Chapter 1

“Alba, I need you to work the afternoon shift as well” Tony asks as I just finished signing out from my last fourteen-hour shift.

“Tony, I love you! But you are not going to stop me from my first three days off in the last three months. Senna, rarely gets to see me, I booked this time off months ago and if Senna wants to lay around and watch movies all day or hell lick the windows like a crazy zoon animal then that is what I am going to do for the next three days” Alba says with a laugh.

“Please Alba, I beg you” Tony says as he shows me his large smile that lets me know that he is joking.

“Your on your own” I say laughingly as I race out the front door of the diner that I have spent the last six years working at.

“Bring Senna around for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow morning I will make your favourites” Tony calls as the door finally shuts behind me cutting off his voice.

As I make my way to the daycare to pick Senna up I am excited at the thought of not having to rush around tomorrow morning to get Senna ready for daycare and me off to work. Pulling into the parking lot of the daycare centre, I quickly exit the car and make my way towards the entry of the daycare centre.

“Afternoon Alba” The centre manager says as I make my way over to sign Senna out. I avoid the centre managers eyes as I am sure that she is going to tell me something about Senna that I just don’t want to hear.

Senna is a handful most days she is four going on forty and has a mouth on her. Normally Toney picks her up and the centre manager avoids him because he looks scary but I know that she wants to say something. I can here the papers being tapped on the table. I quickly finish signing Senna out and rush through the gates to get to Senna. As I walk into the loud kindy room, I instantly spot my girl she is sitting in the naughty corner. I look at her and open my eyes wide and shake my head. Senna responds with the exact same look and then points to the teacher and crosses her arm across her body with a pissed off look.

“Ms Carter am I right to take Senna now?” I ask Senna’s kindy teacher as I know that she is very strict with her punishments and doesn’t like for the punished child to miss out on what she feels is right.

“Ms Tora, I guess but you really need to talk to Senna about what is expected of her within the classroom. Senna has caused multiple upsets today and it really isn’t fair to the other students”

“Well calling her out in public doesn’t seem to be the right step forward either so maybe that is something that should be addressed as well. I mean everyone in here can hear you and you aren’t even trying to be kind”

“That hardly seems to be the point. Senna is a loud mouth” Ms Carter hisses at me as I move over to Senna and take her hand.

“What did you do?” I ask Senna as I look down at her.

“They tried to take my chocolate cup away from me and I got mad” Senna says with a pout.

“What!” As ask as Ms Carter makes a tsking sound in the back of her throat”

“Children aren’t allowed to have chocolate at kindy” Ms Carter says with a huff.

I move forward and bend down slightly and whisper to Ms Carter. “That chocolate cup was dates and molasses mixed together with some sunflower seeds. There was no chocolate in it. I call it a chocolate cup to get her to eat better. So, thanks for screwing that up” I hiss at Ms Carter.

I gather Senna and turn and leave the room and walk power walk my way towards the gates and the front door. This daycare makes me so mad.

“Sorry Momma” Senna says as we walk through the gates and make our way to the front door. I hear a voice clear and I know that it is the centre manager wanting to talk to me as well but I turn to her with the best pissed off voice and look that I can muster and growl out “Talk to Ms Carter. If you both pull this stunt again, I swear to all that is holy that I will make you pay”

Senna and I breeze through the front doors.

“Freedom” Senna yells in the parking lot as we make our way to the car. I chuckle as some of the parents that we pass laugh at Senna’s dramatics.

“So, apart from the chocolate cup incident what else did you do today?” I ask as I get Senna buckled into the car and start our thirty-five-minute trek home>

“Nothing much, I play with a few of the kids but they are so lame. Then we had quiet time so I got to read which was really nice. Lunch was a disaster and then I got to go on the naught chair and spent the rest of the day there” Senna says as she continues to chatter away the drive.

As we pull up into the driveway Senna continues to chatter away about nothing and everything.

“When Uncle Tony coming home?” Senna asks as we walk through the front door.

“I don’t know baby girl, go wash up and we can get ready for afternoon tea” I reply as Senna races up the stairs to wash her hands.

“Hey Momma, what’s for snack and dinner. I am so hungry” Senna groans as she climbs up on the stool in front of the bench.

“Fruit snack and for dinner tonight let’s have taco night and a movie” I say

“Ok we can do that, but I am not watch frozen” Senna responds taking a large bite of her apple

“Ok, what do you want to watch then?”

“Mm, Lilo and stitch”

“Done, sweetheart”

Just as we were finishing up our afternoon snack, the phone rings with Tony’s name. Taking a deep sigh, I answer the call that I don’t want to answer at all.

“I know, I will give you Monday off if you just help me deliver the catering to that party tonight and then I will make you breakfast and have lunch and dinner delivered for the next three day.” Tony bursts out as soon as I answered the phone.

I look to Senna and see her nodding her head. She would do anything just to make sure that she doesn’t have to attend daycare on Monday morning.

“Fine”