Fake Nails

Partner picked up yet another fake nail from the carpet and identified the owner by colour. The girls are off to their dad’s for a few days and it is stressful as they get ready. This is not helped by the fact that daughter 2 stayed with FaceTime friend last night and so has ordered her sisters to pack a bag for her too. We need to do it via video call, she told daughter 1, as I need to try a few different tops. This sounded to me like a very long winded approach to packing and daughter 1 obviously agrees, as they are due to leave in 5 minutes and, as yet, no call has taken place and nothing has been packed for her. 

You are all very stressed this morning, I comment to daughter 1. It’s because we’re wearing fake nails, she replied. Everything is made so much harder with fake nails. It’s true, daughter 4 pipes up, fake nails make life a lot more stressful. 

My god, I thought, as I picked one out of dog 2’s fur. If removing the stresses in my life were as simple as taking off my nails, life would be so much easier. 

The familiar, ‘beep, beep’ thunders from ex’s car and ricochets off every house around our estate.  Nothing is packed for daughter 2, their rooms look like a hurricane has whipped through – which isn’t far from the truth and there is a distinct aroma of acetone in the air. I am not going to see them for a week, so rather than letting rip in my usual manner, I take a deep breath, give them all big hugs and watch them stagger down the path with their bags. 

I come back in and survey the scene. I sit on daughter 1’s bed. I do miss them when they are gone. My phone rings. It’s daughter 2 on FaceTime. Mum, please can you help me pack, they’re on their way back to pick up my things. Please put on my black polo neck jumper and then try on the cropped grey one with no sleeves…I get up from the bed, tread on a nail and wince.