It was laundry day. That meant I had to steel myself and brave our nineteen-year-old son’s bedroom. I know that I should just tell him to strip his bed and put the bedding on the landing. I know that, but if you knew Mikhael, then you would know that it would never happen. He is not lazy; no, he is simply indifferent. If I gave him clean bedding, it would just sit wherever I left it. It would never get put on the bed. Not...

I was sitting in the lounge, lost in memories, remembering a week or so ago. Christmas was finished, but not everyone had gone back to work. Paul and Mik were both at work, but Leo, the eighteen-year-old from next door, still had a few days off. His company didn’t open until the New Year. I was just getting the bags of shopping from the car; I had been to the sales and bought a few things for us when Leo popped his head o...

Jill lives next door; she is married to Jim. We had agreed that we would go to Meadowhall, a shopping mall near to Sheffield. We wanted some new outfits; it would soon be spring, and the summer clothes would be gone from the shops. It was now or never. Jill was driving; I was navigating. Meadowhall isn’t that difficult to find; it is bigger than some villages and is signposted from the motorway, but Jill liked to be direc...

“I have something bizarre to tell you,” Paul said as we sat down in the lounge. Dinner was finished, and the dirty dishes were all in the dishwasher. Mik, our son, was up in his room on his PlayStation; we were alone and could talk. “Oh, go on, then, freak me out.” “Whilst you were at Tesco, Jill came around.” I had an idea what this was going to be. “Oh, is she alright?” “Oh, yes, she’s fine, and so, before you ask, is J...

I was at a loose end; Mum wasn't really talking to me after the events of the past weekend; in her eyes, I went too far. Having three mates come around and shag her stupid; perhaps not the best thing I have ever done. In front of Dad, Mum was just the same as usual. When Dad wasn't around, she was reserved; answers were a simple yes or no. There was no conversation. She would rather not stay in the same room as me. There...

I didn’t know what Mik had been up to. He had been keeping out of my way for two weeks now, ever since ‘the incident’. The other week he was out for the whole day, and as we were not really speaking (my choice), I didn’t know where he was. I was seated in the lounge yesterday when Mik entered, placed a cup of tea beside me, and then exited without uttering a word. I also noticed that his laundry was going in the laundry b...

I had been sitting in Hot Java, the coffee shop in the precinct, when a hand tapped my shoulder. Lost in introspection, I was unaware of my surroundings. The tap on my shoulder snapped me back to reality. I looked around; it was Keith from just up our road. “Hello, Mica. Gosh, you were miles away.” “Yes, sorry, Keith, I was just thinking of what I was doing for the family lunch this weekend.” “Ah, yes, Margot can be a bit...