wax from my cheese snack I saw Arlo playing with his dad on the other side of the room so I sat next to Rose on the sofa and tickled baby Idris's sleeping face, earning a scrunched up reaction.
"So, what did you do today then?" I questioned as I turned to Rose. Her long dark curls were screwed up in a messy bun and with no makeup on you could easily define the dark circles under her eyes. Guess a 3 year old and 3 month old takes its toll.
"Honestly? Nothing. I've down absolutely.." she paused to peer at her husband and son to ensure they couldn't hear her "fuck all." I couldn't help the burst of laughter that came out at her exaggerated facial expression. "And it has done me the world of good. I can finally see straight again. Thank you so much for having him today. It gave me time to just chill." She looked fairly peaceful by the time she had finished speaking her gratitude so it made it a lot more sincere.
"Nah, it was great. Finally got to see that film aswell." I winked at my sister and she rolled her eyes back at me.
"Are you staying for dinner? It's taco night..." her voice lifted at the end in a teasing tone as if to entice me in.
"Nah I'm good thanks. I better head off to get some studying done."
Although I really did need to study, the pre-reg exam being next week ( and I really didn't want to fail it as it's £200 just to sit the exam), the real reason for my escape was that although both lovely people, I always felt awkward hanging around with my sister and her husband because i always felt like an outsider.
"Oh how's the studying going? It's next week isn't it?"
"Yeah it's all going okay I think. I thought 4 years in uni would have been enough studying. Apparently for pharmacists it never stops." I gave her a lopsided smile and she just smiled back in a way that looked sympathetic but also hinted at well you chose it.

With a slap to my jean clad knees I slowly rose whilst saying "Right, I'm off." A very typically British way to leave a room and something all Brit's were familiar with.
"Good to see you, Cass. Thanks for having Arlo today. I haven't been able to get very much time off work to help with the kids recently so it means a lot." Charlie chipped in as his son clambered off his lap.
Arlo ran at me as I was about to reply and wrapped his tiny arms around my legs. My boots buckled clinked at the tension of his little embrace. It made my heart melt for a moment and all I could do was stare at him with a poured lip. Eventually I dragged him up by his shoulders to balance him on my hip and finally replied to Charlie.
"Anytime. He was golden today, weren't you mate?" I pointed the last part towards Arlo and his blonde curls bounced as he bobbed his head up and down with a big toothy grin.

After saying my goodbyes and kisses and cuddles with my favourite little man- I know it may seem bad to say that, but I haven't really bonded with Idris. I wasn't around when he was born too much and he's too young to have a personality. Babies are boring if you ask me. I hopped in my shiny little silver golf and started on the drive back to my tiny apartment via the grocery store because without taco night, I needed some dinner.

As I unlocked the door I heard a yelp and lots of rustling. I'd been in this position before so I knew to close my eyes immediately but placed a hand over them for his benefit. "It's okay, I didn't see anything!" I declared. A deep chuckle rolled through the house as I continued to enter cautiously, shopping bags in one hand, smacking me in the face as my hand cling to my eyes and closing the door with the other.
"Coast is clear!" A high-pitched voice sang out. Releasing the grasp on my eyes revealed my strikingly gorgeous roommate, Jay, in just his boxers striding towards me to help out with my groceries.
"Hey, so I was thinking fajitas for dinner but I didn't get enough for 3 so maybe just chicken curry?"
Jay laughed and rolled his eyes before hitting me with the sass he survives on.
"Please daaaarling, he's obviously not staying I have a date tonight!" He drew out the nickname and winked at me at the end. Jay's thick golden hair fell on his face, covering his bright green eyes as he explained to me about his hot date with the guy he'd met at work the other day and how he was preparing himself for that with a good prep-fuck.
"What on earth is a prep-fuck?" My eyes widened as I questioned him and began putting the groceries away in the cupboards, fridge and counter for what I wanted to cook.
"So you know when you don't wanna have sex on the first date cause you really like the guy, but you don't want to get a boner or anything if there's a goodbye kiss?" He continued immediately obviously knowing that I had to think about this hypothetically. "Well, a wank doesn't cut it sometimes. So I got myself a cheeky tinder fuck and that should sort me out for my date. Oh he's soo dreamy!" As I was about to ask which one, though I assumed it was his date, not the prep-fuck currently walking out of Jay's bedroom, I was interrupted by him.
"Hey. Thanks for this. See you later." Jay spoke to the guy and I gave him an awkward smile while he was being ushered out of the apartment. When Jay slammed the door behind him and turned towards me he smiled, wide and beaming. Jay was my best friend, we met in the second year of uni. He's a nurse specialising in STIs at the local gum clinic. We immediately hit it off when we met at a cocktail society 'CockSoc'. He had originally joined the society thinking it was for something else but cocktails wasn't a major disappointment for him. So after an evening of drinking and both over sharing about our sex lives we became immediate best friends and haven't really left each other's side since.

He perched himself on a stall at the kitchen island as I began chopping veg and chicken. "I take it you're not eating then if you're going out?" I questioned. I would still cook some for him as I always did, but it's good to know. If he didn't want it when he came in tonight (he often ate less on dates to look classier- I on the other hand am a pig!) then I would eat it for lunch tomorrow.
"Uh maybe a little, I don't want to eat too much tonight." How did I guess that one...

I cooked the curry adding various spices and a tin of tomatoes. I wasn't a very good cook but I wouldn't starve, I could handle the basics. We ate as Jay chatted about which shirt he was going to wear and I told him about my day with Arlo. Once he'd left for his date I snuggled up on the sofa, I always refuse to put the heating on. I'm a barely graduated student and also I love blankets. Then I started to plough my way through my latest obsession; Gray's Anatomy.