In a velvet and cream themed office, seven people were engulfed in silence, a silence only broken by the click of heels. The office was spacious, with a glass and steel desk, framed photographs on the wall showing seasonal pieces and a full length mirror built upon the door.
This was Miss Suzanne's office. Her domain.
All her employees dreaded being called into the space, for once entered, a feeling of impending execution seemed to envelope ones mind. Like a rabitt with it's body halfway down a wolf's throat, one just submitted instantly and became a hapless victim to Miss Suzanne's whim.
Well, more so than outside her office.
Right then, the people inside were Vivian, her kids , Miss Suzanne's remaining assistant and Miss Suzanne herself.
"You know,"Suzanne spoke as her heels clicked the floor. She gazed at the six people before her, a hapless African American woman and her four... children.
Nikki was held by the hand by Vivian, looking down to hide his red rimmed eyes and his sniffling. He'd been found under the reception desk, crying and holding the sharp blade of the scissors he'd used on Sarah. Sarah had quickly found a cloth and stopped the bleeding from her foot, but the paramedics were still called.
Vivian had been mortified when she heard what had happened, yet... she was not surprised. She was shocked at the brutality of her second youngest child, and concerned, but his unpredictability had become a predictable part of her life.
Besides, Nikki was not the only one she was concerned about.
Natasha stood next to Nikolai, tears streaming down her cheeks as she glared at the floor. Vivian had no idea why she was crying, nor did she get the opportunity to ask before they were brought here.
"Unbelievable is not even close, it doesn't begin to define what occured today in these walls." Suzanne stopped and looked at Vivian and her kids," You, Viv, are honestly the most, unfortunate and pitiful employee I have ever seen. As for your children, well, adopted brats are no fault of yours on how they behave."
"I... excuse me?" Vivian frowned," My children are mine. Adoption is not part of the -"
"You're joking." Suzanne pointed at each of the Watterson kids," You are saying these kids, are your own kids? I wasn't going to say anything before, but I'll say it now... are you color blind?"
" No, Mam. I'm not." Vivian answered slowly.
"Oh, okay. Then let me ask you," Suzanne pointed at Natasha," What color is her skin? We both know, it's definitely not your skin color."
"That is-" Vivian started but Suzanne was just getting started.
"Or how about him?" Nikolai was pointed to," He is slightly brown, but not your brown, if you understand my meaning. Oh, and what about him?"
Nikki didn't acknowledge being pointed at, but Vivian's hand gripped his tighter as Miss Suzanne continued. "The serial killer in the making? Forget skin color, he looks like he came out of China Town than he came out of your womb."
Suzanne smirked and pointed at Nicole, the little boy tried to hide behind his mother, which made Suzanne chuckle.
"And that one, blue eyes like a sapphire on actual fire and skin whiter than a European pope, clearly is no baby of yours." She sighed in mock pity," I understand motherhood is difficult, but you clearly made your life a living hell with these things. Letting them into my store, ruin my reputation, that, you will soon regret. Vivian Watterson, you are, very much, relieved of-"
"You're a cunt you know that?"
Silence reered it's bobbling head like a beast and engulfed the room, making everyone shutum. All eyes turned to Vivian, who was no longer looking down meekly but gazed at Suzanne with an unreadable expression.
"What did you say, to me?" Suzanne walked up to her, head tilted to the side.
"You. Are. A. Cunt." Vivian shrugged her shoulders,". A repugnant, sad and pitiful woman who likes to act rich, influencal and like you actually matter. But, that is absolutely nonsense."
"You vagabonding little -"
Vivian's hand shot out faster than a snake and yanked Suzanne's hair, grabbing the long locks and tugging them like rope.
"Mam!" The assistant yelled in shock," Release her or I'll call security."
"Oh, you are going to call security." Vivian yanked Suzanne's hair harder as she moved to the desk," After I do this."
Vivian slammed Suzanne's head into the desk three times, each time echoing through the spines of all those present.
"You think, I would just stand there and listen to you talk about my kids like that?" Vivian yanked her head up and slapped it.
"Huh! You! I'll... make you pay-" Suzanne tried to threaten.
"Shut up." Vivian glared," You think I'm scared of you? You? Some Manager of a tiny boutique in a tiny corner of the world? Let me tell you something, you want to threaten me, or insult my children, you had better be ready for the consequences."
Letting go of her hair with a look of disgust, Vivian turned to her children, who were wide eyed and open mouthed. They had never seen Vivian like this before and it was shocking to say the least.
"Come on kids, let's go eat and then to the ice cream parlour, I'll buy you lunch and then we can go home." Vivian's voice went back to its soft tone as she hugged them.
