You do not argue about where the snake in your home came from. You get rid of it.
African proverb.
Fiona woke up, believing what she had seen was her imagination playing tricks on her. It certainly wasn't a ghost she had seen in the car park. And why think that in the first place? Bloody stupid.
'Forget it.' She thought to herself. The best thing to do with it and she went out into the hallway, where she saw Steven. By the looks of him, he had been up for some time. His face didn't reflect the mirror of somebody; who had just woken up!
It had a nice — summer touch to it. Nothing new in that — Steven always looked good, not as handsome as somebody doing a shoot for OKAY magazine. But in Fiona's eyes, he would do.
Busy with a box in his hand — he took it to the kitchen, and Fiona wanted to know.
'When did you get up?'
'Ages ago.'
'And the girls?'
'Still sleeping.'
'Not for long. They won't be. We got a lot on today.'
'You can say that again.'
And they did. Moving into a new home was always a busy time. It was up there with getting married, not the deed itself, but everything in between.
'So, how are you feeling, nervous?'
'Not really. I just want today to be over and done with.'
'Don't we all.'
'You can say that again. I just can't believe today has finally come. One more day in this flat, I would have gone crazy.'
'I thought that happened years ago.' Steven joked.
'You know what I mean.'
And Steven did; the flat was tiny, they needed more room, and the new house on Richmond Street would certainly give them that. It had three bedrooms.
With that happy thought in mind, Fiona told Steven she was going to take a shower.
And there, underneath the showerhead, she thought about the new home, surprised the housing association had pulled their finger out so quickly.
Most tenants would have to wait five to ten years for a new home, but Fiona only had to wait three years.
Was that odd? Not really, just lucky. And drying herself, getting dressed. She went to the girl's bedroom.
She and Steven had booked the removal team for nine-thirty; therefore, the girls couldn't be in their beds until they felt like getting up. It was almost seven-thirty.
Harmony, twelve years of age with piercing blue eyes, swung the bedsheets over her head in protest.
'It's too early.' She said.
'Yeah, way too early.' Katrina joined in.
She and her sister were never morning people during the school holidays. They had a vampire routine. Sleep during the day and stay awake all night.
But this morning, they were getting up early. And to prove that — Fiona drew back the curtains.
Seeing as she did, the state of the bedroom, clothes scattered on the floor, makeup everywhere, crisp packets next to the rubbish bin: the room was a tip.
'Mum!' Katrina screeched.
'Never mind saying mum to me. Look at this bedroom. It's a freaking mess.'
'Stop nagging.'
'I beg your pardon?' Fiona asked, her face looking stern.
'Nothing.'
'It's what I thought; now I want you both up.'
She left the girl's bedroom with a pile of dirty laundry and went into the kitchen. Steven was there. Fiona could see him wrapping the plates like Christmas presents and putting them into boxes.
'I thought you'd be finished by now.' She said, looking around to see boxes everywhere.
'Not yet. Are the girls up?'
Putting the dirty laundry into the washing machine, Fiona turned around and said no.
'Maybe you should try getting them up.'
'And where have I got the time? Steven blurted out. I'm up to my neck doing this.' His hand came down to the boxes.
'I don't know, but you could have made a gangway. I can't get moving.'
Steven looked over at the boxes and saw his wife had a point. They were everywhere. You really couldn't move; unless you held your stomach in. And Fiona, being petite, never one to put weight on - did have a point.
'They won't be in your way for long.'
'Let's hope not.' Fiona said, making Steven pause.
'Right, do you want me to stop what I'm doing and move the boxes out of your way?'
'No, it's fine, you just carry on.'
As you can guess, the stress of moving into the new home wasn't a good place to be, and the girls didn't help.
They had begun to argue.
Fiona could hear them, their voices like bicycle brakes, screeching.
'Why you being like this?'
'Like what?'
'You know what?'
'No, I don't. That's why I'm asking.'
'Oh, for Pete's sake.' Fiona said. And she went out into the hallway.
'Can you twos put a sock in it?'
No reply and she thought good - but the stress of moving out was making her head feel bad.
Steven saw it as she came back into the kitchen.
