living folded in a single banknote

So, with last post's guilt heavy on my mind, i went into a cleaning frenzy this morning while the parents were out having breakfast at Cottesloe. Well, they expected me to do a bit of scouring anyway, seeing as we have a house inspection tomorrow. But i performed this one with a great deal more vigour and a great deal less sourness than i usually do. Yeah, i was pretty proud of myself. haha, they didn't even notice. Poor mum and dad- they're getting pretty worked up over this one. See, they're on edge because they think the owners are going to kick us out. Knock down the house, and build something a little more glamorous. Sell it for a few bob. Make a bit of money. It's kind of scary thinking that we live on edge all the time- that our very living is dependant on two people we don't even know. Two names, nothing more. Mum keeps saying that if they do decide to give us the boot, we'll have no where to go.
We had this plan, when we came to Perth- or rather, returned to Perth. We'd rent for a year or two and then we'd be able to buy ourselves a house to call our home. So much for that. We're still stuck here. We're not loaded you know.
Saying all that, i'm not as worried as i should be. Kind of resigned, actually. I've partaken in the activity of the necessary purging, but somehow, i don't think that whether or not we remove the dust from under the china cat is going to sway their resolve. Mum, though, she's not only cleaning the visible; she's dismembering the house to scrub inside and out. It's like she believes that the inspection lady is going to pick through and scrutinise all our possessions- peering under beds and turning over the pillows so she can have the malign satisfaction of discovering a patch of dust, or a patchwork of cat hair.
It's really sad- every couple of months, mum and dad are stirred into activity. They sit down together and open up the house section of the newspaper. The prices get higher, their hopes get lower. I don't know when it happened, but they've given up on driving out to look at the houses for sale. I think they've kind of lost the heart. Man, i wish i was rich. I wish we could win the lotto, just so mum could be content, and dad wouldn't have to get up at 5:30 every morning, and come back at 6:00. We had a pretty big house in Brisbane. Really big, actually. I mean, nothing modern, but big nonetheless. We had a pool and a yard and everything. To think i used to complain about it- i didn't like its carpet-less floors.

Annoyance has gnawed at me increasingly over the course of the day. I've kind of wanted to be alone, but mum signifies continual movement about me. Her anxiety is catching, and its scraping the enamel off my teeth. I tried to sit down to carry on with my story, but i couldn't concentrate, she was banging away beside me. I also felt a little guilty; feeling indolent in juxtaposition to her mad rush for domestic brilliance. So i gave up on that. I ventured out into the sunshine, like some twitching vampire, and attempted to fill in a couple of crosswords. It was going alright until the vacuum cleaner started. Mum opened the door, and the noise filled the garden. I knew it was selfish, but i was irate. So now i'm here.

I swear, mum always brings the noise with her. That's kind of why i get up early. Because its so quiet, so still, you can hear yourself breathing. I like being alone in the morning most times, and i become a little annoyed when mum comes in and starts clattering away at the plates and talking to herself or the dog. Almost every morning she's so infuriatingly surprised that i'm up. She comes in and goes "Kate! what are you doing up?", genuinely confused. Mum, i have woken early all my life. Get used to it. She just wants me to relax, though, i know. Sometimes simply 'knowing' doesn't change how much things peeve you though. Sometimes it even makes it worse.

Well, let's hope that they'll take pity on us. Or rather, lets hope that we become fabulously affluent sometimes soon, and can buy the house featured especially in the newspaper with the 'for sale' sign in the front yard. Yeah. That'd be nice.

QUOTES OF THE DAY:

Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody. -- benjamin franklin

I have enough money to last me the rest of my life, unless i buy something -- Jackie Mason