It wasn’t the way the evening was suppose to go and who would have known that the early hours of that following Sunday morning, that everything would be so very different, in the new light of day.
It all begun on the Saturday during the daytime, when the phone rang. “Hi mum it’s Petra, we’re going out to celebrate our birthday’s tonight and we need you to babysit.” Petra said in an assuming tone.
“ Sorry Petra, i’ve plans myself tonight.”
Patrica was quite relived that she wasn’t having to be used a definite certainty. As Petra, would often take advantage. For Petra still craved those evenings out, that would last for hours and hours.
Even now when Petra was mum of two young children, the need still hadn’t change or lessened in anyway, from when Petra was a teenager, still experiencing the odd tantrum here and there when she didn’t get her way.
Although, Petra would always found a way to get her own way in the end regardless of anyone else’s needs, emotions, thoughts or feelings at various times through her life.
“Mum, is Felicity there,
is she napping? Can i talk to her?”
Felicity was Petra’s last hope for that evening to happen, as Mike’s parents were also busy with their own social plans like Patricia was.
Minutes later, Felicity came to the phone.
“ Hi Petra, are you alright?” “Yes fine, but we were hoping for a night out tonight, around the town, to celebrate the birthday’s. Except mum’s out and Mike’s mum & dad aren’t available either. So could you come round and babysit for us, you can sleep over and take our bed, with the pregnancy going on.” Petra said.
Petra spoke with much insistence giving up their bed for the night.
This was all decided through much consideration, as Felicity had just reached her 8 month of pregnancy,in her third trimester. Felicity wanted to say no, with very tiny vibration of her being but as she was staying over, in a big bed to help her feel as comfortable as possible with pregnancy situation going on. She agreed.
“ Yes of course, i will as it’s your birthday celebrations and your giving up your bed for the night.” Felicity felt fine with that compromise.
After all Petra was a mum to two young children herself, so she understood how even more important and challenging at this stage of the pregnancy was, as Petra was woman who has already been through pregnancies a few times before.
When the early evening arrived, Patrica dropped off Felicity with her overnight bag at Petra and Mike’s house.
The children had gone to bed and Petra and Mike’s taxi, to take them into town was now waiting outside the house.
Felicity watched a film, had a few cups of tea and a few snacks too. After all, she was eating for two people now. Through out the evening Felicity checked on the children at least three times before she settled down herself to sleep.
Being 8 months pregnant, Felicity found it challenging to sleep in one position due to a new life growing inside her, so it always took a while to get comfortable enough, to enable her to get off to sleep, each night. Felicity felt like she’d barely slept, when she was suddenly so scarily startled, by aloud voice in the bedroom. Half awake and still half asleep, plus now feeling quite physically and emotionally anxious, as the loud voice began to slur the words it spoke. Realising that she wasn’t dreaming anymore and this most uncomfortable and most distressing sound was even closer now, to Felicity face.
As Felicity turned towards the bathroom on suite door, there stood Petra. Part leaning over Felicity. “Get out of my bed, get out of my bed. I need to sleep. I need my bed.” Felicity could smell the high level of alcohol on Petra’s breath and she knew that this was no time to have a logical discussion to remind Petra, the reason why she was already in her bed.
“Where’s Mike, Petra?” Felicity asked. “I… don’ttt know.” Felicity tried to get up as best, as feeling so terribly physically and emotionally distressed in those moments of time, she tired to move as quickly as she could, given that she was so heavily pregnant and only a few short weeks away to her due date. Also knowing now that she wouldn’t get any sense out of Petra.
Unfortunately in a quick blink of an eye, Petra’s impatience got the better of her, with a quick push, Felicity fell off the bed, stomach first onto the hard wooden floor. After a few moments of trying to ease herself off the bedroom floor, Felicity turn to look at Petra.
Petra was lying flat out and spread out on top of the bed covers, fully dressed face down and still in her evening clothes. Petra was loudly snoring away, as she had completely and utterly passed out. Passed out, due to the heavily self - induce alcoholic intoxication of a human mess, that Felicity was now seeing before her very eyes.
Felicity, didn’t think that the evening could get any worse, as she checked her heavily pregnant stomach in the family bathroom for any bleeding or bruising to her body. Felicity was so thankful that she didn’t have any internal bleeding, an Angel was looking over Felicity, that evening.
As she walked along in a very tired and uncomfortable state of both emotional and physical. She could feel some pain coming from her stomach then as she looked down she noticed a sudden bruise on her now 8 month pregnant belly.