'What's up with you?'
'Do we have any aspirins?'
'What do you want an aspirin for?'
'Um, to paint the bedroom, of course?'
'Don't be sarcastic; I was only asking.'
'Well, don't ask stupid questions then; I need them because my head's banging.'
'You need to relax and take it easy.'
Fiona threw her hands in the air.
'How I'm I supposed to relax with those two still arguing?'
And she was right. After two minutes of silence, the argument started up again.
'Will, you stop playing up.'
'I'm not playing up.'
'Yes, you are, and you know you are.'
'See what I mean.' Fiona said, gesturing her hand to the wall where she could hear the argument from the girl's bedroom.
'I don't know. Go for a walk around the block; it might help.'
'No, I'm fine; I just need two minutes of quiet, that's all.'
Steven didn't like Fiona's chances of the flat being quiet for two minutes; with two small children, there was always room for noise.
Yet, he said nothing as Fiona went to the living room; but carried on packing.
Well, trying to, but the girls wouldn't stop fighting.
'God's sake, I can't hear myself think.'
Enough was enough. He stormed into the girl's bedroom.
'What the hell is going on with you two? I can hear you both in the next room!'
'You left out Harmony's clothes; I got nothing to wear.' Katrina said.
'What do you mean? — You don't have anything to wear?'
'What I just said.'
Steven looked around the girl's bedroom and saw folded on the sideboard; a set of clothes. He inspected the items and said.
'Right, your mum must have thought Harmony's clothes were yours.'
'I don't care what you say; I'm not wearing my sister's clothes!'
'Why not? You're both the same size!'
'She's being stubborn.' Harmony said.
'I can see that.' Steven said and looked over at Katrina.
'Put the clothes on. Otherwise, you can stay in for the rest of the week.'
Allowing; the warning to linger in the air, Steven left the room and returned to the kitchen. Fiona stood there.
'Are you okay now?'
'I'm just stressed out, you know.'
'I know you are.' Steven said and patted Fiona softly on her shoulder. Yet, he had a sneaky feeling it was something else.
'You sure? There's nothing else bugging you?'
'Like what?'
'I don't know. I'm not a mind reader, you tell me.'
'Well, last night, I thought.'
As Fiona was about to tell Steven about the old man, the girls came running into the kitchen, not looking where they were going.
'Would you both like to watch where you're running?' Steven said.
'Oh, the boxes, yeah; we saw them.'
'But you thought it best to ignore them and end up — breaking your legs instead.'
'Something like that, yeah.' Katrina said.
'Well, you wouldn't get far. Not on two broken legs.'
If that was a dad joke, Katrina didn't find it funny, but at least she was now dressed.
And getting the girls their breakfast, nothing fancy, just cornflakes, Steven; went back to the conversation with Fiona.
'You were going to say something before?'
'Oh, that, forget it.'
'You sure?'
'I'm sure.'
Steven said okay, and twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang.
Harmony answered it and saw two men standing at the threshold.
One of them showed her an ID card, saying Johnson Removal INC.
'Is your mum or dad here?' The man asked.
'Mum, the removal men are here.' Harmony yelled.
Fiona appeared from out of the girl's bedroom, surprised to see the removal men. They weren't due to nine-thirty.
'Mrs. Berman?' A tall man asked, running his eyes across an iPad.
'Yes?'
'You booked an appointment for nine-thirty.'
'I did, but it's just gone eight.'
'We do apologise, but there wasn't much traffic on the road; it's why we're early.'
'I see.' Fiona said, thinking to herself, what a lame excuse.
'Where would you like us to start?'
'The bedroom; I'll show you which one it is.'
Inviting the men into the flat, she pointed her finger towards the end of the corridor.
'It's that door facing you.'
Leaving the men to it, Fiona went up to Steven in the kitchen.
'What?' He asked, looking around to see Fiona looking anxious. Worry creased into her face.
'They're early.'
'I know, they are. Just call the taxi, and I'll get the girls ready.'
Fiona did that. She rang the taxi and waited for the girls to put their skates on.
Unaware, six months from now, she would hear people speaking in empty rooms.