Page 47 of The Seaside Supper Club

‘Here, let me take your bag up to your room,’ said Will, squeezing himself past them, and, Cath noted, looking slightly anxious.

‘Thanks, Dad. Yeah,’ Sophie resumed, ‘an end-of-term ball to head back for, and that’s me done for the summer. Though we’ve still got the let ongoing in York, so I’ll probably to and fro for a bit.’

And with Will recovering from surgery, what a different summer it was going to be for them all, mused Cath.

*

It was only fifteen minutes later when Maddie arrived. Dumping her bag and coat in a heap in the hallway, she fell into a welcome hug with her dad. She pulled away with a grin, just as Cath came through to say hello.

‘Hey you, Mr I’m Too Busy. All of a sudden, I’ve got to drop everything and come up right away, tonight. So, what’s all this about?’ Maddie, ever forthright, was straight in there.

Will’s face dropped a little. ‘Umm, let’s eat first. Cath’s been busy making us all a lovely risotto, haven’t you,’ announced Will with forced joviality.

Cath had been grateful for something to focus on; chopping the onions, the chicken breast, and preparing dried and fresh mushrooms. Once the Arborio rice was in, it had needed stirring and checking constantly, and now the rice was creamy and al dente as it should be. The olive bread was now warmed through, too. Cath was relieved to find, that despite her nerves, she could still cook on autopilot.

Earlier today, she’d imagined it was going to be just the two of them. A casual cosy supper together, the night before surgery, the last food allowed before his op; not the easiest of evenings for them, but she’d hoped for a quiet and peaceful pre-op. They might have talked, or tried to watch something easy-going on the telly. She’d have been there in steady support. Would he have wanted her to stay? she’d wondered earlier on. She wasn’t sure. It would have been the first time ever at his house, if so. But she certainly hadn’t expected anything quite like this. And crikey, the hardest part of this re-jigged evening was yet to come.

Sitting together around Will’s dining table, polite conversation filled the void. The food looked lovely, but Cath found she could hardly taste it. She wondered how Will was getting on opposite her. Both of them aware of the ginormous, and as yet unsaid, elephant in the room.

*

It was time. With supper now eaten – Cath wasn’t quite sure how she’d managed to stomach it, though she had purposely given herself a much smaller portion – the moment had come to tell Maddie and Sophie about Will’s illness and his imminent operation. The girls absolutely needed to know. Yet, both Cath and Will realised how much of a shadow they were about to cast on them, dimming that new sense of hope for the future they’d been trying so hard to build together as a family.

‘Girls, there’s something I need to tell you,’ Will started.

Cath felt herself freeze for a second, holding her breath, then she gave him a gentle supportive smile.

‘Oh …’ Sophie looked up, glancing from Will to Cath.

‘I thought there was something,’ said Maddie. ‘That phone call out of the blue, and you wanting me to come up tonight.’

Will took a breath, seeming to stall. Yet, Cath felt it wasn’t her place to intervene. Not unless he specifically asked her to, anyhow.

‘Come on then, spill the beans, Dad,’ prompted Maddie. ‘Oh, hang on, you’re not getting engaged, you two …’ Her eyes flicking straight to Cath’s ring finger which was tellingly bare.

In that instant, Cath spotted Sophie’s face drop like a stone. So that wouldn’t have gone down well with his youngest, would it? But this wasn’t the time to be worrying about that sort of thing. The next piece of news was going to upset the girls far more.

It felt so tough and unfair for Will to be forced into this situation. But here they all were.

‘Okay, so there’s no easy way to say this. And I hadn’t told either of you yet because I wanted Sophie to get this exam done with no pressure, no extra worry …’

‘Dad, you’re scaring me …’ Sophie said in a hushed tone, looking pale.

‘So, I’ve got cancer. Prostate cancer.’ There, it was out.

‘Oh, shit,’ whispered Sophie.

‘Fuck,’ said Maddie.

‘It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.’ Will tried his best to reassure. ‘It’s contained. It’s Stage 2, which is good. It’s treatable. I-I …’ His eyes began to mist, as his voice cracked.

Cath felt this was now the time to step in. ‘Your dad’s going for an operation, girls. Surgery to remove the prostate and the cancer within it. Tomorrow.’

‘Tomorrow? Dad, why the fuck didn’t you say anything? How long have you known?’ Maddie sounded cross.

‘We could have helped you. Come up and seen you, supported you,’ added Sophie. ‘I’d have been okay with the exam. Dad, it’s not right that you’ve had to deal with this all by yourself.’

‘I’ve had Cath. She’s been great.’