"You...will never... work a job in this city, ever again. Do you hear me?" Suzanne shouted as she got up, touching her head delicately.
"Correction. You will never work a job in this city again. " Those were Vivian's last words as she left with Natasha, Nikolai, Nikki and Nicole.
"Who does she think she is?" The assistant humphed with an angry scowl.
"You useless cow!" Suzanne shouted at her," You just stood there, watching her humiliate me!"
"I... I-i was-"
"Get out! You're fired! I'm fucking surrounded by useless pieces of shit!" Suzanne threw her purse at the assistant, who fled in fear.
...
Sun light filtered through pale white clouds and a cool breeze crawled across the pavement. Pedestrians, simple people, with simpler lives, walked and passed the door of an Ice cream shop. Inside this shop, a mild and negligeable amount of customers sat and dined on sweet and cold delight. Mostly children with guardians, friends and parents, enjoying time together and out of the sun.
Vivian sat with her kids, each one of them having their own ice cream. Nicole licked a plain vanilla ice cream cone, with no sprinkles or added sweetness. Nikolai had banana flavour, mint sprinkles decorating it like the spots of a cheetah. Natasha had a vanilla and strawberry swirl, and slowly licked it, her eyes gazing outside the window, for once she was silent.
Nikki, the trouble maker, had a vanilla Sunday with all manner of sprinkles on it, making the thing rainbow colored. He gobbled it down like a beast, not getting a brain freeze somehow, the spoon he was supposed to use was forgotten and his mouth felt more useful to him. Oddly enough, Vivian didn't stop him, she hadn't said anything the short walk there nor after sitting down.
She sat and stared at her phone, her brow furrowed as if contemplating a bitter thought.
"Mommy, your ice cream is melting!" Nicole tugged his mother's arm and she looked up at him.
"Mom, are you not hungry?" Nikolai asked," I'm really sorry about what Nikki did and-"
"It's okay honey." Vivian reached over and rubbed his cheek softly," I'm not mad at you or your sister. Although, Nikki, we will have to talk about what you did, right now... I just want to see you enjoy your food. Is it good?"
"Yes. It's delicious! And sorry! Very very sorry!" Nikki smiled sadly as he licked his ice cream stained lips.
"It's good " Nikolai and Natasha said at the same time.
"Good. That's good." Vivian smiled warmly at them and looked at her phone one more time, before putting it in her purse," Let's finish up, and buy some for Nicholas. He must be hungry for something sweet."
So they bought Nicholas some plain vanilla ice cream, which was Nicole's suggestion, because the other three wanted their own favorite flavours too. Hopping onto a bus, they traveled back to their neighborhood and got off, Nikolai holding the tub of ice cream in a red bag.
"I hope you suffer you horrible hooligan!" An old creaky voice shouted from the bus they had gotten off.
The voice belonged to an old man with silver rimmed glasses, a whisky grey moustache, wearing a weathered brown trouser and yellow shirt. He stood with an angry scowl as he shook his right fist at Nikki, who waved back happily, his eyes content and amused.
Vivian sighed, refusing to apologize again for what Nikki had done on their trip back home. The boy had grabbed a pair of scissors, ones he'd stolen from the boutique, and cut off-
"Meow!" A ginger haired feline cried in protest as the old man kissed it's cheek lovingly..
"Poor mister Whisky. You animal." The old man glared through the open bus window, as the vehicle started to move. None of the other passengers bothered to intervene. After fifteen minutes of calming the man down, they could accept his passifistic hostility towards the boy.
When the whole situation started, he had been mumbling and bashing his fist on the chairs, occasionally swearing and cursing. He didn't care if it was a child he was cursing, because in his eyes, he was the victim, well, the owner of the victim.
"I still can't believe you did that. What are you even going to do with that thing?" Nikolai asked Nikki as the family started walking home.
Nikki smiled as he held up a perfectly chopped off ginger cat tail. "I'm going to use it to tickle myself when I want to laugh. What else would I do with a cat tail?"
"Why would anyone want one, that's the question." Natasha looked at the cut off appendage and cringed," It's gross. Fuzzy hairy, and probably carrying coodies or rabies."
Vivian watched them banter and talk, and did not interrupt them, instead she let herself fade into their background. Nicole was the only one who turned around and glanced at her occasionally, but his mother was smiling like she always does to show that everything is under control.
"Mommy?" Nicole reached out for her face.
"It's okay." Vivian gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.
"Mom where's Dad?" Nikki suddenly asked and Vivian grew tense before giving a weary sigh.
"Let's get home, then we can talk about your father. I have something I want to talk all of you about." Vivian smiled softly," Come along. Nicholas's ice cream might melt."
They walked on home.