AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He smiles weakly. "So…we're all fucked and humanity's screwed?"
"No. Humanity's not screwed. There's still a lot of good in the world. So much beauty. And kindness. And love."
"Hmm."
"Can I do anything for you?"
"Just keep holding me. It feels good."
I cradle him in my arms, stroking his hair as I think about Col's mum. It was hard enough losing my mum as an adult, what would it be like to have your mum ripped away from you as a child and miss out on all those things Col mentioned?
"Can I ask you about your mom?" he asks softly. "What happened?"
"Cancer," I reply. "Fucking cancer. It was in her blood. Aggressive. She didn't stand a chance."
"I'm sorry, Wilby."
"Thank you." I continue running my fingers through his hair. "Mum was our whole world. She held the farm and the family together. She was the strongest, bravest, coolest person I've ever met. My biggest inspiration. She was only fifty-seven."
"That's so unfair."
"It really fucking is."
"You, uh…" He stops himself.
I pull on a tuft of hair. "I thought we were past this, mister. If you want to say something, say something."
He breathes out noisily. "What about your dad? You mentioned him briefly in Sydney. Said it was complicated."
"It is… Was. Will be."
Col cranes his neck, cracking a small grin. "Will be?… Wilby?"
I laugh. "Funny guy."
He sits up. "You're switching up your tenses a lot. Which one is it?"
"Wish I fucking knew, mate. Okay, so here's a thing…"
See, it's not just a complicated story, it's a long one, too. But if he's asking and genuinely wants to know, I'm not about to skimp on the details.
"I've mentioned I have two older sisters, Katrina and Emma."
"You have."
"Here's the thing. We all share the same mother, but we have different fathers. Mum was good at many things. Love wasn't one of them. She only married once and that was enough for her."
"That sucks."
"It does. And I say this as someone who loves men, but straight men do my fucking head in sometimes. I hate howsome of them can get intimidated by a fiercely independent, hardworking, brilliantly smart woman. And even though she's my mum, when I show you some photos, you'll agree with me. She was so beautiful."
"I bet she was. She sounds amazing."
"One of a kind." I choke up a little.
Col's fingers brush along my forearm. Warmth fills me at the touch, and also, because it's just nice being able to talk about her, and share this part of myself, with him. Outside of my family and the guys I work with, I've never opened up to anyone this deeply before. Not even to the fucktard I wasted a year on in Sydney.
"That's why I call the kids my kids, even though they're not technically mine. Mum never allowed us to call each other half brothers or half sisters. She hated that. We weren't half anything, she'd say, we're all one family. And that was the end of the discussion."