Felicity realised that now she was awake again, she wouldn’t sleep, as she didn’t have anywhere now to lay her head for the rest of the early hours of the morning.
Felicity checked on her niece and nephew again, to put her mind at rest, hoping that the loud local disturbance from their mum hadn’t awoken them. With her mind slowly finding some calm again, as the children were still fast asleep.
As Felicity wobbled down the stairs, she wasn’t prepared for the next unexpected instalment of that evening’s events.
She around downstairs to see where Mike was as Petra, didn’t seem to know or care.
He was nowhere to be seen at all in the house. Felicity poured herself a glass of water and put on the TV quietly, not wanting to disturb the children sleeping upstairs. Then around 30 - 40 minutes later, Felicity heard the front go.
It was Mike. Felicity went into the kitchen where he was, very upset and annoyed. “Hi, i wondered where you’d got to Mike? “ Felicity said as Mike was opening the fridge door and reaching for the carton of juice in there.
He turned round to Felicity as he picked up a glass off the draining board for the juice. “ Oh my god, what the hell’s happened to your face, Mike?” Felicity said. “ It’s a long story, Petra mislaid her coat ticket, she’d had quite a few drinks and got very mouthy in the nightclub. I did suggest that we should just walk away and come back for it another time. Petra, didn’t agree and created a scene, i spoke up for her but the bouncer was annoyed with Petra and beat me up, he pinned me to the outside wall and he was built like a brick house. I went to police station to make a statement. There could be a court case, it’s been a horrible night. Where’s Petra? and how come your not asleep Felicity?” “ Mike, Petra’s basically passed out on your bed, so i’ve nowhere to sleep now.” “ I’ll make you up the sofa bed in the spare room Felicity.” “ Thanks, Mike.” Felicity was beginning to feel tired again, by this time.
“ Mike, you need to take some photos of your injuries so that you can use them as evidence in court if it comes to that.” “ Thanks Felicity, that’s a good idea. I hadn’t thought of that. I still in shock with everything that’s gone on this evening. Anyway, how come Petra’s got the bed now?” Felicity took a deep breath and explained what had happened about an hour or so before upstairs, in the bedroom.
“ She loudly stumbled into the bedroom and slurred with her words and very very drunk. She told me, to get out the bed as she needed to sleep. I wasn’t able to move so quickly so she helped me with her hands and her foot. Then i fell to the floor and now i have a bruise on my stomach and it’s painful.”
Mike looked a Felicity and purfusly apologised for Petra’s behaviour.
“ Are you sure your okay, shall i ring for an ambulance or a doctor or something?”
“ No Mike, there doesn’t appear to be any bleeding thankfully, but I will need to see the nurse this week for an unscheduled appointment to double check things, for my peace of mind. I don’t even think she’ll remember doing it, as she was very drunk and not very clear in her words.”
Mike made up the sofa bed for Felicity then fell asleep himself eventually on the sofa in the sitting room.
When the children were awake hours later and having their breakfast, Petra was still asleep and Mike was looking the children. Felicity, awoke to a new day but the memory of the events in those early hours of that morning where playing on her mind, like a CD on a CD player on repeat. Patrica, arrived around the mid part part of the morning saying “Hello” to the grandchildren and “Hello” to Mike too. Petra, was awake as the snoring had stopped and there was some movement upstairs. Petra, didn’t really interact with Felicity and Patrica before they both left the house that morning, but the expression on Patrica’s face when she saw Mike was one of shock. He didn’t go into much detail in front of the children, he explained briefly the highlights, of the previous evening’s turn of events.
Felicity, was happy to be going home although her new concern was for her unborn child and the heightened feelings of anxiety that were there inside her on an emotional level and on a physical one to.
Once Felicity and Patrica arrived home, Felicity, explained once again about the sudden trauma that she had explained to Mike about only so many hours before.
Petra, never truly acknowledged the problems that she had created that evening, due to her uncontrolled and highly emotional and most dramatic state, that she was in.
The months that followed were a nightmare as the court case focused greatly in both Petra’s and Mike’s lives.
Alongside Petra’s continuing problems in her work life to, which something that Petra’s personality would never get away from even in those following years, yet to come.

(22/04/24)


















































© Josephine Daniels.