I am woken up by a very giddy two year old at 4:30am, stroking my soft, hazelnut hair. I peel my eyes open to see the little guy with a bottle of milk in his hands, looking cute as ever.
"Hey, baby. What's up?"
"Miwk..."
"I see that. Where's mummy, Max?" i ask as he chews on the spout, "Mummy no 'ear. She gone for walk."
"Ah, i see, you wanna come back into bed?" i lift up the duvet to allow him to crawl into a small space inside the bed, curling up in a sphere.
"Are you enjoying your holiday so far?"
"Yeaaaah, i no wanna go 'ome tomorrow..."
"Well, it's a good thing i've got a day filled with fun for you and mummy before we go back home."
"But 'ome means mummy go work...smelly work..."
"You miss mummy when she goes to work, huh?" he nods gently, outlining the contours of my hand that's rested in front of him.
"She work all da time, and come 'ome 'ate. An' Auntie 'Ever pay wif me and no mummy cuz mummy at 'ork."
It seems like i've only seen Emma at her best with Max; when they're together.
"Does mummy work a lot?" he nods in response. My aim today is to get those feelings of neglect away from Max.
"I'm going to make sure that mummy will spend all the time she can with you, okay? I promise." i wrap my little finger around his own, a bounded oath.
To my surprise, Max turns to kiss my cheek, "I 'ike 'ou, 'Auren." i humour the kiddo with a laugh, "Thanks kid, i like you too."
Emma walks hand in hand with Max to a surprise that i've arranged for them, and considering Emma grew up in Falmouth, surrounded by the ocean, she'll love it.
"Where are we going? Ever since the plane landed, everything has been a surprise."
"We're almost there, promise."
"Mummy, seaside!" Max points his direction in the way of the ocean, the cooling waves splashing against each other.
"I know, Maxy! That's where all the fishies were when we were on the submarine!"
"I wan' fishies, mama!"
"Maybe you'll be seeing some fishies sooner than you think, Mighty Max." Max's face gapes open wide at my teaser.
As we pass a stand stocked up with paddle boards, surf boards and other items associated with water sports, Emma realises where we are going.
"You're taking us to do water sports?!"
"I just thought snorkelling is a great way for Max to interact with the ocean..."
"What snort-elling, mama?"
"You get to go underwater and see all the fishies!" i've never seen Emma so excited before, she's like a kid in a sweet shop.
Max glances over the margin of the boat, his eyes lighting up, " 'Auren, i no see fishies 'et..."
"The fishies are under the water, Max. You'll see them soon, but you gotta wear these funny looking goggles first." i fixate a snorkel mask onto Max's head, adjusting it to his preferred size.
"Hehe! Dis 'ook funny!"
"I know, right? Do you like your arm bands?" i nod in the direction of Max's inflated blue swim shackles that are blown up around his arms.
"Yah! They blew..." i cast my eyes over to where Emma is, leaned over the cusp of the boat and dragging her hand side by side across the crystalline-like water.
"Hey, you okay?"
"Hmm? Oh, don't mind me, i'm fine. The ocean just brings a lot of memories for me."
"Good ones at that, i hope?"
"Yeah, very good ones. My dads always took me and my siblings swimming. Granted, my little sisters would drown each other under the water, but i had fun tearing them apart." the pair of us split our sides with laughter.
"Sea creatures are so beautiful...my dad said i reminded him of the Olive ridley sea turtle."
"Really? Why's that?"
"Apparently they're endangered; there's only a select few around the world. He said 'they're one of a kind, like me'." i stroke Emma's wet-suit covered upper arm with the back of my middle finger soothingly.
"That's so sweet. Your dads sound amazing."
"They are...but that's enough of me reminiscing. Let's snorkel."
We dive deep into the Santorini-Aegean Sea, the articulate world below amongst us coming into light.
Max is strapped to Emma's stomach with a harness safely, and as we flip our fins in the direction of the instructor we witness the nature of the ocean before us.
Emma floats over to a nearby dolphin to allow Max to caress his shiny blue coat, gliding over the sea creatures smooth rind.
I wade through the ocean waves over to the pair, admiring the creature along with them.
I'm hoping that by now any feelings Max had of Emma neglecting him are gone as he looks to be enjoying himself swimming along with his mummy in a whole new world.
"Did you like seeing the fishies Max?" i inquire, "Yah! D'hey so pretty and blue!"
"The one that you and mummy saw was a dolphin. They're very cute, aren't they?"
" 'Es. I 'iked simming. Can we go 'gain??!"
"Well, there's no seasides in London, but maybe me and mummy can arrange to take you again. Would you like that?"
" 'Es, pease."
I was torn away from the conversation by Emma's phone reverberating, a notification beaming through, "Mama phone?"
"Yes, Max, mummy's phone is beeping." i take a short glance and see the name 'Sgt. Andy Sigourney' at the top of the screen. Must be a work thing.
"I'm back. Man, that wetsuit was hard to get off." when she strolls back over to me, i peck her lips which made Max cover his eyes sheepishly.
"Oh, your phone went off."
"Probably one of my sisters."
"It said 'Sargent'. I wasn't snooping, honest."
"I wouldn't have thought you were." she says with a kind smile, which quickly turns into a bugged-out-eye expression, "Did you uh, did you read the text?"
I knit my eyebrows together in confusion, "No, honest...why?"
"Nothing, nothing." Emma switches the device off and pays attention back to her son.
The text was more than likely about a case she's prohibited from talking about.
"So Maxy, do you think we should come back to Greece again soon?" Max claps happily and bounces in Emma's arms, "Yah!"
I grin contentedly at how my life has turned around. I met this young Cornish girl and her son three months ago, and i'll be damned if i have it any other way.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Thanks for reading!
I know this chapter is pretty rubbish, but i want to upload on the regular so this was the best i could do after modifying it and changing so much of it for days.
The next chapter will come soon, promise! <3