(no subject)
“Mum,” Lyle stared outside the window at a perfectly lovely spring day. “Mum, I want to go outside, I want to go to school”. It was pure torture, to be six years old and stuck inside on a nice day. All of his peers were outside for break at the time and Lyle was nothing but jealous. He was stuck, sitting on the couch, playing with crayons, and watching the telly. Two very dull options compared to anything he could be doing at school.
His mother looked up from the cross-stitch she was working on from the other side of the couch, keeping her youngest son company. “You can’t go out, Lyle, you’re ill. You have an ear infection, you’ll be able to go back to school in a few days.”
“I’m not ill! I feel better now!” Lyle whined as he moved to wipe his nose on his sleeve. “My ear doesn’t hurt ‘nymore. If you take me to school now-” He was interrupted as his mother smiled at him and pulled him into her lap, resting her hand on his forehead. Lyle blinked and stared up at her.
“You still have a bit of a fever,” she moved her hand to ruffle his hair. “If you take your medicine, you’ll be able to go to school the day after tomorrow, I promise.”
“I don’t like medicine,” Lyle scrunched up his nose with disgust and resumed his coloring with exaggerated melancholy. “How come Neil never gets sick? He gets to have fun at school all the time.” At times like this, it was hard not to be jealous.
“Neil just has a better immune system than you, you were very small when you were born,” She continued to stroke his hair and as Lyle was about to open his mouth and tell her she should have had him first (as he usually did when he got in this mood), she spoke again. “Besides we get to have time together on days like this.”
“But it’s not fun time,” Lyle insisted with the innocent insensitivity that came with being that age. But, Lindsey Dylandy only smiled.
“Then we’ll just have to make it fun time won’t we?” She scooped him up and carried him to the kitchen, pulling up a chair in front of the counter for him to stand on. “Let’s make some cookies for Amy when she wakes up from her nap and for Neil and Dad when they get home. They can be any kind you want.”
“…Any kind I want,” Lyle repeated to himself slowly before looking up at his mother. “Can I break the eggs? And lick the spoon?” And when his mother smiled at him and nodded, he couldn’t help smiling back, even if he was still ill and still stuck inside.
“Mum, you’re the best mum, d’you know that?”
[Lyle shifts slightly before sighing] Mum, I'm sorry I forgot Mothering Sunday, I...ended up being rather busy. I know I was supposed to visit, but...it doesn't seem possible right now. I'll visit, Amy and Dad too, if as soon as I can.