It took two security men to drag Sarah out of the clubhouse. She swore that she would not hit Whitney in her condition, but she had already given her a hefty shove and when Whitney retaliated, and things got even more heated security had to get involved to make sure that no serious damage was done. I am outside with Sarah now and she is pacing backwards and forwards with the palms of her hands pressed to her forehead and I am trying to calm her down and understand the situation, but I can tell by the tone of her voice that she is wanting an argument and I would not put it passed her trying to start one with me. It is cold, dark and it is starting to rain so I am not in the mood for It. At this moment I can not stand the sight of my best friend because it was her that has ruined this night for everyone.
"Right, Sarah just calm down and tell me what is going on" I tell her, and she stops in her tracks.
"Tell you what's going on? I'll tell you what's going on alright. That whore friend of yours tried putting her tongue down my girlfriend's throat, that's what's going on!"
I shake my head in disbelief. "Whitney wouldn't do that... she's doesn't even like women"
"What was she doing then? Trying to clean Nadine's teeth?"
"Look, Sarah. You're drunk and upset but I don't want any more trouble because my daughter is breaking her heart in there and I don't know what has gone on but you should have known better than to start fighting in front of Paisley- "
"I wasn't fighting- "
"Well that's not what it looked like from where I was sitting. Whatever you were doing does not change the fact that you have really frightened poor Paisley. Nadine is in there with her now and she won't stop crying. I don't want to be stuck in the middle of you and Whitney anymore, I just want to get my daughter to bed and I suggest that you come back to the chalet with me and try and sober yourself up because Cheryl is not going to be happy about this when she finds out, believe me"
Sarah opens her mouth but does not say anything because the door opens, and Whitney is stumbling through it. "There you are!" She shouts, her voice just as slurred and her eyes just as unfocused as Sarah's. "Don't you ever lay hands on me again; do you hear me because I will snap your scrawny neck"
I look between the women in horror. There is no way on earth that I am letting Paisley or even Lilly witness another explosive row between these two and it is very late now. It is 10:45 and Whitney and Sarah's shouting and screaming is going to wake everyone that is sleeping in the nearby chalets up. They have already been warned that if they continue to make a scene then we will all be asked to leave the site and to not return and that is the last thing that I want. I am already looking forward to coming back here with the rest of my family so if these two ruin that I will not be best pleased.
Sarah steps forward and I put my arm out in front of her to stop her from getting too close to Whitney. "You cheeky little cow. How dare you speak to me like that after everything that you have done tonight- "
"Everything that I have done?" Whitney screams. "I haven't done anything. You're seeing things! I don't want your bird. I haven't touched her once so clearly there is something wrong with you and you need to get your eyes tested as well as that head of yours. I don't even like women and even if I did, I wouldn't be desperate enough to come after yours"
"Can we just call it a night now and go home?" I pathetically plead but nobody listens to me. I feel like I have lost my voice tonight and I am tired of it. I am starting to wish that this weekend away was never suggested because it has been more grief than anything else. I came here thinking that we were all going to have a lovely time but once again I was wrong.
"What's wrong with my Nadine?" Sarah asks defensively and I sigh.
"She doesn't have a dick, first of all!"
"Now is not the time to go toe to toe. It is almost 11pm and I need to get Paisley to bed. Lilly is tired too, Whit" I say hoping that the mention of her daughter's name will be enough to entice her away from Sarah, but it doesn't...I should have known that it wouldn't before I opened my mouth.
Whitney scoffs and holds a hand to her stomach. "I can't even see my toes so I'm not trying to go toe to toe with anyone, but I swear to God that if she tries anything again then I will lay her out. I don't let anyone lay a finger on me- nobody!"
Hearing yet another argument unfolding one of the bald-headed security guards that dragged Sarah out of here earlier walks towards us and I hope to God that he is not coming over to ask us all to pack our bags and to leave. It would be difficult enough to do that with just us here, but I can't even imagine what it would be like with 6 kids in tow- three of which are already asleep for the night. "I am so sorry about this" I tell the man who I am hoping will let us stay out of the goodness of his heart. I would not blame him for kicking us all out after tonight's events but still there Is a little bit of hope in me that I will be able to persuade him otherwise. "This won't happen again; I can promise you that. My friends here have just had a bit too much to drink but once they are back to the chalets, they will be fine. I can't begin to say how sorry I am"
"This is the last chance I will give them. Any more disturbances then I will have to ask you all to leave and I mean it. You must see that this is not fair on other holidaymakers. If they wanted to witness a cat fight then they would be at the arena right now watching the live wrestling-"
"Yeah, I understand" I nod my head. "I'll take them back now" I promise him although I don't know how easy that will be.
