Seconds

I've broken one of my cardinal rules three days in a row and drank with my parents. Each day it's been Pimm's, although today I also had two Vodka and lemonades and, I fear, got slightly tipsy in the company of my progenitors (this is not acceptable).
Orla's up for the weekend, to see me and celebrate mum's retirement and mark her boyfriend's birthday, so she's triply exuberant. She's taken to laughing at Dad's jokes, which disturbs me.
I have also set myself a goal that I will come out of this summer holiday with more money than when I began it, and since I'm 500 pound in debt to my parents, that really shouldn't be too tricky; to this end, I have not spent any of my own money for four days and have accepted most offers of paid work or free treats from the 'rents (hence the vodkas). I've been pulling Ivy from the garden wall for the abysmal rate of 5.50 an hour, which is less than minimum wage but they're giving me room and board and gift horses lack mouths for a reason.
Finally, young Sam came up and asked to borrow what I thought at first was the spice rack, but turned out to be the bike rack. He greeted me with "I've not seen you before", which I'll admit stung, and then generally forgot to say please or thankyou and even admonished me for taking too long to get aforementioned rack, and I now feel that I maybe shouldn't have taught him to speak.
I took the bike rack down with Sam, realising along the way that I don't know how to talk to children- I actually used the word 'categorised' at one point- and then the three Cornish siblings wrestled for my attention, with Sam showcasing his incredible strength, Missy listing all the words she knew and Elspeth screaming blue murder.
I'm kinda glad I don't have kids.