Page 61 of People Skills

‘Charlotte did not cook it.’

‘I wasn’t sure what she helps with and what she doesn’t. I’ve never known you to cook salmon. You hate seafood.’

‘Some of us change and grow with age.’

Now James is drinking his wine faster than Xavier. They have both gone quiet, the tension between their parents clearly sending them into some kind of silent childhood-trauma response. I need to intervene. But I am out of questions for Graham.

‘We just launched the festival program,’ I say.

‘Well, that’s good,’ Graham says. ‘After everything that happened with the TV show, this festival is a great little project for you, Hil.’

Her eyes meet mine and she picks up her knife, and I swallow down laughter.

‘So, Xavier,’ Graham continues. ‘Are you taking part in this shindig?’

‘I am not,’ Xavier says.

‘He was asked, and he declined,’ Hillary says. This is a sore spot. She gave up after pitching five different panel ideas to him, starting with ‘How to Write a Bestseller’, then ‘Masculinity in Modern Australian Fiction’, then she tried a more general approach with ‘Writers on Reading’, and then asked him to be in conversation with three up-and-coming debut writers called ‘Introducing the Next Big Thing’, then finally, she got desperate and suggested he take part in a light-hearted debate addressing the question ‘Is Literary Fiction Still Relevant?’, and he said no to them all.

‘Is this because you’re still heartbroken? What exactly happened with Lana?’ Graham asks.

‘What do you mean? We broke up. Over two months ago.’ Xavier stabs the salmon on his plate with his fork.

‘Yes, but why? She was good for you.’

‘I’m not sure she’d want me to stay with her because she’s good for me.’

‘You don’t tell her that, you just tell her you love her and then you propose,’ Graham says.

James laughs, but it’s not clear who or what he’s laughing at.

‘Graham, for god’s sake,’ Hillary says, cutting up a loaf of crusty bread very aggressively.

‘James and I have been talking,’ Graham continues.

‘Dad, whatever you’re about to say, don’t implicate me,’ James says. ‘Great salmon, Mum,’ he adds, through a mouthful of it.

I scoop salad onto my plate.

‘It’s not too late to go back to study,’ Graham says. ‘John, at my company, he got his law degree late, and he rose up the ranks very quickly. People don’t think of you as a junior when you look old. And James and I will help you.’

‘I’m not getting a law degree,’ Xavier says.

‘It’ll get you out of the house, get you focused, give you something to get out of bed for—’

‘I get out of bed, Dad.’

‘We’re just worried that what happened last time—’

‘I don’t want to be a lawyer, Dad. I’ve been telling you that for twenty years.’

‘Well, people grow and change with age, don’t they, Hil?’

‘He’s a writer,’ Hillary says. ‘That’s what he is.’

‘Well then he needs to start bloody writing,’ Graham says.

‘He has writer’s block,’ Hillary says.