Page 32 of The Life Experiment
As she fastened her bra, Layla settled on a plan. After breakfast, she would reply to Angus. They would talk, they would meet, but they would not fall in love. She would be clear with him about that, and even clearer with herself.
Decision made, Layla headed downstairs to the hustle and bustle of the kitchen.
‘Jayden, you don’t need that much syrup,’ Maya called over the chaos.
Layla entered the room in time to hear Jayden’s protests.
‘But syrup makes you strong, Mum!’
Briefly, Layla glanced at Joanna; the act was muscle memory, thinking the only mum around here was hers. But then it hit Layla, as it did whenever she was around her family – Maya was a mum too. The little sister, who had snuck into Layla’s bed when she had a nightmare and sung pop songs in front of the mirror, was grown up. So grown up she was someone’s mum.
It was a strange thing to see a sibling become a parent. Part of Layla mourned the definitive loss of childhood, but mostly she was proud. Witnessing Maya blossom into this new role was incredible. Different sides of her sister’s personality had come to light. Maya was softer now. Kinder. She laughed harder, loved more fiercely. She noticed things Layla didn’t. Twice over the last few days, Layla had watched Maya point out an interesting cloud to Jayden, anchoring him in the small marvels that were all around him. It made Layla stop and notice them too. It made her proud of her sister and the way she chose to view the world.
Have you ever told Maya that?her brain asked, but her father kicked out a chair for her to join them.
‘Come on, kiddo,’ he said. ‘Hurry, before all the pancakes are gone.’
‘Or drowned in an ungodly amount of syrup,’ Maya muttered, dropping two pancakes onto a plate and handing them to Layla.
‘Thanks,’ Layla said. She took a moment to marvel at how pretty Maya looked. It was barely 9 am, but Maya’s hair was perfectly styled and her beloved red lipstick was firmly in place. Layla often felt plain and dumpy next to her sister, and the contrast felt sharper than ever that morning. ‘This looks amazing, Mum,’ Layla said as she took her seat.
‘Thank you, sweetheart. I thought a nice breakfast would set us all up for the day. I was thinking we could go for a walk later, if you’d like?’
‘Not me, love,’ David replied, patting his hips.
‘Are you okay, Dad?’ Layla asked, adding syrup to her pancakes. ‘Do you need to see a doctor?’
‘I’m fine, it’s just the cold,’ David explained. ‘My bones and joints always play up around this time of year.’
‘That’s what happens after you fall and break them all,’ Maya joked.
Everyone laughed, but Layla couldn’t join in. Coming home was always a confronting reminder of what the Cannons had been through. Even all these years later, Layla couldn’t dismiss her dad’s injuries. As soon as she stepped through the front door, she transformed into the scared little girl visiting him in the ICU, worrying that he could be here one day but gone the next.
‘Do go for the walk, though,’ David said. ‘See if you can beat Jayden in a race.’
As Jayden launched into a passionate speech about how fast he could run, Layla glanced at Joanna. She’d only meant to check if her mum was worried about her dad, but now she was concerned for her mother.
Despite the generous spread on the table, there was only a small fat-free yoghurt in Joanna’s hands. To most people, it would simply look like Joanna wasn’t hungry, but Layla knew her mum. She knew that there were only two reasons Joanna would semi-starve herself – either money was tight, or her body image was at its worst. With fresh fruit on the table and two choices of fruit juice laid out, Layla guessed it was the latter.
‘Aren’t you having pancakes, Mum?’ Layla asked.
‘No. One bite would be on my hips for the next five years,’ Joanna replied, laughing as if to brush off the self-deprecating comment.
‘Oh hush, love. You’re perfect,’ David said, reaching across the table for a bowl of bacon. Even through the cloud of worry, Layla couldn’t help smiling. After all these years and all they’d been through, love still bloomed between her parents. It might not be loud, showy, Instagram-worthy love, but it was real.
It made Layla think of Angus. Ducking her head before her family could see her blush, Layla added a few strawberries to her plate then handed the bowl to Maya.
‘Layls needs to come home more often,’ Maya quipped as she heaped the fruit onto her plate. ‘We never get fancy treatment when it’s just us.’
‘Excuse me, I treat you all like kings and queens,’ Joanna admonished, rising to her feet. ‘David, have you had your tablets?’
Mid-wolfing down a mouthful of bacon, Layla’s dad shook his head.
‘For goodness’ sake,’ Joanna muttered, reaching for a pillbox from the cupboard. Setting it on the table, Joanna watched David remove the tablets he needed from the AM section. Layla did the same. Her eyes widened as she counted the five tablets in his hand.
‘Jesus, Dad. How much medication are you on?’ she asked.
‘Too much,’ David replied, tipping the tablets into his mouth and swallowing them with a mouthful of tea.
