“Argh!” said Agnes, as she was startled awake by Tina, Ethel and Daniel barging into her room as quietly as they could (which was not very quiet at all) at 7:48am on a Monday morning. “What’s going on?”
“We’ve made you breakfast, Mum!” said Tina, as she handed Agnes a cup of warmish chocolate.
“In bed,” said Daniel, as he held an egg cup holding a boiled egg above his head as proudly as if it was the world cup.
“Be careful with that egg, Daniel,” Agnes said. “The last thing I want is yolk all over the sheets.”
“It’s a hard boiled egg!” Daniel said. “Really hard! Look!”
He dropped it and then caught it neatly in the dainty china egg cup that was his favourite as it bounced up off the floorboards like a rubber ball.
“I see,” said Agnes. “Thank you, Daniel. But what are you all making me breakfast in bed for?”
“Because you’re ill,” said Ethel, who was holding a plate of burnt toast with a faint hint of embarrassment. No way could she do any tricks with this like Daniel could do with his egg.
“In bed!” said Daniel again, throwing the egg against the wall this time and catching it perfectly in the egg cup again before bowing for some imaginary applause.
“I was not ill,” Agnes said. She wasn’t allowed to ever admit to being ill, not even to herself. “I was just a bit tired.”
“For two whole days,” said Tina.
“And two whole nights!” said Ethel.
“IN BED!” Daniel said for a third time, not because it made any sense to say it, but just because it felt like he should say it, just in case.
“Well, thank you very much everyone,” Agnes said. “It’s very kind of you. But I really wasn’t ill, you know?” None of her children looked like they believed her even slightly. “So, erm, where’s Claire? Didn’t she help?”
“She’s in bed,” said Daniel. “Ill.”
“Oh no,” Agnes said. “Poor Claire. She hates being ill. It makes her irrationally angry.”
“She said if you could be ill so could she,” said Tina.
“Then she said she’s not going to school today,” said Ethel.
“NOT EVER AGAIN!” shouted Claire from the other side of the house. “SO THERE!”
“Did you make her breakfast in bed too?” Agnes asked as quietly as she could.
“Daniel offered her his egg,” Tina said.
“But she threw it out the window,” Ethel added.
“That’s how we found out it bounced,” said Daniel, as he juggled the egg for a bit, caught it in its cup one last time, and held it out towards his Mum with a flourish.
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Notes:
1. Written on May 13th, 2024
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