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‘You can chop the tomatoes for the salsa.’ Cole gestured at the bowl of tomatoes on the island, so Finn pushed his sleeves up and got to work.
‘Did you have a good day at school?’ he asked Cole.
‘I did thanks. Apart from English. I can’t get the hang of speech writing.’
Cole had always been good at practical subjects but struggled with reading and writing. He was happiest when he was creating in the kitchen and Finn suspected that his nephew was going to end up being a chef.
‘I was the same at your age,’ Finn said. He’d found a lot of school challenging and was glad to leave as soon as his GCSEs were done. He’d got work with a local landscaping company and had gone on to start his own gardening business in his early twenties, after the man he’d worked for had moved abroad. There was, in Finn’s opinion, nothing like getting your hands dirty outdoors and he didn’t mind what the weather was doing, he just enjoyed the feel of the sun and the wind on his face and the sense of freedom it gave him. He’d never have been happy cooped up in an office or travelling to work on the tube every day. He needed to be outside in the fresh air, or he got antsy. ‘But speech writing… What’s your topic?’
‘Climate change,’ Cole replied with a grimace.
‘Let me think.’ While he chopped the tomatoes, he thought about the speeches he’d heard over the years and about those he’d been required to make from time to time. ‘OK. First off, you need an engaging introduction.’
Cole raised his eyebrows. ‘Like what?’
‘You could try using a rhetorical question.’
‘One people know the answer to?’
‘That’s right. Like…Do we really want our planet to last?’
‘I like that.’ Cole grinned then set the lid on top of the large pan of chilli and came to the kitchen island. ‘What else?’
‘You need some words to… uhhhh… persuade the audience. By that, I mean words they feel they can’t argue with.’
‘Such as?’ Cole fixed his green eyes on Finn’s face.
‘Undeniably, surely, obviously… words like that.’
‘You’re good at this, Uncle Finn.’
‘Shame I wasn’t good at it when I was at school. I think this has just come with experience.’
‘I wish I could leave school now.’
‘No you don’t. Your mum would have a fit. You need to get your qualifications then you can do whatever you want in this life.’
‘Like you?’ Cole tilted his head.
‘I am doing what I want.’
‘But you don’t have great qualifications.’
‘Noooo… but I do have some qualifications. And anyway, it was different when I was your age. Don’t forget I’m not far off fifty. It’s all changed. You need qualifications in order to get on. Andthenyou can choose what you want to do.’
Cole leant his elbows on the island and rested his chin on his hands. ‘I just want to cook delicious food in my own restaurant.’
‘Then you will do. You can do whatever you want, Cole. You’re a talented young man. I can just imagine you opening a chain of restaurants and your mum and dad eating proudly at every one. Me too for that matter.’
‘Thanks, Uncle Finn.’
Finn smiled then set the knife down on the chopping board. ‘Tomatoes done. What’s next?’
Cole handed him a red onion.
‘Uncle Finn!’ Slim arms wrapped around his neck from behind and he coughed jokingly.
‘Millie. Can’t breathe.’
