When Eva woke on Monday morning, being accustomed to waking up at the same time for school, something felt different.
Scrunching her nose in a moment of confusion, she swung her legs off the edge of her bed. The second her feet hit the floor, it occurred to her. There was no smell of food in the air.
Why wasn't mum cooking?
Eva cautiously walked towards her mum's room, and found her fast asleep, still wearing the uniform of the diner her mum said she now worked in. Eva wondered if all diners made their workers wear such clothes.
She wouldn't know. She’d never been out anywhere— had never been to a diner for a family meal.
Whatever hope had been building in the little girl when her mum promised her movie nights or picnics in the park like Lindsay Holmes had, was now just gone. Eva didn't see it happening anytime soon.
Eva shook her mother slightly, but there was no response. Eva shook her mother harder and finally, she stirred.
"Eva!" her mother exclaimed groggily, still half asleep. "What time is it?"
"I don't know, but I've got school, ma."
"Ugh," her mother groaned. "Why don't you stay back today?”
Eva blinked, surprised. This had never happened before, usually her parents seemed ready to have her gone. "Why?”
Ma sat up, tied her hair into a bun and smiled down at the girl. "Well..." she dragged, smiling. “I thought we could go out today. Before I go to work otherwise we wouldn't have the time.”
Eva's heartbeat sped up. "Out?" she couldn't keep the excitement out of her voice.
Her mother nodded, still smiling. "Come on."
During the late morning, when they stepped into the local park a few blocks down, Eva took in huge gulps of the fresh air like her life depended on it.
For the first time in her life, she felt like a kid.
They'd had ice cream from the van that was parked nearby and though she strayed very far away from the other few children who were playing in the park, she was still satisfied.
It was just her and her mum and everything seemed okay. The world seemed to not be so bad after all.
But Eva also felt something else that day. Anger.
Anger at her father for not showing her the simple pleasures like a trip to the park, or an ice-cream cone. She felt angry to have not enjoyed these earlier. She felt angry that it was only possible now.
Now when he wasn't in the picture anymore.
And Eva was glad. Because she felt the wind play with her hair, and there was a new sensation coursing through her veins, and her cheeks were flushed with liveliness. Maybe this was what it felt like to be happy.
And she wished it'd last forever.
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Written; 28th March 2016
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I know its pretty short -- pardon me. But I'd written this as a short story first before i decided to extend the storyline and switched it to the general fic genre instead :)