AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘No Declan?’ Dad asks curiously.
Oh, fantastic, he’s said the D word. I guess I forgot to loop him in on that one, that just goes to show how little we interact.
‘No Declan,’ I reply. I leave it at that, hoping he’ll move on. He does.
‘It must be a fun space for parties,’ Dad continues. I can tell he does genuinely like what I’ve done.
Something catches my eye in the hallway: Mum’s feet, as she walks down the stairs.
‘Mum’s here,’ I announce, keen to change the subject. We all look to the hallway.
As Mum walks around the corner, I notice Dad’s jaw drop and his eyes widen. She’s wearing a black leather skirt and a white blouse. Her hair and make-up look flawless, as always, but I don’t think Dad was quite prepared for the new Kate May. His entire body stiffens (and now I really wish I hadn’t used those exact words). If this were a movie, I imagine Mum would be walking in slow motion, a beam of light behind her, as something like REO Speedwagon’s ‘Can’t Fight This Feeling’ plays.
‘Katie,’ he blurts. ‘Katie… what? How is it possible you’ve dropped twenty years since the last time I saw you?’
‘And you’ve found them,’ Mum teases him, gesturing towards his hair.
Oh, God, don’t tease him, Mum. And don’t call her Katie, Dad. This is beyond weird.
Gail clears her throat.
‘Mum, this is Gail,’ I say, making the introductions, because Dad still has the look of a man who has just been hit in the face by a brick.
‘Lovely to meet you, at last, Gail,’ Mum says warmly. ‘Cuppa tea?’
Gail looks back and forth between us, as if to acknowledge how similar we are when we say that.
‘I’ll put the kettle on,’ Jess offers up quickly, clearly keen to get out of such an awkward situation, but by the time she reaches the kettle and realises that it doesn’t actually get her out of the room, she looks back at me and pulls a face.
‘Sorry, I just can’t get over how different you look, and yet somehow like you haven’t aged a day – in fact, you look younger?’
Dad’s sentence almost winds up like more of a suspicious accusation, like perhaps Mum might have some kind of Hocus Pocus deal going on.
It’s strange, seeing the two of them in the same room again (I daren’t even consider how many years it’s been since Jess and I saw them at the same time). It only highlights how young Mum looks, and how old Dad seems all of a sudden. As far as Dad goes, I guess all of my notable memories of him are from when he was much younger, so while he doesn’t suddenly look like a sixty-something overnight, it seems that way in my head.
‘Oh, stop,’ Mum insists.
‘Yes, stop it,’ Gail echoes her sentiment, although hers sounds like there’s a little more to it. ‘You’re going to make the poor woman feel awkward.’
‘Sorry, sorry,’ Dad says, although he still can’t take his eyes off her. ‘You know, we were feeling quite disappointed that it was going to be a quiet Christmas without Gail’s boys and their families, but now we get to spend it here, with my girls – and Katie, of course – in this beautiful house. All the fun activities, the crafting Gail had planned, the festive movies and the games we were hoping to play – well, we can all do it together, isn’t that fantastic?’
That doesn’t sound fantastic at all. It sounds like my own personal hell. I need to think of something.
‘I’m actually pretty busy,’ I lie.
‘Oh, no, with work?’ Gail asks.
‘No, she’s a teacher,’ Dad reminds her. ‘She’ll be finished for the term already.’
‘I have social plans,’ I insist.
‘Do you?’ Mum can’t help but reply in disbelief. She isn’t trying to drop me in it, I think she’s just surprised.
‘Yep, stacked,’ I insist.
Dad and Gail stare at me. I can’t quite put my finger on the mood, whether things are awkward, or they’re suspicious, or they feel like I’m avoiding them – which I am, but things really will be awkward if they realise that.
‘Would you prefer us to make other arrangements?’ Gail asks.
