struggling-”
Robert’s frown turned into a scowl. “Who the hell told you that, your mother?”
“No one told me. It’s obvious from the way you’ve been acting lately.”
Robert was silent a moment, chewing his lip. He sighed. “Okay, let’s say you’re right, let’s say the business is going through a difficult patch. In that case, why would I want to take on a new worker?”
“I’ll work for nothing.”
“It’ll still cost money and time to train you. Listen, Julian, if you want to help me, the best thing you can do is finish university.”
“But what’s the point if-”
“Oh for Christ’s sake,” Robert burst out. Putting a hand to his head as if it ached, he continued more quietly, “We’re not going through all that again. This matter isn’t up for discussion. Now change out of those clothes and get packed.”
Julian shook his head. He held his dad’s gaze, trying to appear calm while his heart raced. His dad’s expression briefly seemed to be caught between anger and disappointment. Then anger tipped the balance. His voice was cold with it, as he said, “You have two choices, Julian: either you do as I say, or you don’t do it. But whatever you do, you’re not stopping in this house.”
“So you’re throwing me out?”
“Yes, if that’s what it takes to make you see sense. I warned you not to push me on this.”
“Okay, fine.” Figuring he was calling his dad’s bluff, Julian stuffed a few things into his rucksack and slung it over his shoulder. His dad watched impassively, arms crossed. Julian walked past him to the kitchen. He stooped to kiss his mum, who was eating breakfast.
Christine twisted round to look at him in surprise. “Are you going back?”
“No. Dad’s throwing me out.”
Her face drew up into a one-sided frown. She looked past Julian at her husband. “Is that true?”
Robert spread his hands. “I’ve tried to reason with him, Christine, but he’s too damned pig-headed to listen. I don’t see what else I can do.”
Julian snorted at the word ‘reason’. “I’ll speak to you soon, Mum. Take care.”
“Hang on,” Christine said, as he turned to leave. “This is ridiculous. Where will you go?”
“Oh don’t worry about him, he’ll bunk-up with his mates, and when they get sick of him and turf him out, he’ll realise how stupid he’s been about this,” Robert said, with more than a hint of condescension.
Biting down on an angry retort, Julian headed for the front door. Even as he stepped through it, he half-expected his dad to call him back, try to reason with him some more. But he didn’t.
Julian drove around aimlessly. He’d intended to go to Kyle’s, beg a place to kip for a few nights, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so with his dad’s parting remark still smarting in his ears. When his car ran low on fuel, he pulled into a petrol station and filled up. He tried to pay with his bank-card, but it was rejected. He guessed at once that his dad had put a stop on it – they had a joint account, which his dad paid a monthly allowance into. “Bastard,” he muttered under his breath, paying with most of the cash in his wallet.
Julian drove to Mia’s school. He sat hunched down like some kind of deviant, scanning the faces in the playground. Mia was stood alone in the crowd, as if on her own little island. He left the car and called to her through the railings. Although she must’ve heard him, she turned to go into the school building. Sucking his lip with annoyance, he returned to the car. It flashed through his mind to drive out of town at top speed in some random direction, and keep driving until the tank was empty. He didn’t, though. He rolled a joint and smoked away the turbulence in his veins, smoked away the morning. When Mia reappeared at lunchtime, he approached her at the gates.
“I need to talk to you,” he said. She blanked him. He dogged along after her. “Please, Mia.”
“Go away.”
“Not
Robert’s frown turned into a scowl. “Who the hell told you that, your mother?”
“No one told me. It’s obvious from the way you’ve been acting lately.”
Robert was silent a moment, chewing his lip. He sighed. “Okay, let’s say you’re right, let’s say the business is going through a difficult patch. In that case, why would I want to take on a new worker?”
“I’ll work for nothing.”
“It’ll still cost money and time to train you. Listen, Julian, if you want to help me, the best thing you can do is finish university.”
“But what’s the point if-”
“Oh for Christ’s sake,” Robert burst out. Putting a hand to his head as if it ached, he continued more quietly, “We’re not going through all that again. This matter isn’t up for discussion. Now change out of those clothes and get packed.”
Julian shook his head. He held his dad’s gaze, trying to appear calm while his heart raced. His dad’s expression briefly seemed to be caught between anger and disappointment. Then anger tipped the balance. His voice was cold with it, as he said, “You have two choices, Julian: either you do as I say, or you don’t do it. But whatever you do, you’re not stopping in this house.”
“So you’re throwing me out?”
“Yes, if that’s what it takes to make you see sense. I warned you not to push me on this.”
“Okay, fine.” Figuring he was calling his dad’s bluff, Julian stuffed a few things into his rucksack and slung it over his shoulder. His dad watched impassively, arms crossed. Julian walked past him to the kitchen. He stooped to kiss his mum, who was eating breakfast.
Christine twisted round to look at him in surprise. “Are you going back?”
“No. Dad’s throwing me out.”
Her face drew up into a one-sided frown. She looked past Julian at her husband. “Is that true?”
Robert spread his hands. “I’ve tried to reason with him, Christine, but he’s too damned pig-headed to listen. I don’t see what else I can do.”
Julian snorted at the word ‘reason’. “I’ll speak to you soon, Mum. Take care.”
“Hang on,” Christine said, as he turned to leave. “This is ridiculous. Where will you go?”
“Oh don’t worry about him, he’ll bunk-up with his mates, and when they get sick of him and turf him out, he’ll realise how stupid he’s been about this,” Robert said, with more than a hint of condescension.
Biting down on an angry retort, Julian headed for the front door. Even as he stepped through it, he half-expected his dad to call him back, try to reason with him some more. But he didn’t.
Julian drove around aimlessly. He’d intended to go to Kyle’s, beg a place to kip for a few nights, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so with his dad’s parting remark still smarting in his ears. When his car ran low on fuel, he pulled into a petrol station and filled up. He tried to pay with his bank-card, but it was rejected. He guessed at once that his dad had put a stop on it – they had a joint account, which his dad paid a monthly allowance into. “Bastard,” he muttered under his breath, paying with most of the cash in his wallet.
Julian drove to Mia’s school. He sat hunched down like some kind of deviant, scanning the faces in the playground. Mia was stood alone in the crowd, as if on her own little island. He left the car and called to her through the railings. Although she must’ve heard him, she turned to go into the school building. Sucking his lip with annoyance, he returned to the car. It flashed through his mind to drive out of town at top speed in some random direction, and keep driving until the tank was empty. He didn’t, though. He rolled a joint and smoked away the turbulence in his veins, smoked away the morning. When Mia reappeared at lunchtime, he approached her at the gates.
“I need to talk to you,” he said. She blanked him. He dogged along after her. “Please, Mia.”
“Go away.”
“Not
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