"Just go back to your chalet and sleep the drink off-"
"I will go when I'm good and ready and guess what I aint ready!" Whitney now turns on the security guard and as he steps forward, she throws her hands in the air.
"You will go now! You are causing a scene"
"Going to make me are ya?" she shouts and when the man reaches out his hand to take her by the arm she flinches at his touch and yanks back her arm. "Touch me and I'll get you done for assault!"
It takes everything in me to try and get the security guard to leave me to it because if anyone an get them to calm down than it is me. Him being here and sticking his big nose in is only making things worse and that is obvious to him not so as he is satisfied with what I had to say to him and he has accepted my apology he walks back into the building and I turn to my friends who have calmed down now. "You heard what he said. If you don't pack it in then we're all going to have to leave and its not fair on the kids- "
"I know and I am sorry" Sarah is the first to apologise and I know how stubborn my friend is and she will not utter that four-letter word unless she truly means It. "This was all for your benefit, Kimberley. She is having you and Cheryl on and I don't want to see yous being used like she is using you- "
"Hold on one minute, that's not true at all" Whitney pipes up again and once again I am smack bang in the middle of it. "What is your problem with me, eh? Jealous that Cheryl and Kim have got a new friend? We're grown women, you know... not little girls arguing on a school field"
"I am aware of that but I'm also well aware of what you're playing at. I've met your kind before... you have a bunch of kids by different men and not one of them can be seen. I happen to be very protective over my friends to save them from people like you. You see Cheryl as a walking cash machine, you're a scrounger, a parasite and you can't pull the wool over my eyes"
"No, I don't. Cheryl is my friend!"
Sarah sniggers nastily and I feel sorry for both of them. Sarah has always had our best interests at heart because she has seen people come and go from our lives because they were only after one thing, but Whitney is different. She has never accepted money off us, and she never will because her pride gets in the way. Even getting her to come here was like pulling teeth and it was the same when we gave her a pram for baby Joey. She refused to take it; said she wouldn't be seen as a charity case until I forced her into taking it home. On the other hand, i do see where Sarah is coming from and why she might be worried but she doesn't know Whitney like I do. This whole situation is a difficult one so I refuse to take sides which is probably annoying Sarah more than anything.
Now Sarah's hand is on her hip and she looks at Whitney with disgust. "She's your friend is she? You've only known her one minute. Why don't you go and get a job instead of holding out your hand to my best friends"
"I have a job thank you very much. I am a mum and that the hardest job in the world-"
"I thought you'd pull that card-"
"It's not a card to pull. As depressing as it is this is my life. I have been a mum for the past 6 years and kids need love and attention, feeding and clothed-"
"Here we go" Sarah rolls her eyes, but Whitney's vulnerability is getting to me, she never talks like this. It is like she is letting her mask slip for the first time ever and if Sarah just laughs back in her face then she really is going to go off on one and nobody will be able to stop her. "Is this the Whitney guide to parenting?"
"Who do you think you are to judge me? Is the view alright up there on your high horse? Now you tell me what kind of job I can get that will cover the cost of childcare and give me the time off for things like when my kids are ill, school performances and sports days but still pay enough to keep us all fed, clothed and living with a roof over our heads. You tell me because I would love to know. You were right about one thing though, not one of their dads is around because they are all a waste of space so I'm doing all of this alone and they don't even help financially. Only Joey's dad pays maintenance and even then I don't know what day I will get that, if I will even get it at all and what can I do with a poxy £7 a week? My job is being a mum and I might not be very good at it but I am trying my hardest"
Sarah is blown away by Whitney's little speech and I feel a lump in my throat. "Come on, let's go home" I whisper, and I try to put my arm around Whitney's shoulder as she starts to get emotional but she moves away from me and shakes her head.
