many more years to come | Parson&Georgie

”You are never going to be a quiet kid, are you?”The cries are not as high pitched and long, but the constant mumbling and effort to try and form a simple word is what fills my ears every day.

”Say Pan Pan.”

”Dadda”

”Teddy”

Today she is twelve months old. Somehow, I have kept a little kid alive for nearly a whole year, I deserve a bigger crown than the ones the victors get. I have learnt that a year-old kid will be grateful for anything, so the morning is spent chewing wrapping paper and discarding the soft toys and new clothes that she has been so kindly given.

”No, you don’t eat those Georgie!” Her curiosity is going to send me into my second grave, I spend most of my time swiping in edibles from her grasp. Today is no different, wrapping paper is clearly tastier than what is in her breakfast bowl. ”You are going back into the high chair.” I pick up the little bundle, strapping her into the wooden handcrafted highchair that I haggled for at the market. The bundle quickly erupts into a volcano. The muchly missed screams return to my shattered ear drums. There is only one way to stop it, the binky, my best defence.

”No, you can sit there and be quiet!” I say, armed with the red binky in my hand. ”Bananas or binky.”

”No.”

”No….No? Say that again!” Oh fuck an actual word.

”NO!”

Her mumblings are no longer gargles, an actual word. Not dadda. Not Teddy. No. One year old and she already has an attitude.

”Banana!” I pick up the sliced fruit, the cries have settled but the crocodile tears are so clear on her face. I expect another explosion of Nos but that was just anticlimactic. ”Come on Georgie, You are gonna be a defiant girl. Stand up to all the shit you know and say no.” I am quick to look around the kitchen, to make sure no Ursa especially Teddy hears me swear in front of the kid. She is gonna hear them eventually anyway and I have won the bet that fuck would be her first word. She just better not show me up when I tell everyone else that she is speaking…a word. ”You going to say No for dadda when Uncle Teddy comes down?”

Silence. Just a scowling face when I choo choo manoeuvre the next banana slice into her mouth.

Georgie has kept me busy, busier than I have ever been over the past five years. Maybe the kid is a blessing in disguise, not a demon dumped on the doorstep. I am free from being District Six’s guinea pig, no longer shackled to the drug clinical trials because supposedly, seeing as I have already died once then why not die a couple more times? I am never going back to those facilities again; I have got a dependant now who I owe my life too. A cute one too!

I still have not told Angel. My excuse was the phone lines being cut when the bombings happened, but they have been back up and running for weeks now. What will he think? It has been five years since we were properly with each other, surely, I could not hold myself down for so long. Yeah maybe Aeryn Kight has not been the only one. Maybe I do not know how many there have been. I have not loved any of them. Just used for a relief of pressure. I have not been with Angel De Costa for five years, but his face is still the one who takes me to my dreams.

”No!”

The nearly toddler smashes her fists on the wooden highchair table, refusing the next serving of bananas.

”Yes! Keep saying it and I will get Uncle Ted!”

I have more than just Angel De Costa in my life now. A love not divided by a thousand-acre forest.