Her mind moved endlessly. Planning 'escape routes'. A life that would be different from the one she was living at the moment.
Simply pulling herself out of bed in the morning felt like a chore, but she had to do it so she could get the kids ready and out of the house.

She raised her hands above her head and used the edges of the headboard to lurch herself out of it. She'd found this was the best way to pull a stiff body out of the warmth of it's blanket haven, without the protests of the mind becoming too overwhelming.

Lukie was already up and excited for the day ahead. She entered the boys room to see him running circles around his brothers bed and singing 'hey chakalaka' at the top of his voice. he looked at his mother for a moment, as if to gauge whether he was in trouble or not.

The look completely warmed samantha's heart and she bent over to catch him as he came running up to her and grabbed her tight around the neck.
This was what she was living for. This made the long drives in bumper to bumper traffic and the hours of sitting behind a machine typing out boring document after document, all worthwhile.

She wanted to remain like this forever. Holding her one son and watching the other tucked warmly into bed, sleeping peacefully.