Marshmallow inside

It was 7.10 am. I could hear someone crawling on the bed. Please let it not be her. Let it not be her, I begged silently. I felt a weight on top of me. The smell of Johnson's Baby milk shower wafted through the air.

Darn. I feigned sleep. It was too darn early.

Then I heard whispering. Someone was nudging someone. It was my mak who was next to me. It's a conspiracy, I'm sure. If it was my mak, I could come up with a million excuses. But please let it not be her.

Shutting my eyes tight, as if it would somehow make everyone disappear, I hoped for a miracle.

Then in a very small voice, " Halala?"

I still feigned sleep. I could see my peaceful morning fast evaporating away. Her head was close to me, her hair still wet from the shower.

"Halala? Halala, wake up halala." Her breath felt ticklish against my skin. Then she tried to pry my eyes open. My lips quivered, threatening to smile, betraying me. Mun! Geeeez. I scolded myself. I knew it was coming.

"Halala, pleeeeease." she asks again softly, playing her trump card. "Halala can you send me to school? Pleeeaaaase."

Next to me, I could hear my mak chuckling away. I knew it. It was a conspiracy. I opened my eyes. She had already won, but who says I have to give in easily eh? "Darwisyah, Halala want to sleeplah. Later you wake me up again ok sayang."

"Halala going to 8 o clock already! Wait I late. Halala send me to school please. Pleeease. Pleeeease," she pleaded, now tugging my arm. If she only knew that I can't say no to her.

"Oklah sayang. Wait, Halala shower first ok. Then Halala send you."

Satisfied, she kept quiet. I closed my eyes again. One second, two seconds, three seconds. I opened my eyes again. She was still peering at me, waiting patiently, her hair sticking out in adorable little ways.

"Sayang, go down first ok. Wait Halala go down."

"Wait Halala go to sleep. Quick I late already," my niece reasoned, fast anticipating my actions.

And sure enough, at 7.20am on a wet morning, when I would love nothing but to sleep in, I trudged to to the bathroom. "Halala, wait! You forgot your towel!" Her eyes now big, excited that I was moving as she handed me my towel. My mak tries to get off the bed and asks me to bring her crutches. My niece, already pumping on energy only 5 year olds have, picks the crutches and drags it to her before I could. I then noticed my nephew already showered and dressed in his uniform asleep again at the edge of the bed. I called out to my mak, "Mak, Lutfi tu nak jatuh tu."

Before my mak could place him in a safer position, Darwisyah climbs onto the bed, and body- rolls her younger brother to the middle of the bed. She then looks at me and smiles brilliantly.

I am a marshmallow now, and I head to the showers with a smile.

Gosh kids are eager, aren't they.