I knowwwwwww the bb!Rokia box is full of sadthings :(
Also this was a prompt thing at some point but putting it here again because relevant--Allie's first day of school:
“I don’t wanna get up,” Allie whines, curling tighter on the mattress. “Don’t wanna go to school.”
Rokia takes a deep breath, lets it out. Allie turned four this spring, which means school, and Rokia’s grateful as hell even if Allie doesn’t want it. Means 8 hours of only Kadi to keep track of, and Kadi’s still baby enough that she doesn’t talk back to Aunt Magda, so she can play in a corner of the office while Magda does the paperwork until Allie and Jack come home from school. Allie was getting old enough to be too easily bored, and Magda kept calling Rokia out to deal with her.
And Sal doesn’t mind much but Magda shakes her head and complains Sal’s not getting his money’s worth if Rokia’s in and out looking after kids all day.
So school is a fucking relief. If she can just get Allie up and dressed and out the door.
“Allie, come on, it’ll be fun,” she tries, coaxing.
“It won’t,” Allie says. “I’m tired. I wanna sleep.”
Rokia’s jaw tightens. She doesn’t snap that they’re all tired, that she worked a 12-hour shift yesterday before Sal sent her home, because she’s getting them out of this fucking house as soon as she possibly can, and even the shittiest run-down apartments demand deposits and she doesn’t have the money. Isn’t sure how she’ll manage to scrape it up, keep it from disappearing into food and clothes and doctors and Mom’s never-ending list of immediate needs, keeping the water running and the power on, because she’s the only one in this fucking house who notices the bills, much less pays them.
But if nice is just getting her whining, then fuck it. “Allie, come on,” she says, in her best tough voice. “You have to get up, you have to go to school, now quit whining and get dressed.”
Allie rolls over, sulky. Kadi’s curled up next to her and whines a little when her sister leaves her back exposed. “Fine,” Allie says, stands up. Rokia hands her a t-shirt, underwear, pants, socks, shoes, one at a time while Allie does everything at half-speed just to be difficult, and by the time she’s dressed Rokia is counting by sevens in her head to keep from yelling.
“Come on,” she says finally, taking Allie’s hand, picking up her bag and walking out into the hall. She shuts the door firmly behind them. Kadi will go back to sleep, she knows from experience, and nobody else is likely to be up for hours, given how late the noise went on last night.
The kitchen is still some kind of fucking lab, she’s not keeping anything for the girls to eat in there, so they stop at a corner store on the way to the school and Rokia gets yesterday’s bread, half price, and a new tub of margarine, the kind that doesn’t need refrigeration so she can keep it in their room. Allie’s quiet while they eat, chewing carefully and sipping water out of Rokia’s canteen. When they’re done Rokia slips the rest of the bread and margarine into her bag and pulls Allie to her feet. Pulls her in for a quick hug, because Allie looks scared and sad behind the sullenness, and Rokia doesn’t know what else to do.
Allie pulls away pretty soon, starts walking, scuffing her feet on the sidewalk. “Allie, stop that,” Rokia says. “You’ll wear out your shoes.” Allie looks back at her, lower lip stuck out, but she stops scuffing, takes Rokia’s hand again.
When they get to the school, Rokia crouches down, pushes Allie’s hair back. “You be good now,” Rokia says. “And your Aunt Magda and Jack are gonna pick you up after, okay?”
Allie nods. Hesitates, then flings herself at Rokia so hard she almost knocks them both over.
Rokia steadies them, wraps her arms around Allie. “I love you, babygirl,” she whispers, and then stands up and watches her sister walk into the school building.
Then turns around and walks home to get Kadi and head for work.
no subject
Also this was a prompt thing at some point but putting it here again because relevant--Allie's first day of school:
“I don’t wanna get up,” Allie whines, curling tighter on the mattress. “Don’t wanna go to school.”
Rokia takes a deep breath, lets it out. Allie turned four this spring, which means school, and Rokia’s grateful as hell even if Allie doesn’t want it. Means 8 hours of only Kadi to keep track of, and Kadi’s still baby enough that she doesn’t talk back to Aunt Magda, so she can play in a corner of the office while Magda does the paperwork until Allie and Jack come home from school. Allie was getting old enough to be too easily bored, and Magda kept calling Rokia out to deal with her.
And Sal doesn’t mind much but Magda shakes her head and complains Sal’s not getting his money’s worth if Rokia’s in and out looking after kids all day.
So school is a fucking relief. If she can just get Allie up and dressed and out the door.
“Allie, come on, it’ll be fun,” she tries, coaxing.
“It won’t,” Allie says. “I’m tired. I wanna sleep.”
Rokia’s jaw tightens. She doesn’t snap that they’re all tired, that she worked a 12-hour shift yesterday before Sal sent her home, because she’s getting them out of this fucking house as soon as she possibly can, and even the shittiest run-down apartments demand deposits and she doesn’t have the money. Isn’t sure how she’ll manage to scrape it up, keep it from disappearing into food and clothes and doctors and Mom’s never-ending list of immediate needs, keeping the water running and the power on, because she’s the only one in this fucking house who notices the bills, much less pays them.
But if nice is just getting her whining, then fuck it. “Allie, come on,” she says, in her best tough voice. “You have to get up, you have to go to school, now quit whining and get dressed.”
Allie rolls over, sulky. Kadi’s curled up next to her and whines a little when her sister leaves her back exposed. “Fine,” Allie says, stands up. Rokia hands her a t-shirt, underwear, pants, socks, shoes, one at a time while Allie does everything at half-speed just to be difficult, and by the time she’s dressed Rokia is counting by sevens in her head to keep from yelling.
“Come on,” she says finally, taking Allie’s hand, picking up her bag and walking out into the hall. She shuts the door firmly behind them. Kadi will go back to sleep, she knows from experience, and nobody else is likely to be up for hours, given how late the noise went on last night.
The kitchen is still some kind of fucking lab, she’s not keeping anything for the girls to eat in there, so they stop at a corner store on the way to the school and Rokia gets yesterday’s bread, half price, and a new tub of margarine, the kind that doesn’t need refrigeration so she can keep it in their room. Allie’s quiet while they eat, chewing carefully and sipping water out of Rokia’s canteen. When they’re done Rokia slips the rest of the bread and margarine into her bag and pulls Allie to her feet. Pulls her in for a quick hug, because Allie looks scared and sad behind the sullenness, and Rokia doesn’t know what else to do.
Allie pulls away pretty soon, starts walking, scuffing her feet on the sidewalk. “Allie, stop that,” Rokia says. “You’ll wear out your shoes.” Allie looks back at her, lower lip stuck out, but she stops scuffing, takes Rokia’s hand again.
When they get to the school, Rokia crouches down, pushes Allie’s hair back. “You be good now,” Rokia says. “And your Aunt Magda and Jack are gonna pick you up after, okay?”
Allie nods. Hesitates, then flings herself at Rokia so hard she almost knocks them both over.
Rokia steadies them, wraps her arms around Allie. “I love you, babygirl,” she whispers, and then stands up and watches her sister walk into the school building.
Then turns around and walks home to get Kadi and head for work.