I felt a lock of hair on my cheek and a whisper in my ear as I lay on my side in a very comfortable bed. The days when I could have had a lie in felt like a distant memory but knowing what I was waking up to made it all much easier.
“Mummy”.
My daughter Erin calling me ‘mummy’ felt wonderful. I never grew tired of it. It was the most wonderful title you could have in the world. To be such a miracles ‘mummy’. It was wonderful.
I took a deep breath and smiled.
“Good morning angel”, I said, stretching out my arms and catching her in my embrace. “Happy birthday…how old are you now?” I said frowning, acting confused.
She looked up at me with her big eyes and smiled. “Mummy?” She paused for a second while rolling her eyes and then she held up her right hand, inches in front of my face showing me all her fingers. “I’m five today.”
“Oh yes, so you are. Don’t tell daddy though,” I whispered. “He thinks you’re growing too fast. He’s scared you’ll get yourself a boyfriend soon and forget about him.”
She tilted her head back and laughed. Hearing her laugh was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard, like the clearest sound of heaven bursting through an angel. It filled me with joy every time. “I don’t have a boyfriend,” she said still laughing with her hands slightly over her mouth. “I know that, but he doesn’t,” I said pointing at Peter who was lying with his back to us.
I looked at Erin with a cheeky smile.
“Should we wake him up and remind him?” She nodded her head, then we both sat up, getting into position for giving Peter a good tickle scare. Just as we were about to do it he swung round and gave us a big fun fright, making us scream and laugh at the same time. After the initial shock he grabbed us both and hugged and kissed us, then he looked at Erin.
“So who is this boyfriend you were talking about?,” he said looking serious.
“I don’t have a boyfriend daddy,” she said looking at him like he was stupid.
“ok ok, just checking” he smiled softly at her.
“Happy birthday my angel.”
At the sound of that Erin started jumping up and down on the bed out of excitement for the day ahead.
We were having a birthday party after lunch that day with the family. Chris and Lisa were also coming or ’aunt’ Lisa and ’uncle’ Chris as we liked to call them.
They had been on a rollercoaster on and off relationship over the last few years. Their current status was ’off’ but they contained their love-slashhate relationship around us…barely… However, they weren’t very good at hiding it. At first, when their romance had begun, back when I had just met Peter after he had come out of his coma, they were all over each other, almost annoyingly so. But when that happened I would kindly let them know that I wasn’t interested in a front row seat at their makeout sessions by clearing my throat loudly. Sometimes I even had to ask them to ’take the show’ elsewhere and they would then wander into Lisa's bedroom.
Peter and I were pretty bad as well at first. It was hard to keep our hands off each other. However, we loved to do other things as well. As long as we were in each other’s company we were happy. We would go out for walks, either along the seaside or up Arthur’s Seat on the outskirts of Edinburgh. We would talk about the adventures we’d had in our dream world when Peter had unknowingly been in his hospital bed, at least physically. His mental state had been elsewhere. At the time I had just thought that he was a very strong fantasy of mine, but truth be told I was completely and madly in love with him from the first moment I saw him when he appeared in my dreams. We would reminisce about our times in the stars and flying across countrysides or by the seaside, seeing fantasy creatures like elves and unicorns. I could really miss those times. But we found our own adventure in the ’real world’ since Peter had woken up. Everyday felt like a new adventure with him. Especially the day I found out that I was pregnant. I couldn’t believe it at the time. It all happened so fast. I had felt a bit sick the first few weeks after Peter had awoken, but at the time I had assumed it was down to nerves and simply being in love. When I finally, after a serious talk with Lisa who suggested that I might be pregnant, took a pregnancy test. I was stunned when I saw that it showed positive. I was going to be a mummy. It thrilled me as well as terrified me. It felt like the beginning of something huge, which of course it was. Peter was thrilled when I told him. He was shocked just like I was, but also thrilled. We were both naturally a little nervous about the whole thing but it was also very exciting. We got a flat together not long after that in Bruntsfield, a nice area close to The Meadows in Edinburgh. The Meadows was a park that was lovely for walks and picnics. During the Fringe Festival in August each year there would be lots of fun events happening there like shows of all sorts and from all around the world. I loved the shows and all the new people. Erin loved it too. The previous year we had seen a show with daring circus-like acts. They had made it both hilarious and daring at the same time and Erin had loved every minute of it. It was always a fantastic time to be out and about.
