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‘Harry, why do you say things like that?’ Amy rounded on him. ‘That’s nasty! I’m disappointed in you!’
Harry stuck his chin out. ‘I meant me. I’m going to be bad and scary.’
‘That’s not funny. Oliver’s upset.’
‘That’s cos he’s a wuss. I hate Oliver, I hate camping and I hate YOU. I’m going to ring Daddy and tell him to come get me.’
‘No, Harry. You will do no such thing.’
‘And then Dad will take me to Florida and see Mickey Mouse and it’s going to be much better than this bollicks.’
‘Harry, will you stop using that word? You’re not going to phone your dad, because there’s no signal for your phone. Now say sorry to Oliver right now.’
‘No!’ He stuck his chin out even further, planting his feet apart, as if he planned to take root in the middle of the track.
‘I won’t give you any stickers today!’ she reminded him. ‘No stickers unless you say sorry.’
‘No. See if I care!’
‘You will care, if you don’t go to Florida.’ Oh God. She’d got herself right into this one, and if he stood his ground she might end up denying him the trip to America, which was exactly what she’d feared when she first set eyes on that stupid reward chart.
‘Come on, Harry. Don’t make a scene. If you say sorry nicely, I bet Oliver will be your friend again,’ Matt suggested.
‘Don’t want to,’ he said, and then he took off up the path, running as fast as he could go. ‘You can’t make me, you’re not my Daddy. I don’t have to do what you say!’
‘Harry, come back! Get back here, right now!’ Amy shouted after him and was about to follow.
‘NO!’ he yelled over his shoulder.
‘Leave Harry to me. I’m faster than you. You and Oliver can follow me.’ Matt powered up the track after a rapidly disappearing Harry.
‘Is Harry mean to you at school, Oliver?’ Amy asked as they followed. His hand slipped into hers. It was touching Oliver should still crave the security of hand-holding, and sad for him his mother wasn’t here when he was sad and needed comfort.
‘He shouts “stop crying, boys don’t cry,” sometimes,’ Oliver said, reflectively.
It sounded like the kind of thing James would say to Harry. ‘I wonder why he does that?’ she said, thinking out loud.
Oliver shrugged. ‘I don’t know. You’re his mummy. Why don’t you know?’
‘Sometimes mummies don’t know everything.’
‘My mummy did,’ he said.
‘How do you feel when Harry tells you not to cry?’
‘Angry. Then Darcey-Mae tells one of the teachers or a dinner-nan about him bullying me. Then Darcey-Mae and me are allowed to go to the library and play on the computers together.’
‘I see. So Darcey-Mae is your girlfriend then?’
‘Yeah, but I don’t want a girlfriend.’
‘Then could you tell her you don’t want to be her boyfriend?’
‘No way! If Darcey-Mae tells you to do something you have to do it.’
‘Oliver, you never have to be somebody’s boyfriend if you don’t want to be. It’s really important you understand that.’
He looked up at her, narrowing his eyes.
