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He slowly backed the campervan out of the garage, down the short driveway into the street, and glanced out of the window to see the front door opening and his mother appearing at the front door. She looked shocked to see the van outside her house. ‘What are you doing?’ she shouted above the roar of the engine.
He could barely hear her. He wound the front window down. ‘I’m taking it out for a spin.’
‘No, you can’t.’
Callum threw her a reassuring smile. ‘It’s fine. I remember how to drive it.’ Callum had learned to drive in the old campervan. His father had said that if he could drive that, he could drive anything.
She ran down the path. ‘But I don’t want you to take it for a spin. You’ve got to put it back in the garage.’
‘I’ll put it back when I return.’
‘No, do it now!’
Callum looked at her and suddenly understood. ‘I’m sure Dad won’t object. In fact, the van probably needs to be taken out from time to time if you want it kept in working order. I promise I won’t prang it or anything.’
‘I don’t care about that. Just put it back!’
Callum frowned. Now she was just being unreasonable.
She reached for the driver’s side door.
Callum quickly pressed the knob down by the window to lock the door, feeling a little childish.
‘Callum, get out right now. I don’t know where you found another key, but I want that back too.’
‘No!’ He frowned at her. He didn’t get why she was being like this. She had never liked the campervan. She had always wanted a car. His gaze shifted to the sporty car on the driveway.
She followed his gaze. ‘Look, take my car. I’ll go and get the keys.’ She turned around.
Callum said, ‘I don’t want to take your car.’ There was a reason he didn’t take her up on the offer; his dad had said something about giving the old VW to the girls. He thought of the photo of them outside a bookshop. He supposed taking the campervan to them, whoever they were, was the least he could do, as his dad had left him the shop. Perhaps they were the daughters of a best mate of his, or a client who had visited him at the bookshop. That might explain where the photo had been taken.
He wanted to visit Jack and Beth in Suffolk. Perhaps this was the perfect excuse to head on down and stay with them for a bit. He looked at his childhood home, which he didn’t recognise anymore, and the thought of getting away was even more tempting.
‘I’m going to get my car keys for you.’
Callum watched her run into the house. Before he set off, he had the urge to show her the photo of the two girls and ask if she knew them, but his father’s words came to mind –don’t tell your mother.
Callum put the van into first gear, wincing as he crunched the gears, and just as his mother appeared at the door, he pressed the accelerator. He wound the window further down, and called out, ‘I might be going on a little trip, so don’t worry if I’m not back this evening.’
‘What? What did you say?’
He shouted out as the van started to move away from the kerb, ‘I’m going to visit a mate, so I’m probably not going to be back for a few days.’
‘In the van?’
‘Yes – why not?’
Her mouth dropped open. ‘Oh, my god. You can’t!’
Callum sighed. There she was, being unreasonable again. ‘Why on earth not?’ Then something occurred to him. He slammed his foot on the brake. ‘Have you sold it?’
‘No, of course not.’
‘Then what’s the problem?’
When she didn’t answer, he said, ‘I’m off now.’ Callum wound up the window and moved away from the kerb again.
Suddenly she grabbed the door handle and started running along with the van.
