Oh Zoe

01 | THE HARDSHIPS OF SATURDAYS

It was a Saturday in the Taylor household, the most chaotic day of the week. Saturdays were sport days, jam-packed with everyone's individual events; Leon and Luca's football match and Bella's swimming gala.

Leon and Luca were in their separate rooms preparing for their collage soccer game. They had been stressed all month, and wouldn't let anyone break their zone concentration. Zoe knew how important the game was for her brothers – it was going to determine whether their team made the quarterfinals – yet she still couldn't bring herself to care.

Then there was her twin's swimming meat. She figured her sister was worrying about nothing – that she would win all her heats and come out victorious – but Bella was still jittery and bouncing nervously on the queen bed they shared.

As for Zoe's parents, one was rushing about the house, collecting food and hats and necessities, organising cars and so on. The other, her dad, had been called into the hospital for an emergency and left with many apologies to his kids and wife. Her older brother, Pete, was god knows where and the rest were meeting them at the grounds.

They would start at the boy's game, then hastily try get to her sisters swimming carnival in time. Then it was back home in her comforting sandpit.

That was were Zoe currently sat, encompassed in sand and shovels. She knew it was little kid's entertainment – and she was certainly not little anymore at the ripe age of 11! – but she had grown to love the activity dearly. It was a place just for her, except when she made her brothers or sisters play too.

Her sandpit was one of the fun things she could do without getting in trouble, and she had come to design quite imaginative pieces. Her favourite were exotic castles surrounded by moats and decorated with nearby branches and flowers. She was creating just the structure when she heard her name being called from the veranda.

"Zoe! It's time to go, sweetheart!" Her mothers voice was loud and carried on the wind perfectly. But Zoe chose to ignore her.

"Zoe! I won't ask again. Get in the car." It was more forceful this time. Demanding. But Zoe was having none of it.

Zoe was the most respectful Taylor and never ignored her family, yet today she did, and for good reason.

"Zoe!" Her mother called again as she strode over with undying defiance. "I'm not going to ask you again! Get in the car or were going to be late!"

When Zoe didn't move, her mother – with the stress of having to organise such an outing for ten people clouding her mind – gripped Zoe's arm tightly and pulled her up. When Zoe didn't offer to walk, her mother started dragging her through the backyard to the front as Zoe complained.

"I don't want to go to their stupid games," Zoe grumble. In truth, she didn't care much if she went, she didn't do anything their anyway. It was the tightness in her chest and the nausea in her stomach that stopped her from wanting to go today.

"Zoe. I'm not dealing with your whining. This is a big event for your brothers and it means a lot to them. You're going and that's that." And like that her mother had finished the conversation.

Zoe continued to struggle against her mothers hold, determine not to go today. "I'm not going!" she yelled at her mother.

Her mother was so shocked at her daughter's outburst that when Zoe pulled again she slipped from her mother's grip and slid to the grass.

With a groan of annoyance at her tantrum throwing daughter, Mari left her youngest child at the side gate.

Zoe was still on the ground, picking grass absently when Pete opened the creaking gate and knelt in front of her.