Erin was born on a clear early morning in June. A chubby little baby girl with a lot of hair…for a new born that is. Peter had held her in his arms with such pride. His eyes were shiny with happy tears and his beautiful smile stretching across his face as he had looked out of the window and seen the most amazing colours in the sky. It felt as if all the world was welcoming our daughter, he had said. It was filled with beautiful reds, pinks and orange colours settling onto the half dark, half blue sky and you could still faintly see the stars. It was magnificent. It had even made the news. People had taken loads of photos and posted them online. Peter had looked over at me with love in his eyes and softly said her name. ’Erin’. It felt like the angel Erin that I had encountered a few years back was sending a gift. We had decided on the name almost as soon as I found out that I was pregnant. I felt as if I was carrying an angel. And so it was decided. Erin Wallace-Walker. She would carry both of our surnames.
I was wearing an off-white lace dress to the party. My brown shoulder length hair was in a side parting. I hadn’t done much to it. I was too busy making preparations and besides, Erin was the star of the day. As long as I looked respectable, that was all that mattered. The decorations were up, the white frosted cake with a fairy on top was made and chilling in the fridge and the presents were piled up as we heard the first knock on the door. Erin had been staring at the presents as if she was communicating with them but as soon as she heard the knock she snapped out of her concentration and ran over to the front door in her little white fairy outfit looking adorable.
The door opened gently as my mum, dad and little sister Emma entered. Erin was jumping up and down with excitement as they started singing “Happy Birthday” in an off key but loving way.
They all smiled apart from Emma who was clearly annoyed at our mother who was making it impossible for her to pass through the doorway. Mum was too busy giving Erin attention to even notice the evil look Emma was giving her. Mum had probably annoyed her in the car on the way over, knowing their relationship.
She was looking proudly at her granddaughter but there was also something sad in her eyes.
Eventually she moved so that Emma could come in.
She loved her niece and her niece loved her.
It was amazing how much Emma had grown since Erin was born. She had been a bit of a rebel when she was a young teen but she had matured over the last few years. She was still outspoken and liked to try new styles but that was just her being herself and I hoped that she would never change that aspect of her. Her hair was long now, a little longer than shoulder-length, but she would try new hairstyles rather than cutting it short when she was having a spontaneous moment. Today she had put her dark blond hair in braids in a slightly messy bun making it look very bohemian in a classy way. Her whole outfit was a bit bohemian as well with a white lace tunic over harem trousers. It looked great. She finally got through to Erin after rolling her eyes at mum and bent down to give Erin a cuddle and her present.
“Wow!” Erin said, not having a clue what it was but eager to find out.
Quickly after they had walked through and sat down on the grey sectional sofa in our living-room there was another knock on the door and in entered Peter’s parents Ian and Julia. Peter got his gorgeous smile from his mother. She was a very pretty woman with her golden coloured hair to her shoulders, blue-green eyes and petite figure but Peter had the look of his father more so with his ice-blue eyes and dark hair that was almost black. He was the same hight as Peter, about five-eleven. You could also see the resemblance in their movements. It was like looking at Peter in the future. They had met when Ian had been over to New York with some friends in his early twenties. It hadn’t been an easy ride however. Julia had been engaged to another man at the time, so it took a couple of years before anything could really happen between them. All in all quite a lovely love story in the end and oh how happy I was that they hooked up so that one day, I could meet their son, my soulmate.
I was greeting them all with hugs as Dana, Peter’s little sister, who was a copy of her mother more or less, walked through the door and not long after that my friend Chris. Just before I shut the door my brother Jason and his very new girlfriend came in with a huge package. Erin’s eyes doubled in size and it made us all laugh. I knew we were all spoiling our little girl but it was hard not to. She was the first grandchild in the family and was so utterly adored.
