breath and Mr Sampson smiled again. ‘He manages to tell a whole story in ten seconds.’
Col still couldn’t believe it. ‘You want me to go with you?’
Mr Sampson nodded. ‘If you’d like to. We’d like you to be there.’
They could have phoned to ask him. Picked him up at the house, or he could have met them at the restaurant. There were plenty of alternatives to actually coming to the school to ask him.
‘Why did you come … here ?’ Col asked again.
But he knew why, even before Mr Sampson answered. ‘Because we don’t want anybody, here at school – anywhere – thinking we blame you. We don’t, Col.’
Dominic pulled at his sleeve. ‘You’re going to come, right? ’Cause I’m not going if you don’t come.’
It wasn’t going to be easy, spending time with the Sampsons, knowing what Mungo had done. But if they could suffer him, he would do it. It was the least he could do.
‘I’d like to come,’ Col said softly. ‘If you’re sure.’
Dominic had no doubts. ‘Of course we’re sure.’
‘We’ll pick you up then,’ Mr Sampson said. ‘About seven?’
‘No!’ Col said it too quickly. But he couldn’t have the Sampsons sitting in the car outside his house, and Mungo inside. Col in the middle of it all. No. He took a deep breath. ‘I’ll meet you at the restaurant, if that’s OK.’
Mr Sampson didn’t object. So it was decided, and Col wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing or not.
It had begun to rain by the time he got home, and the rain became a storm as the afternoon darkened.
He had thought Mam would have objected to his going. She might pretend she didn’t suspect Mungo, but Col knew she was just as aware as he was of Mungo’s guilt.
Of course he soon found out why. Mungo hadn’t been in all day. He didn’t know a thing about it.
‘And there’s no need to tell him where you’ve been,’ she said, as she stood ironing Col’s shirt.
‘I did try to say no, Mam,’ he said.
She smiled. ‘I know, son. It’s awful hard to say no to that wee Dominic.’
Col took a bus into town, but even on the short dash to the restaurant, he was soaked by the time he got there.
Dominic was waiting for him in the doorway. ‘We should have picked you up.’ He dragged him in out of the rain. ‘We’ve got a great table. Come on.’
This was the part he’d been dreading. Walking towards that table to face Mrs Sampson. Yet already she was standing, moving forward to greet him. Already she was smiling.
How could she do that?
She must know Mungo was the main suspect. The police would have told her that.
The answer was tugging at Col’s sleeve. Dominic.
‘Come and sit by me, Col,’ she said. ‘Take off that wet jacket.’
She called a waiter over and asked him to hang the jacket somewhere so it would dry.
‘How are you, Mrs Sampson?’
She didn’t get a chance to answer Col’s question. Ella did that. ‘Oh, she’s just wonderful. Half her furniture’s destroyed, and the other half’s been stolen. She’s just wonderful.’ Then she sneered at him. ‘Moron!’
‘Ella!’ her mother warned. ‘Be quiet!’
Ella wanted to say more. Spit out all the venom she’d been building up since the burglary, but her mother wouldn’t let her.
‘This is my birthday. I want to forget for a while. Have a nice meal. Just enjoy ourselves.’
It was the hardest two hours of Col’s life. They couldn’t talk about London. (London, a million years away now.) It reminded everyone of what they’d come home to.
I shouldn’t have come, Col thought, again and again. Yet, if they were willing to sit through this, how could he have refused? They wanted to show the world they trusted him.
If he could force Mungo to give everything back, he would. But even giving everything back wouldn’t make a difference. Too much had been destroyed.
Ella got her chance to confront him when her mother went off to the ladies room and Mr Sampson was paying the bill. ‘I don’t know
Col still couldn’t believe it. ‘You want me to go with you?’
Mr Sampson nodded. ‘If you’d like to. We’d like you to be there.’
They could have phoned to ask him. Picked him up at the house, or he could have met them at the restaurant. There were plenty of alternatives to actually coming to the school to ask him.
‘Why did you come … here ?’ Col asked again.
But he knew why, even before Mr Sampson answered. ‘Because we don’t want anybody, here at school – anywhere – thinking we blame you. We don’t, Col.’
Dominic pulled at his sleeve. ‘You’re going to come, right? ’Cause I’m not going if you don’t come.’
It wasn’t going to be easy, spending time with the Sampsons, knowing what Mungo had done. But if they could suffer him, he would do it. It was the least he could do.
‘I’d like to come,’ Col said softly. ‘If you’re sure.’
Dominic had no doubts. ‘Of course we’re sure.’
‘We’ll pick you up then,’ Mr Sampson said. ‘About seven?’
‘No!’ Col said it too quickly. But he couldn’t have the Sampsons sitting in the car outside his house, and Mungo inside. Col in the middle of it all. No. He took a deep breath. ‘I’ll meet you at the restaurant, if that’s OK.’
Mr Sampson didn’t object. So it was decided, and Col wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing or not.
It had begun to rain by the time he got home, and the rain became a storm as the afternoon darkened.
He had thought Mam would have objected to his going. She might pretend she didn’t suspect Mungo, but Col knew she was just as aware as he was of Mungo’s guilt.
Of course he soon found out why. Mungo hadn’t been in all day. He didn’t know a thing about it.
‘And there’s no need to tell him where you’ve been,’ she said, as she stood ironing Col’s shirt.
‘I did try to say no, Mam,’ he said.
She smiled. ‘I know, son. It’s awful hard to say no to that wee Dominic.’
Col took a bus into town, but even on the short dash to the restaurant, he was soaked by the time he got there.
Dominic was waiting for him in the doorway. ‘We should have picked you up.’ He dragged him in out of the rain. ‘We’ve got a great table. Come on.’
This was the part he’d been dreading. Walking towards that table to face Mrs Sampson. Yet already she was standing, moving forward to greet him. Already she was smiling.
How could she do that?
She must know Mungo was the main suspect. The police would have told her that.
The answer was tugging at Col’s sleeve. Dominic.
‘Come and sit by me, Col,’ she said. ‘Take off that wet jacket.’
She called a waiter over and asked him to hang the jacket somewhere so it would dry.
‘How are you, Mrs Sampson?’
She didn’t get a chance to answer Col’s question. Ella did that. ‘Oh, she’s just wonderful. Half her furniture’s destroyed, and the other half’s been stolen. She’s just wonderful.’ Then she sneered at him. ‘Moron!’
‘Ella!’ her mother warned. ‘Be quiet!’
Ella wanted to say more. Spit out all the venom she’d been building up since the burglary, but her mother wouldn’t let her.
‘This is my birthday. I want to forget for a while. Have a nice meal. Just enjoy ourselves.’
It was the hardest two hours of Col’s life. They couldn’t talk about London. (London, a million years away now.) It reminded everyone of what they’d come home to.
I shouldn’t have come, Col thought, again and again. Yet, if they were willing to sit through this, how could he have refused? They wanted to show the world they trusted him.
If he could force Mungo to give everything back, he would. But even giving everything back wouldn’t make a difference. Too much had been destroyed.
Ella got her chance to confront him when her mother went off to the ladies room and Mr Sampson was paying the bill. ‘I don’t know
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