Blue Saturn Read Online Free PDF Page A

too?” Paul asks.
    I don’t answer. I get into the waiting elevator with Mikey and push the button for level 20.
     
    Mikey eats three chips and one chicken nugget before he pushes his plate away. He has tomato sauce all over his fingers and face. It never ceases to amaze me that kids can be so messy when they’re eating.
    “Shall we run you a bath?” I ask. “Or would you prefer a shower?”
    Mikey doesn’t answer. He doesn’t move. He looks at the empty space in front of him.
    He has neither a bath nor a shower. I manage to wipe him down quickly before I change him into his pyjamas. He is uncooperative and refuses to put on his pyjama pants, so I leave him to wear his underwear to bed.
    Our hotel room is big, but is one room. There are two beds, side by side, and a large window behind the desk and small sofa’s. At the opposite end to the window is the bathroom and wardrobe.
    It’s only seven o’clock. I’m trying to get Mikey to sleep, but he keeps getting out of bed and sitting on the sofas. Then he goes to the cupboard under the TV and pulls out a packet of chips.
    “No Mike, you can’t eat chips now. It’s time for bed.”
    He throws the packet onto the floor and stomps down on them, breaking open the bag and sending potato crisps shooting out across the carpeted floor.
    “Mike, don’t do that,” I say.
    He climbs back into bed. I ignore him while I clean up the mess as best I can without a vacuum cleaner and when I look up at the bed, Mikey is asleep, sucking his thumb.
    “Thank god,” I whisper.
    I sit on my bed and make a small shopping list for tomorrow and try not to think about how on earth I’m going to survive six weeks of this. Six weeks of a silent little boy, who doesn’t eat, but seems to sleep well. Six weeks of drunk and obnoxious musicians who seem to think they have the most important job in the world. Excluding Gavin, of course; he seemed genuinely nice, and sober.
    I turn my head to look at Mikey. I wonder what sort of life he’s going to have. Once I leave, he’ll go back to sitting in corners eating junk, being ignored and entirely neglected. No child deserves that.
    I shower and put on my pyjamas. I slide into the bed next to Mike’s. It’s only early, just gone nine-thirty at night, but I’m exhausted. My eyes are heavy and tomorrow is going to be a busy day. I need to get an early night.
     
    I’ve had the worse night sleep ever. Mike woke up seven times during the night, crying, screaming and generally irritable. He spent a good two hours between two and four in the morning pacing the length of the hotel room. It reminded me of a caged tiger. He eventually climbed onto the sofa and fell asleep, and I’m assuming that’s where he spent the rest of the night. I was too afraid to move him back to bed in case he woke up.
    He has turned the TV on. It’s five minutes after seven.
    “Good morning Mike,” I say through a yawn.
    He points to the TV, but doesn’t look at me.
    “Do you like ‘The Bananas in Pyjamas’?”
    He points to the TV again.
    I think about leaving him to watch cartoons while I catch some more sleep, but I know that having a cat nap now will leave me feeling lethargic all day. I decide to get up and start the day.
     
    Mikey picked at a piece of toast, but drank two glasses of milk.
    “That’s better than nothing,” I say quietly as I clear the dishes from the desk. I had thought about heading down to the restaurant for breakfast, but considering Mike’s bad track record at eating, I figured I was more likely to get him to eat something with fewer distractions.
    He seems genuinely excited to be heading out for the day. He had a quick shower this morning, after his breakfast, and fully co-operated when getting dressed. He has the cutest little outfits. Really stylish. It makes me feel drab in my jeans and jumper ensemble, but then I’m the nanny and what I wear doesn’t matter, as long as I don’t lose Mikey.
    We head to the book store first.