Breaking Point

(Content warning: Strong Language)

It all happened so fast. I don't know why. What had he said? I think it had just been one of those days. I'd had it non-stop from the moment I set foot in the office. No, earlier than that. Four-fricking AM.

The dog threw up on the bedroom floor - Will refused to take care of it. I never wanted that damn animal - the kids begged for a puppy, but I knew they wouldn't take care of it. I'd be the one taking it for walks and picking up its crap, I'd have to give it baths, and feed it, and train it - twelve, eight, and five year-olds can't do any of that shit... Sorry, sorry for the foul language. Just thinking about it makes me mad.

Anyway, imagine my horror when Will walks in, eleven PM on Christmas Eve with that little mutt in his coat. I'd barely gotten the kids to sleep; I was putting the presents out, and he set it on the floor, and it took a piss on the tree. What in the world was he thinking? "Oh, uh, well I bought it a bed, and a bowl, and a bag of dog food..." Yeah? Well what about puppy training pads? Vaccinations? Neutering fees? Flea treatment? Worming tablets? Dog shampoo? Supplements? PUPPY CLASSES?

Yeah, yeah, I'll get back to that day. So I got out the carpet cleaner and sorted it before the horrible thing had a chance to eat it. By the time I got back to bed, Will was sprawled out like a starfish, so I couldn't get back in. I thought to go down and get a cup of coffee. The dog needed to pee, but it was bucketing it down, and it wouldn't go outside. It took me twenty minutes to get it to use the patio. I finally got to sit down, and the postman came. Well, the dog always goes mad at the postman.

Will comes down - in a mood at me for waking him up. He says I should walk the dog in a morning - "it's really lazy just letting it in the garden." Yeah, like he'd ever get up early to take it for a walk in the pissing rain? "Well, you're going to the gym anyway..." The gym's for me, dumbass, and it's indoors. I leave him to make the kids' breakfasts and get ready to go out.

The car took ages to start, and another five minutes to get onto the main road because no one ever lets me out. Why is there traffic at five AM? The radio's busted, and the only CDs we keep in the car are Kid's Pop. I get there - they're putting up the price of memberships. Again. I'm on the treadmill, earbuds in, just getting into a rhythm, and I swear, this rat-haired, brick-faced 'dude-bro' is staring at my ass the entire time. I finally move to the weights station, he thinks I can't hear him, but there's like a minute of silence at the end of this song in my playlist, and I hear him recording a video about 'why there should be a dress code for women at the gym' - some of the things we wear are "too distracting." The dick! I'm in a hoodie and joggers, if he's distracted by that, then he seriously needs to get some help.

You better believe I reported it. The receptionist said I have to record it for proof. Do they not have CCTV? I won't be renewing my membership, that's for sure.

So I get home, it's seven AM, and the kids still aren't up and dressed. They're on the couch, in their PJs, watching cartoons and eating cereal - the good stuff that's supposed to be for weekends. "Oh, what's wrong with letting them eat it? I had it every day when I was their age." What's wrong is that it's £5.99 a box, and it's got a tablespoon of sugar in every bowlful. It'll rot their teeth!

So I had to deal with that as Will got ready for work - three sugared-up kids and a sick dog. Jaiden spilled her water bottle all over her books. Harper couldn't find his shoes. Billie hadn't put her uniform in the wash again, so she had to wear a dirty one. Honestly, the teachers must think I'm the worst mum in the world.

By eight, I just about managed to wrestle them and the dog into the car and get them to school - oh, not the dog! No, the dog goes to daycare. I thought it would be really cruel leaving it home alone all day...

Where was I? Oh, right. I had to get to work. Well, the traffic's always bad, but I just managed to clock in a moment before nine... And I'd left my laptop in the car. I tried to go get it but Jenny stopped me, thinking I was clocking in then skiving off. Does she really think that little of me? It's not like skipping school - I don't work, I don't get paid, and I like money, even though I might want to be literally anywhere else.

I took a breath, calmed myself down and I told her "follow me out to my car then. You can make sure I don't run off anywhere as I walk the five minutes to my car and back - in the pouring rain, because a certain someone always parks in my spot..." I was hoping for a more satisfying reaction, but instead she went to HR to report my "antagonistic behaviour." I'd have to spend half my lunch in a meeting to discuss "proper workplace conduct."

