Seeing Simon with Jess had fried my common sense. Luckily, that song had come on in the nick of time. I smiled, feeling a twinge in my ankle, like I always did, along with a warm feeling in the pit of my belly.
What the hell was I thinking, kissing Nick?
You not-so-secretly enjoyed every second –that’swhat you’d been thinking, came a sneaky voice inside my head.
Well, I also secretly enjoyed watchingMost Hauntedwith a tub of cookie dough ice-cream. It didn’t mean I wanted to do it every night.
I didn’t go straight home. Instead, I got off the tube a few stops after mine and made my way to my parents’ house. It was after nine now. I knew they’d have eaten dinner and would be watching telly.The Durrells, probably – my mum had a little crush on Spiro.
*
After a plate of reheatedtavas, a favourite of mine: pork, potatoes, onions and tomatoes roasted to perfection in the oven, I sat with them in the front room that used to only be for guests when I still lived at home. I knew they were a bit stressed about Pete’s wedding; I hadn’t ever looked at it from their perspective – their eldest kid getting married was a big deal. Thinking about someone else’s problems was much more appealing than my own whirlwind emotions.
‘How are you both?’
‘Oh, fine, fine. We’re fine.’ This was Dad’s stock response to questions about his well-being.
I tried again: ‘Anything you need help with? Your phones or your computer?’
‘I think the Facebook’s broken,’ said Mum. ‘We keep seeing the same people over and over.’ My parents were very fond of their joint Facebook account that I’d set up for them – Frixos1234. Mum had been miffed that her preferred handle of Frixos123 had been taken by a bloke in Melbourne who, judging by his pictures, was a headless torso with impressively tanned abs.
‘That’s just the way Facebook is these days,’ I assured her. ‘Maybe unfollow people who post too much.’
‘Also, only me and your auntie Styliani liked the thing I posted about a goat dancing asirtakito “Zorba the Greek”?’.
My parents’ internet surfing was eight per cent looking up National Trust properties’ opening times and ninety-two per cent funny farmyard animals.
‘I’ll go and like it later, Mum,’ I said, feeling guilty.
We didn’t always have to talk to feel comfortable together, I realised. It was nice just being in the same room as them. I was lucky having my parents so close. Loads of my London friends had families who lived hundreds of miles away, or had horribly dysfunctional parents. It played a role in why so many stayed in unhappy or middling relationships – loneliness was too great a price to pay.
Having my folks so close probably explained why I wasn’t as obsessed as some of my peers with finding a partner. Of course, Mum and Dad wouldn’t be here for ever, but it was all the more reason to appreciate them while they still were.
I gave them both an extra-hard hug before I left.
I still felt hurt by Simon and my feelings for Nick were too weird to try and unravel. But by the time I got home, I felt much better about the crazy day I’d had.
