“Why didn’t I get an invite to this early morning party?” She yawns into her hand and drags her bare feet across the kitchen to put her arm around my waist. I pull her into me and i kiss her head. She’s shaking and Joan notices so stumps out the end of her unfinished cigarette and flicks it into the garden that doesn’t look like it had a good gardening in years and years.
“Well I could sleep because of you two up there shoving me off the end of the bed and I didn’t want to wake you. You looked very cold but comfortable with that cute little pout of yours” I squeeze her cheeks and kiss her lips that I’ve pushed together.
“Ugh get off us” She grumbles playfully pushing me off her. Her mums just stood watching us smiling from ear to ear. I have never noticed how alike their smiles are until now. She really is her mother’s double. I think I look like my mum but nowhere near as much as Cheryl looks like Joan. Garry is the same, they are all the spitting image of each other. It must be the Callaghan gene. “I was very, very cold actually and I’m sure Paisley punched me in the face a few times, accidently obviously but still those little fists fucking hurt”
“Aww bless you” I kiss her again much to her amusement. Joans still smiling. It looks like her smile isn’t going to fade, well not anytime soon and it only grows when Paisley comes bouncing through the door on the balls of her feet. Her dummys hanging out the side of her mouth and her blanket that’s now a dirty white is draped over her shoulder. She goes straight passed me and Cheryl and straight into Joans awaiting arms. It looks like I’ve woken the whole house up, I only came down for a quick coffee. “Are you alright, Paisley?” I ask and she nods her head before laying it on Joan’s chest. Her hairs like a mop around her face. Her eyes aren’t open long before her eyelashes bat against her porcelain skin.
“I’m tired”
“I was just telling your Mummy that the next time you come here you’ll have your own bed. No more sharing with stinky Mummy and Mammy. What do you think about that, eh?”
“Can I have Mickey sheets?” She asks tilting her head and Joan nods before kissing her forehead.
“You can have absolutely anything you want”
“A horse?”
“Apart from that” Joan laughs and Cheryl smiles tightening her arm around me. “She’s definitely like her mam isn’t she? She was asking us for a ‘real’ sparkly necklace yesterday. I’d watch it. Now it’s Mickey mouse and frozen but soon it’s soon going to be diamond earrings and designer bags she’s demanding” She jokes and Paisley’s eyes widen.
“I need new earrings”
“And me and your Mum will get you some but not diamond ones you little monkey; I think she thinks she’s North West, Blue Ivy or something”
“She’s better than that, she’s the Paisley Walsh a fashionista in the making! I wish you didn’t have to go today”
“Me too but Amy is waiting for us, Before we go I’ll fill you in on our Christmas plans that’s if you still want to come to ours?”
“Of course I do, Christmas is all about family isn’t it? Im looking forward to it”
***
“I miss nana Joan” Paisley whines. I don’t respond because it’s all that I have heard since we said our very long goodbyes back in Newcastle. It’s all we heard while driving home. I keep telling her that we will see her soon but it makes no difference she never listens, she never does. I have her tiny hand in mine and I’m pulling her behind me through the front door of my parents’ house while Cheryl locks the car door then jogs towards us.
Chapter 80
Start from the beginning
