Alison’s Creative Writing Piece

Extract from ‘That Sinking Feeling’ by Alison Coyle

“All they do is eat. All I do is feed. And clean.”

The tattie mountain didn’t seem to be getting any smaller even though I’d been standing at the sink peeling spuds for ages. Is there a more odious job than peeling spuds? Does anyone ever show any gratitude for well-peeled tattie? Mind you, do they ever even think about where the food comes from, who makes it? Mum, can I have a snack? Muuum, can I have a drink? Muuuuum, is it nearly teatime? All they do is eat. All I do is feed. And clean. And work from home. And now I was expected to be a teacher too? I certainly never signed up for home-schooling. I glanced over at my dining table which was currently classroom for Higher English, Nat5 Chemistry and Primary 6 Maths. The Maths class was on Zoom or Google classroom or some such thing I hadn’t heard of a month ago! On screen all the kids were sitting in their little squares, like a mini version of Bob’s Full House (that’s showing my age). I liked the little glimpses into their homes; into bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens. Dogs barking, arguments over who has the tablet, everyone talking all at once. The teacher in their little box trying, and failing, to rein in the exuberance. Maybe constant potato peeling wasn’t so bad.