Double Dad fans, Corrie is getting a make over. This is told through Claudette's point of view and is a follow up of chapter one.
ALL critiques welcome.
TWO
A small trickle of water fell from the gutter along my roof and made a silver trail to the cement below. I was watching this from the kitchen window, as I hunched over the sink and washed the endless amount of cups and plates that I had managed to dirty in a single day. The sky was darkened with heavy rain clouds that, like pregnant women, dropped their weight to the earth with relief. Relief to them, relief to us. Rain like that was a God-sent, as this drought was harsh and on-going. I closed my eyes, praying that there would be enough rain to break the drought and end the water restrictions. They were so strict my roses were left to shrivel and wilt, while I just had to watch the soul drain out of their once bright petals. That distressed me greatly. I had once been so proud of that garden but now I cringed whenever passers-by looked onto in. I was ashamed, because there was nothing beautiful about it.
An insignificant peep snapped my attention back to reality. I spun around, expecting to see a hungry, grieving niece but instead I saw a rugged tabby cat.
"Goo Goo," I called out to him, smiling. He looked up with his big green eyes and mewed. His orange fur was matted and clingy from the water outside, and he stopped in his tracks to try to lick it all off. I watched him for a while before returning to my dishes. From the pit of bubbly warm water, I lifted out a white china mug with a golden rim. It was the one I had offered to Corrie with the tea in it. I rinsed it a few times, recalling the incident. She did not want to open up to me. I couldn't understand why. I had been nothing but kind to her; I allowed her into my home, treated her like a daughter. She ignored it all, however, and continued to be her freaky self.
Frustrated, I finished the dishes and allowed the gunky water to rush down the drain. I flopped down at my dining table and stole a biscuit from the cute, cat shaped cookie jar. Small flax lumps sprinkled the table-top underneath my nibbling mouth. I swept them off with the back of my hand and they fell silently to the floor. With the cookie consumed, I licked the remaining sugar off of my fingers, one by one. I sighed, and looked around the room, trying to distract myself from taking another biscuit.
A rustle from the other room provided a decent distraction. Curiosity led me to walk over to where it had come from; the guest room Corrie was staying in. I looked through the gap in the door and saw her slipping something into a black leather bag. On further inspection, I noticed it was a purse. Corrie slipped her feet into a pair of black flats and walked towards the door. I dashed a few metres down the hallway so Corrie wouldn't know I was spying on her. I tried to make it look like I was walking up the hall from my bedroom. Shutting the door behind her, Corrie walked out into the hall. She noticed me walking and looked stunned, like she didn't expect me to be there. Her eyes grew wide as though I had caught her doing cocaine, and her mouth fell into an "o" shape.
"Aunt Claudette," she stammered. "I was, uh, just about to go for a walk."
"Oh really?" I asked, faking an interest. "A walk to where?"
She paused for a moment, pondering whether or not to tell me.
"Just, where ever my feet take me," she turned on her heels and walked out of the front door.
I stared at the back of her for a while, wondering why she had chosen not to tell me. When she was gone, I migrated into the kitchen, thankful that I had never had children myself.
Kidding, work at your own pace, and keep up this quality.
