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Ianto bounced into the small cramped bedroom he shared with his sister. "Rhi! Rhi! Look it's snowing!"
Rhiannon didn't look up as her brother entered the room, too consumed with playing with her dolls. Ianto tugged on her shirt sleeve. "Rhi, didn't you hear me? It's—"
"Getoff me!" she shouted, shoving him away. "Go play with Mummy and Auntie."
"But Rhi, the snow!" Ianto pleaded, his eyes big and wide.
Rhiannon scoffed, "I'm playing Yan. With the new dolls Auntie got me. I don't need some stupid snow."
Ianto's voice was small and pitiful. "Can— can I play with you Rhi?"
Rhiannon rounded on her brother, hands on her hips. "Dollies are for girls and for boys who are queer. Are you a queer?"
Ianto frowned deeply and furrowed his brow. "I don't know what a queer is, Rhi. What's a queer?"
"Jesus Christ," his sister let out a hearty laugh. "You're stupid. Here," she tossed him an old teddy bear that was in desperate need of washing. It was missing an eye and to replace it there was a makeshift 'x' over the socket. "Take this. I don't use it anymore."
"But—but, what about the snow?"
"God, go ask Mummy! I'm busy!" With that Rhiannon turned her back to him and resumed playing with her dolls.
The walk to the kitchen didn't take him long. Mummy and Auntie were huddled over the table looking over pictures and magazines, talking animatedly.
"But the princess theme is so cute!" Auntie squealed, her high-pitched voice hurt Ianto's ears.
"You don't even know what the gender of the baby is!" his mummy retorted.
"Why do you always criticize me? I want it to be a surprise!"
"Well no one knows what to buy you for the shower! We don't know how to decorate your own baby's nursery!"
"Mummy." Ianto tugged on his mother's skirt. "Can I play in the snow?"
His mother took a drag of her cigarette. "No, Ianto. Auntie and I are discussing important grown-up things. Go and play with Rhiannon."
Ianto pouted. "But she won't play with me. She wants to play with her dollies."
"Then," his mother gestured with her cigarette. "Go look out at the window or something. Busy grown-ups here!" She sighed deeply. "Blimey Gladys, I don't know why you got yourself knocked up. Kids are a damn nuisance. Now come on, let's at least narrow down to a list of themes."
"Umm, how about… sports? Like rugby or cricket?"
"Christ, you are thick! Neutral themes, damnit!"
Ianto held his teddy bear close to his heart as he gazed at the snow gently falling outside. Oh, how he wished he could be outside playing with the rest of the kids in the neighborhood, building snowmen, sledding, throwing big snowballs. But everyone was too busy to play with him and Ianto was too small to go outside by himself. The one time he had braved leaving the flat alone, when his da found out he'd gave him a spanking with his walking stick and his butt had hurt for a week.
Ianto felt a hand on his head and he looked up. His da was standing next to him, looking out the window too.
"Beautiful isn't it?" his da said, his voice gruff. "There aren't two snowflakes that are the exactly same, my son. Remember that."
Ianto nodded. He sniffed. Da didn't smell like sick yet, and he wasn't holding his special drink.
"Your Mum and Aunt Gladys are being right bitches, are they?"
The young boy screwed up his face. "Don't know. But they're being mean, Da. And Rhi too."
"Women are bitches, son. All of them. Men, we can only trust each other." He hoisted Ianto up in the air. "Now, what did you want to do today?"
Ianto smiled, a happy gleeful grin. "I want to play in the snow, Da."
"Then, my son, we shall play in the snow."