AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Unless, for example, Leo has a fatal allergy to ginger,” I suggested.
She seized the box again, holding it against her chest as if the biscuits within were about to beat their way to freedom and force themselves down Leo’s throat. “Oh my God, does he?”
“I have no idea.”
“I don’t,” said Leo.
“I’m so sorry.” Mum was gazing at him the way Captain Oates probably gazed at Robert Scott five minutes before he walked into a blizzard. “I didn’t even think to ask.”
“It’s—” he tried.
“Do you have any dietary restrictions, Leo?”
“Honestly, I—”
“This is all vegetarian, in any case. Some of it might even be vegan, you never know.”
He waited for a second or two to ensure there was sufficient speaking space. And then all he had to say was “no,” which left the word hanging there with awkward ceremony.
Not that Mum was discouraged by awkwardness. Or, indeed, anything. “This is your home, Leo. You tell us what you’d like. And don’t worry about anything else.”
Once again, Leo was reduced to blinking and stammering. The uncharitable thought zipped across my mind that I might as well have stayed with Edwin. “I…I mean,” he said. “This is such a…a lot. I couldn’t possibly.”
“That’s normal human being,” I told Mum, “forno, fuck off.”
Leo’s gaze snapped to mine, startling me with his suddenintensity. The hidden fires that burned beneath those cool water eyes. “It isnot.” He turned back to Mum. “You’re being very kind, and I’m genuinely a bit overwhelmed.”
“Nonsense.” Mum sidled a bit closer to Leo, like she wanted to hug himandrespect his boundaries and had no idea how to reconcile the two. “We’re just grateful to you for taking such good care of Marius, aren’t we, Krzysztof?”
“Yes,” agreed my father.
“It’s no problem,” Leo demurred, squirming. “I haven’t really done—”
Mum gave the box of pierniki she was cradling a little squeeze. “And we’re so glad Marius has you, Leo.”
“He doesn’t—” I tried.
“You see, we don’t often get to meet his friends.”
“Well, you still haven’t.” My voice emerged like an arctic blast, icy and unstoppable. Obliterating everything in its path. “This is a complete fucking stranger.”
I had finally succeeded in introducing Mum to the concept of silence. I had, in fact, created a positive maelstrom of silence. And I discovered, far too late, that I wished I hadn’t spoken. Unfortunately, the words were out. And there was nothing I could do to take them back.
So I did what I always did. I made it worse.34
“I don’t know the first thing about him,” I said. “Unless you countlives on a boatandspent a couple of years in prison.”
More words I couldn’t take back. They hung there between us, like the moon and stars and the winged whale on the mobile abovemy childhood bed. “It was one year,” Leo explained to his feet. “I was sentenced to two. But I was only in prison for one. One and a bit. I might go and get some wood. Or something. Save on coal. I’ll…I’ll see you later, Marius.”
He made the fastest possible exit—which was still quite a slow exit because he had to get his shoes and his hat, and his coat was buried under Mum’s, and so he had to spend a while fighting with it in the cupboard. Under any other circumstances, it would have been funny. At least for the definition offunnythat thrived on fail videos: strangers falling over, walking into doors, or ruining food. This was basically the emotional equivalent of that. Someone who desperately wanted to leave a room unable to leave the room. And all I did was watch, my parents’ disapproval glowing right off them.
Eventually Leo was dressed. “Nice to meet you both,” he said.
The hatch closed behind him with a softmrr. The doors with aclick.
8
“I hope”—my mum exploded about two seconds afterwards—“you’re going to apologise to that poor young man.”
