Member-only story
I hear the footsteps coming first
Before Lily pushes down the door
It’s far too early for this, I imagine
But she climbs into my parent's bed
(I know it wouldn’t really be my parent's room but I have a hard time imagining being a parent without pretending I’m still the child)
I want to check to see if her mum’s awake
But I know she’s turned away
And her face would be distorted
She always was a heavy sleeper
Let’s just pretend she’s still asleep
Lily stops crawling at my feet
As she does every morning
To laugh at my tattoos
It’s so silly that her old fat dad
Has pretty flowers on his feet
She stops at something new
It’s just a simple line
With peaks and trough along the way
But she’s confused, she doesn’t recognise this one
Doesn’t understand it like the flowers
I sit up and take her hand
Holding her wrist tight so I can feel her pulse
And place her other hand on her heart
Together we…