Jason’s poor date seemed a little out of place not knowing what to do with herself but luckily for her both our families were very welcoming so she seemed to make herself comfortable shortly after having entered our home.
There was one person missing. I knew that Lisa, being a huge time optimist, would be the last to show up so I decided there was no point in waiting for her.
We gathered around as I offered them all tea’s and coffee’s before letting my eager girl attack the presents.
After about ten minutes I finally looked over at her and nodded. “On you go, you can open the presents now.”
She could barely contain herself as she picked out the first present to open. I sat by her side as she opened the card on the box. I read it to her. “To Erin, we love you to the moon and back, love mum and dad xxx.”
She gave me and Peter a big hug before digging into the wrapping.
Out came a toy microphone with a stand. When you spoke into it it echoed and it had a few different sound affects. She squealed with excitement. She had been using tin foil crunched up into a fake microphone and singing along to artists like Adele, Beyonce and Taylor Swift. We had a hunch that she would love our present and it looked like we were right.
“Thank you mummy, thank you daddy” She gave us both another big hug.
We were halfway through the presents when Lisa walked through with a smile looking stunning. She was in a low-cut slim-fitted black dress with a few flowery patterns on the sides and a pair of black high heels. As she looked around the room her eyes landed on Chris and she immediately frowned. Lisa always liked to get more dolled up when they were having one of their many break-ups, just to show Chris what he was missing. It was so obvious and Chris knew what she was doing and he loved it. He just sat there with a smirk, feeling all big headed over the fact that Lisa had gone to all that trouble for him.
“Lisa!” Erin yelped hopping over to greet her. Lisa bent down with a smile oozing love over her, dropping the frown that she had so intensely held for Chris. Lisa absolutely adored Erin and Erin adored Lisa. She would do her hair and nails and they would quite literally play princesses. It was both hilarious and wonderful to watch. I’m not sure for who’s benefit it was some of the time. It seemed Lisa loved it just as much as Erin at times. I got up to get Lisa a drink in the kitchen as she followed me through.
“You’re looking gorgeous hun,” I said raising my eyebrows. Lisa’s shoulders went down.
“What is that suppose to mean?”
“Just saying, you and Chris may be on and off but you’re like magnets and you are clearly trying to impress each other.”
Lisa looked super annoyed at my comment.
“Well it’s his fault that we broke up this time. He’s the one that got all jealous over me dancing with a hot guy. FYI it’s my job and the guy is gay… I think.” She looked away for a second. “Look, I know what it looks like and had the tables been turned I wouldn’t feel great about it but if it was his job I would have to except it you know.” “I know hun, he did overreact a bit, male egos and all that, but he loves you still. I can tell.” Lisa smiled at the sound of that.
“Hey Lisa, can you grab me the cake server over by the fridge?”
“Sure,” she said walking over.
“Where did you say it was?”
“By the fridge. It’s a plastic one with a princess motive on it. Erin picked it out a few weeks ago to have for the party,” I said walking across the kitchen. It was there a moment ago," I frowned. “Things have gone missing lately, it’s either our little trickster, cute as she may be, she is a major suspect here, or I’m going senile,” I said jokingly. “Well now that you mention the senile thing,” she said giving me a cheeky grin.
“Oh you are hilarious aren’t you,” I answered her sarcastically as I grabbed a knife and a spoon to compensate for the proper cake knife server. “She must have taken it to her room or something. No big deal.”
I prepared the cake and made sure Erin was done with opening her presents before lighting the candles and walking through singing “Happy Birthday.” It was a lovely birthday party with friends and family. Erin was thrilled with all the attention she was getting.
After a few hours people started to leave. There were new toys and wrapping paper everywhere, we had stuffed our faces with the lovely cake and lots of other pastries. We were all getting a bit tired but it had been a wonderful day.
That night as I lay in bed, Peter kissing my neck and me feeling like a cat being stroked, I counted my blessings. I was so happy…so happy.