"No. She wanted to know so I'm telling her. I'm not having the likes of her thinking that I'm only friends with you and Cheryl because I'm after your money, I'm not like that. I am alone in this world- i don't have the support of any of my kids' dads, I have no family, no friends and now that I do finally have some friends who accept me for who I am and don't look down their noses at me she stomps her way in with her size 5s and tries to ruin my it because she's jealous. Well I'm sorry for not wanting to fall back and let you take them away from me so easily, Sarah but I genuinely like them both and not just because of who Cheryl is. They make me laugh and we can have regular conversations. Do you know how nice it is to just have a conversation that isn't about Peppa pig or Steve and fucking Maggie? If you want to ruin that for me then go ahead, I can't be bothered anymore!" Whitney pushes passed Sarah and with tears streaming down her face and her hands holding her stomach she runs down the road.
"Well done, Sarah. Now look what you have done" I say, and Nadine comes out of the building with Paisley on her hip and Lilly stood beside her.
"Where's my mum?" Lilly asks and Sarah looks at me. I force a smile onto my face and crouch down to the child who clearly loves her mum despite all of her faults.
"Your mum has just gone to the shop. She really fancied some chocolate so she is going to see if that little shop down the road sells any. Go with Nadine and you can stay in my chalet tonight with Paisley, that will be good won't it?"
"Where are you going Mummy?" Paisley asks me and her face is still red from tonight's upset.
"I'm going to help Whitney look for that chocolate"
"But I don't want you too, I want you" She cries, and I take her from Nadine. Sarah puts her hand on my shoulder and offers me a small smile.
"I'll go. I think I have some apologising to do" She whispers and turns to Nadine. "I'm sorry to you as well, I've been a right prick tonight, haven't I?"
"Yes you have but we'll talk about it later"
Sarah nods and goes down the road that Whitney disappeared down, and Paisley hides her face in my hair. "Let's get you two to bed" I tell them.
*
When I let myself into the chalet all three children that Cheryl brought home earlier are tucked up in bed, they are fast asleep, and Cheryl was too until she heard my voice. She comes out of the bedroom in her dressing gown and she is surprised to see that I have Lilly with me but that there is no sign of Sarah or Whitney. Nadine didn't speak a word as we walked over here, and the girls are still sheepish. It does not go unnoticed by Cheryl, so she looks at them suspiciously once we are inside and the door is shut behind us.
"Have you been naughty for Mummy?" She asks Paisley and Paisley shakes her head. She is probably sick and tired of being blamed for everything but 90% of the time it is her that causes me the most trouble.
"I didn't do anything...Auntie Sarah was naughty though. She was drunk and she pushed Whitney because she kissed Auntie Nadine- "
"No, she didn't!" Nadine jumps in once the words leave Paisley's mouth and Cheryl's jaw drops at what our 5-year-old has just said.
"She didn't push Whitney or Whitney didn't kiss you?"
"Whitney didn't kiss me!" Nadine says. "It was all just one big misunderstanding"
"So where are they now? You haven't left them scrappin' have you?"
I shake my head and help the girls to take their shoes off. Once they are off, I just throw them by the door because I can't be bothered to put them away properly tonight. I just want the girls in bed and asleep so I can get some rest too. "Whitney's gone to the shop and Sarah has gone to help her find some chocolate, hasn't she girls?" The girls nod their heads while I give Cheryl the 'I'll fill you in away from little ears' look which she understands straight away.
"Do you think my mum will come back?" Lilly asks. "If she doesn't come back can I live with you?"
"Don't say that. Of course she will come back, what a silly question that is" I laugh. "Your mum just needs a rest- "
"Because she had a fight with Auntie Sarah?"
"They didn't have a fight, Paisley. It was just a silly argument. Can you and Lilly go and get ready for bed now, please? It is really late, and I want you both fast asleep by the time I come and check on you in a bit. Give Lilly a pair of your pyjamas to wear"
"But I can't get them out of the drawer, it is stuck"
"I'll help them" Nadine offers, and I am thankful that she is able to get them out of the room without any fuss.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on now?" Cheryl asks.
"Yeah but you couldn't make me a nice cup of tea could you, please? I'm freezing"
Cheryl nods and goes over to the kettle to fill it up. I can hear Nadine singing to the girls from the other room and I am grateful for her help with them as I am still shivering from being outside for so long. I am so tired tonight that it is a genuine effort to keep my eyes open and I have a splitting headache which Is probably due to tonight's stress. My jacket is soaking from the rain, so I take it off along with the top that was underneath, and I throw on one of Cheryl's hoodies, I always have preferred to wear her clothes over my own.