And all that wasn't even half of the crap I had to put up with that day. The boss came by at ten AM - when she'd finally decided to come into the office, and dropped a stack of paperwork on my desk, on top of all the extra work she'd given me the day before. She wanted it done by five. I mean... I could have done it by three, but whatever, "sure, thing," I said.

Then Caleb called everyone into a meeting at twelve. It was something stupid, I don't really remember what it was about, though I'm sure it could have been covered in an email. I sat through the meeting with HR, and I finally got to have my lunch break. Except some idiot had put soup in the microwave without a lid on, so I couldn't heat up my leftovers. I had to buy something from the canteen, but the only thing they had that I could eat was salad.

I was just eating my food when my phone rang - Jaiden got into a fight at school. Just what I needed... "Okay, I'll sort it out when I come to pick her up later..." No, they wanted me to take her home, then and there. Jaiden hadn't gotten into an innocent argument with a classmate, she'd broken a boy's nose.

Well, I tried to get in contact with Will, but when he finally picked up, my boss found me on the phone when I was supposed to be back at work. I tried explaining myself, and she gave me a warning - I was in trouble because my kid had assaulted another student. Will couldn't pick her up, so I called his parents but they had an appointment, and my parents were on holiday. Once again, it would be up to me.

I asked the boss if she'd let me use my vacation time so I could take Jaiden home. She said no, so I asked if I could take a sick day. "This isn't very professional of you. I thought this job was important to you." No, it's not very professional of my daughter to beat the snot out of a boy, but it's equally not professional to treat a member of staff like shit because they've got kids. I guess I didn't put it as nicely as that...

Anyway, I lost my job. She said it was my third warning, so they gave me my two-weeks notice. Okay, I said some things I regret, but it never would have happened if they'd been a little more understanding. They knew at my interview that I had children. What if they got sick, or ended up in hospital? It was discrimination, plain and simple. They were supposed to have an 'equal opportunities policy,' but I wasn't the first person they'd fired for reasons beyond my control. Tom's dad had passed away suddenly - he'd tried to take time off to grieve and get his affairs in order. When six weeks turned into three months, he came back, and the boss handed him his stuff in a box. He was still on probation, so they were apparently well within their rights to kick him out. It was still cruel though - the poor guy couldn't even afford to sue...

I know, I was getting to it. I drove to the school and waited outside the headteacher's office for them to call me in. Jaiden was sat on the other side of his desk. Her cheeks were swollen - she must have been sobbing her heart out before I got there.

The headmaster talked me through the incident. He came up with some bullshit story about Jaiden taking things way too far and attacking an innocent child. I didn't listen to a word of it. After he'd finished, he left us to talk in private.

"So, what really happened?" I asked.

And she turned to me with this absolutely heartbreaking look in her eye and said, "Alfie J took a photo of me in the toilet."

I was... "W-What?"

"He snook in, and put his phone through the gap under the door. I kicked the stall door open, and it broke his nose."

I... Was... FUMING. My twelve-year-old girl had a fucking photo taken of her in the toilet by a boy, and SHE was the one in trouble?

Well, I marched right outside to reception and demanded to see the headmaster. They said he'd gone to the staffroom, so-

"So you went to go find him?"

Yes...

"And when you found Mr Richards?"

I gave him a piece of my mind. I asked how dare he put my daughter in detention when they had a pervert running loose through the school. Apparently the boy had been taken in an ambulance, and would be suspended for a week. The photo in question had apparently been deleted. I didn't believe him.

"What happened next?"

I threatened to call the police.

"Why didn't you?"

... The headteacher... Mr Richards... He said, "There's no need for that, the boy's been punished, and it wouldn't be fair to ruin his life over a silly photograph."

"And that's when you hit him?"

... Yeah... I guess so.

"But you didn't stop at a single punch, did you?"

No.

"How many times did you hit him?"

I don't remember... Five times, maybe six?

"Thank you, Mrs Conners. That's all we needed. Please come with me, we're still waiting for Mr. Richards' statement, so you'll have to wait in holding for the time being, at least until he regains consciousness."

Can I call home? When can I see my kids?

"We've already been in contact with Will Conners - he's been informed of the situation, and there's an officer talking with him now. Your children are staying with your mother and father-in-law."

Please, just one phone call. I need to check that my kids are okay - especially my daughter.

"I'll have to ask my senior officer, but we should be able to get you a phone call before the end of the day."