to happen: you’ll stay here, me, Luke and Russ will go over to yours and get rid of the letter, we’ll tell Mum you felt ill last night, stayed at mine and that you’re fast asleep now. Then once you’ve had a couple of hours to yourself we’ll pick you up and take you back home, OK?’
‘You’re talking as though you haven’t heard a word I’ve said!’ shouted Dad. He took a moment to compose himself. ‘I know it’s hard for you boys but it really is over between your mum and me and I’m not going back. So just leave the letter where it is and let things proceed the way they were meant to.’
‘Not a chance!’ snapped Luke. ‘Maybe we can’t make you stay if you don’t want to, but I’m not going to let you split up with a woman you’ve been with for forty years by letter!’
Dad didn’t say a word. He sat down on the sofa and hung his head in his hands.
‘Luke’s right, Dad,’ said Russell. ‘You can’t just walk out on Mum like that.’
Still no word.
‘They’re both right,’ said Adam. ‘This is no way for things to end. So you’re doing what you think you’ve got to do, but we’re doing exactly the same.’
‘Do you think I’m stupid?’
As Luke’s car pulled into Mum and Dad’s road Adam was thinking how odd it had been to hear his father talk about his emotions like that. Adam had never seen such an explicit emotional outburst from his father in his life. Not when his grandad Tom died, not when Uncle Al died, not even when at the age of fifteen Adam had had to break the news that Luke had been knocked down by a car outside school. These were all times when the whole family had been in tears and yet their dad had never shared a single shred of what was going on inside his head. Instead he took action; he made arrangements and got things organised and remained calm and focused throughout. Even though they were polar opposites Adam had always admired his father’s lack of emotion because that meant there was at least one member of the family he didn’t have to worry about. Maybe it was an eldest child thing; the fear that goes hand in hand with knowing that his brothers were always looking to him for leadership. Yet while as a child (and later as a teenager) Adam worried about every member of his family (his mum especially) whenever they left the home without him, he never, ever worried about his dad because he knew Dad could look after himself.
‘Maybe we should have called Mum on her mobile and told her that we’d pick her up,’ said Russell as the car came to a halt outside his parents’ house. ‘You know, just to be on the safe side.’
‘Have you tried talking to Mum on her mobile?’ scoffed Adam. ‘First of all it’s a miracle if she answers it at all and secondly she can never hear anything you say so you end up bellowing into your phone like some kind of nutter. Anyway, you know what trains are like. She’s probably running late.’
‘Oh yeah?’ said Luke, who was still very much in glowering mode. ‘Then how come I can see her in the front bedroom opening the curtains?’
Adam leaned across his brother and peered out of the passenger window up at the house. He was right. Their mum was indeed opening the upstairs curtains.
‘Don’t panic,’ he said. ‘You know what Mum’s like when she gets back from being away. It’s always shoes off, kettle on and make a brew, so chances are she’s breezed past the letter on her way upstairs to give the house one of her famous “good airings” even if she’s only been away overnight. Let’s just keep calm, grab the letter and make this as quick and as painless as possible. Because do you know what? I’m shattered and after I’ve finished patching up our parents’ marriage the first thing I’m going to do is head home, climb into bed and try to forget this day has ever happened.’ He paused and took a deep breath. ‘Right then, let’s go.’
The boys climbed out of the car, made their way up the
‘You’re talking as though you haven’t heard a word I’ve said!’ shouted Dad. He took a moment to compose himself. ‘I know it’s hard for you boys but it really is over between your mum and me and I’m not going back. So just leave the letter where it is and let things proceed the way they were meant to.’
‘Not a chance!’ snapped Luke. ‘Maybe we can’t make you stay if you don’t want to, but I’m not going to let you split up with a woman you’ve been with for forty years by letter!’
Dad didn’t say a word. He sat down on the sofa and hung his head in his hands.
‘Luke’s right, Dad,’ said Russell. ‘You can’t just walk out on Mum like that.’
Still no word.
‘They’re both right,’ said Adam. ‘This is no way for things to end. So you’re doing what you think you’ve got to do, but we’re doing exactly the same.’
‘Do you think I’m stupid?’
As Luke’s car pulled into Mum and Dad’s road Adam was thinking how odd it had been to hear his father talk about his emotions like that. Adam had never seen such an explicit emotional outburst from his father in his life. Not when his grandad Tom died, not when Uncle Al died, not even when at the age of fifteen Adam had had to break the news that Luke had been knocked down by a car outside school. These were all times when the whole family had been in tears and yet their dad had never shared a single shred of what was going on inside his head. Instead he took action; he made arrangements and got things organised and remained calm and focused throughout. Even though they were polar opposites Adam had always admired his father’s lack of emotion because that meant there was at least one member of the family he didn’t have to worry about. Maybe it was an eldest child thing; the fear that goes hand in hand with knowing that his brothers were always looking to him for leadership. Yet while as a child (and later as a teenager) Adam worried about every member of his family (his mum especially) whenever they left the home without him, he never, ever worried about his dad because he knew Dad could look after himself.
‘Maybe we should have called Mum on her mobile and told her that we’d pick her up,’ said Russell as the car came to a halt outside his parents’ house. ‘You know, just to be on the safe side.’
‘Have you tried talking to Mum on her mobile?’ scoffed Adam. ‘First of all it’s a miracle if she answers it at all and secondly she can never hear anything you say so you end up bellowing into your phone like some kind of nutter. Anyway, you know what trains are like. She’s probably running late.’
‘Oh yeah?’ said Luke, who was still very much in glowering mode. ‘Then how come I can see her in the front bedroom opening the curtains?’
Adam leaned across his brother and peered out of the passenger window up at the house. He was right. Their mum was indeed opening the upstairs curtains.
‘Don’t panic,’ he said. ‘You know what Mum’s like when she gets back from being away. It’s always shoes off, kettle on and make a brew, so chances are she’s breezed past the letter on her way upstairs to give the house one of her famous “good airings” even if she’s only been away overnight. Let’s just keep calm, grab the letter and make this as quick and as painless as possible. Because do you know what? I’m shattered and after I’ve finished patching up our parents’ marriage the first thing I’m going to do is head home, climb into bed and try to forget this day has ever happened.’ He paused and took a deep breath. ‘Right then, let’s go.’
The boys climbed out of the car, made their way up the
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