"So where have Whitney and Sarah really gone? They haven't been arrested have they?" Cheryl asks once I have returned from the bedroom and I sit with her at the little, wooden table. I shake my head and she looks relived. Paisley really did make it sound much worse than the argument was so Cheryl is probably imagining fists flying and chaos unfolding.
"Whitney has stormed off somewhere and Sarah has gone after her to apologise. It turns out that Sarah's problem with Whit wasn't because she's jealous but she's worried that she is using us for money-"
"Whitney isn't like that!"
"I know, that's what I told her, and Whitney actually got a bit upset, bless her. Sarah knows that she is in the wrong and she knows that Whitney would never have tried to kiss Nadine"
"So why did she kick off then?"
I shrug my shoulders and I warm my hand up by cupping the mug of tea in front of me. "I suppose it was just the alcohol talking, you know how Sarah can be at times. It's a pity that Nicola isn't here, she would've given her a good old talking to" I laugh, and Cheryl does too. When I drop my head into my hands Cheryl runs her fingers through my hair. "I can't believe that it's only 11am, it feels much later. I've never been so tired in my life"
"It has been a long day, hasn't it, babe?"
"You can say that again"
Cheryl gets up and holds onto my hand so she can pull me up onto my feet. "Come on then, lets go to bed. I'm sure Nadine can wait up for Tweedledee and Tweedledum to get home while we have 40 winks. We have Joey and Alaina crashing in our room tonight, so I hope you weren't hoping for any funny business" She raises an eyebrow at me with a cheeky smirk on my face and I laugh loudly.
"Not at all" I hold my hands in the air defensively and turn the light off. "I'll be happy with just a cuddle tonight, that's if you're up to it"
"Hmm, I don't know... I'll see how I feel" She jokes again and skips like a child into the bedroom. Hopefully Whitney and Sarah will be back soon. I am sure that when they are back, I will know about it as Sarah is still quite drunk so I expect her to be banging and clattering her way in and waking us all up in the process.
*
I am fast asleep with Cheryl curled up on my chest when her phone rings and wakes us both up. Cheryl is the first to reach her phone, so she answers it with her eyes still closed and her head on my chest. I don't really pay much attention to what she is saying, and it is not because I don't want to. Without knowing exactly what time it is I assume that it is the early hours of the morning so somebody ringing her phone at this time means that something must be wrong, but I am still half asleep and can't take in exactly what Cheryl is saying. When Cheryl sits bolt upright, I wake up properly and the look on her face tells me all that I need to know- something is terribly wrong.
"Is it Joan?" I ask but she shakes her head and tilts her head to the side while listening to the voice coming from the other side of the phone. I am trying to figure out who it is, but it is no use, I can't hear a single thing.
"How are they both doing? Have you rung an ambulance?" Cheryl asks whoever it is that she is talking to and I am trying to ask who it is, but she holds her finger to my lips, silencing me. "Okay, thank God you're in the ambulance now and that they are both okay" The relief in her voice is evident. My heart is beating so fast in my chest as I watch Cheryl jump out of the bed still with her phone held to her ear and she throws me a hoodie to put on and a pair of tracksuit bottoms from the floor. "Tell Whitney not to worry, we're on our way to the hospital now. What hospital are they taking her to?... Right, okay. We won't be long"
"What's going on?" I ask urgently when she has hung up. In just seconds of the phone being put down she is peeling off her pyjama top, kicking off the bottoms and putting on a tracksuit similar to my own.
"It's Whitney. She's had her baby"
"She's what?" I ask as if I have misunderstood what she has just said as Whitney is not due for another couple of months.
"She went into labour in the middle of nowhere and she couldn't find her phone, Sarah's phone died... she's just rung me from a paramedic's mobile"
"Is she alright? And the baby?"
"Whitney and the baby are, yeah- "
"And Sarah?" I ask and despite the seriousness of the situation Cheryl has a hint of a smile laced with amusement on her face.
She shrugs her shoulders and holds her hand over her mouth. "She's the one that delivered it"
Thank you as always for reading! Leave a comment under here with a girl's name and a boy's name and i will pick one of them to name Whitney's baby!!