The sound of a school bell and the chatter of the students travel through the air as they pass the gate exiting the ancient building where they are there five days a week. I scan the crowd for a little brunette boy with the most beautiful blue eyes that have so much life in them that even Jesus would get jealous.
I'm honestly not surprised by my sister anymore, I got a message telling me that she couldn't make it to pick up her son, so I must do it.
I'm not complaining; I love picking my little nephew Jamie up, but it would be better if she could be a mother and actually be there for her six-year-old wonder of a boy.
"Aunt Emmie!" The said boy and ball of energy bashes into me and I try and keep my balance. "Hey JJ, how was your day? What did you learn?" He goes onto talk about how math was so boring and how he swapped pencils in class and got some new cool ones that smell, seems like nothing has changed since I went to school years ago. I try to keep up with what he says as we walk back to my car, however my mind drifts off, but I make sure to chime into him at the right moments.
Maia was just lucky I finished work at the animal shelter early. She is only three years older than me at twenty-six but I feel like I'm either the older sibling or sometimes raising Jamie for her, but I am only twenty-three. Our parents are a few hours away enjoying the last few years of work before retirement and the rest of our family is all spread out. So its just myself Emilia, my sister and Jamie. The only reason I help her and stick around is for her little boy, otherwise I wouldn't bother. I love her but some decisions she has made in the past has made my trust to her thin over time, she took money from me without me noticing, coming into school drunk or high, then getting pregnant with Jamie when she was turning twenty, to this day we have no idea who the father is, or she knows but won't tell me.
I've tried endless hours to try and get her to be better mentally and physically, it goes well for a while (less than a week usually) then we are always back to square one. When Maia got pregnant with Jamie at nineteen and I was with her every step of the way, but it made me notice more things about her and how she more than likes to take advantage of me at times. I never want to let anyone down and Maia knows just what to do to guilt trip me. "It's for Jamie."
I only assist something when it has Jamie involved. From payments for his wellbeing, to taking him to doctors' appointments since she was too "sick" from the night before to do it herself. I try to get hints if she is lying but whenever I question, she denies everything. I have a gut feeling when she says she feels sick, I just pray there is no alcohol effecting this "sickness."
I feel something is going on, but I haven't noticed anything too different, so I assume for the time being it's good or at least decent enough for Jamie's sake. I offered to stay or have Jamie for a few days, but she insists she is fine and claims she is, "Just tired from work."
"Are we going home or are we going back to mummy's house?" The six year old looks up at me, I'm not sure what to make of him calling my house his home. He rarely stays overnight my place but on the off chance he does and comes back to my house after school every few days to give Maia a 'break'. I internally roll my eyes however I would never say no to being with Jamie, he might be the closest thing I will ever have to a son.
"Can we go back home now?" I zone back into trying to answer him, I assume he means my home. Jamie's light blue eyes stare at mine, almost pleading. He must really like hanging out with me, but something in my gut unsettles me that there might be another reason as to why he sounds so desperate. I place my hand on his when I have strapped him in his child car seat.
"Jamie, you would tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?" I know he is only six, but he is mature for his age, despite who his mother is. He stares at me a little longer than I would have liked and proceeds to nod so I take it as an okay, but my stomach is sick, I'm sure I'm just imagining it or making it worse than it is, but my sister doesn't exactly have the cleanest record.
"I'll tell you what, since mummy is not feeling well why don't you come home with me, and I can drop you off later?" The smile he gives me warms my heart, there is nothing I won't do for this kid.
My house isn't the biggest but it's enough for me, the living room is cozy with a fireplace, I barely put a fire on unless it is snowing. Which in the UK is once every five years. Next to the fireplace in the corner of the room by the window is my tv, since I am so tired after work, I rarely watch things, Jamie has all his favourites on there when he comes round so I don't dare delete any or I will get the tantrum of the decade. JJ is a sweet boy but if you upset him, he will make sure you regret it.
I open the door as Jamie rushes inside to switch the tv on while I take off my coat and catch myself in the mirror, my blonde hair is like rats tails, my green eyes look like lifeless instead of the usual emerald that shines within them, and the circles under my eyes shows I haven't slept since I was Jamie's age.
I make my way to the living room and pass him to get to the kitchen where I can keep an eye on him, this is where I am thankful my house is mostly open plan downstairs. I grab some cookies and drinks for us both and I sit down on the opposite sofa to the one Jamie is on and he sees and I see him jump down and I am about to ask where he is going, with a small smile on his face he comes and locates himself next to me and snuggles into me and I'm instantly warmed up as I wrap my arms around him holding him to me.
"Where is Scooby?" I hear him mutter.
"He should be around here somewhere; he might not have heard us come in yet." I scan the room from where I am sitting. Scooby is my Husky puppy, since I work at the animal shelter Scooby was brought in as a rescue as a few weeks old. Weeks turned to months, and nobody wanted him since he was in an accident, and he must have two wheels where his back legs were once working. He took to me instantly since I was a familiar face. I caved and I just thought 'Your loss' to people who could have had him but chose not to. Their trash my treasure.
Jamie was obsessed with Scooby Doo when I bought the puppy home and asked what I should name him and that was that. It has almost been a year with Scooby being with me.
I hear paws padding and one slightly squeaky wheel from behind the sofa, Scooby's safe place when I'm not home.
"Scooby!" I jump, I forgot the strength of lungs Jamie had. Scooby pads out and he moves faster noticing we are home and tries to run as fast as he can to us despite the wheels holding him back.
I examine him to make sure he is okay physically and when I see the smile on his face, I know he is fine inside. He is so fluffy with grey and white all over with blue eyes that match Jamie's. Jamie says that Scooby is his twin, and I don't call him out on it savouring this while he is still young.
Scooby has been growing a lot and he is a lot bigger now which means the Vet bill is going to be more expensive for the dog wheelchair, but I don't care, he needs it and I'm sure I'll manage. The animal shelter does give me a discount, but it is still a lot of money to pay without the discount however, I don't spend much of my hard-earned money on me. Mostly on Jamie and Scooby.
I pick Scooby up and take the wheels off him so he can relax, I'm sure he feels the same way we do when we take our bras off. I plop him next to Jamie on my left and Scooby snuggles into Jamie and Jamie snuggles into me.
I send a quick text to Maia to say I will drop him back round tomorrow and we continue to watch Spider-Man and soon all of us are sleeping on the sofa with the tv noise on in the background. Thank God it's Friday and I don't have to worry about getting up early.