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Authors: Nick Gifford
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conversational tone. He turned to head down the stairs. “Fancy a drink?” he asked Matt. “There’s some cans in the fridge.”
~
They retreated to the living room where Kirsty was crying into her sister’s shoulder. Over Kirsty’s head, Tina glowered accusingly at Matt, as if it was all his fault.
Matt’s mother appeared a few seconds later. “They’re on their way,” she said. She went over to Kirsty and Tina and gave them a little hug. “He’ll be okay,” she said.
Tina glared at her, stiffening at her touch.
Just then, Vince came into the room, carrying a six pack of Heineken. He broke one away from its plastic binding and tossed it to Matt.
Matt’s mother looked at the beer, but said nothing. Vince held the remaining cans towards her, but she shook her head. Instead, he broke another one away and handed it to Mike, then sat on the sofa with what was left.
Matt opened his can, and took a long, cool drink, as his mother left the room and hurried back upstairs.
His hand started to shake and he put the can down on the coffee table.
He couldn’t get his grandfather’s glazed, contented look out of his head. Why had he taken so long to realise what had happened? He had seen the bottle and the empty pill jar as soon as he had entered the room, yet it had taken him several long minutes to understand what they meant.
He had another drink, and forced his hands to stop shaking. Delayed reaction, he supposed. Shock. It’s not every day you talk to somebody who’s in the process of killing himself.
~
The ambulance came, and the paramedics carried Gramps downstairs, strapped onto a stretcher. Carol and her sister went with him to the hospital, leaving Matt and the others to wait at home.
A short time after the ambulance had gone, Mike tried to persuade Tina and Kirsty that they should go to bed. They refused to go. “We’re hardly going to be able to sleep, are we?” said Tina, quite sensibly. “And it’s not even Kirsty’s bedtime yet.” They settled down in a corner of the living room to look at a large, colourful book about coral reefs, Tina explaining everything to her sister in great detail.
She was showing off, Matt realised: this was a chance for her to show how grown up she could be, reassuring and distracting her young sister.
Matt sat on the sofa, working his way steadily down the can of lager and leafing through a mail order catalogue. After about half an hour, he had chosen the best video, hi-fi, TV and computer, and he had just moved on to the tents, when the telephone rang.
Mike grabbed the receiver, snapped, “Yes,” and then listened for several seconds. Everyone watched him as he took the call, looking for any sign that would tell them what was happening.
As soon as he put the phone down, Kirsty said, “What’s happened, Dad? Where have they taken Gramps?”
Mike gathered his youngest daughter onto his lap. “They’ve taken him to the General Hospital,” he said. “The doctors are trying to make him better now.” He looked over Kirsty’s head at the others and added, “She’ll call again when she knows any more.”
So they sat and waited as before, playing video games, reading, watching TV. Occasionally, one of them tried to make conversation – the weather, the new road they wanted to build to the south-west of Bathside, Vince’s prospects for finding something better than the casual labouring work he had at the moment. “What are you going to do now?” Vince asked Matt, changing the subject swiftly away from the last of these topics.
“I don’t know,” said Matt. “Mum’s going to find work, and somewhere to live. I might stay with her or I might go back to Norwich to stay with Dad. I don’t know.”
Turning to her sister, Tina said, “Matthew was saying only the other day how much he liked living in Norwich. Wouldn’t it be nice if he could live with Uncle Nigel?” Kirsty looked from her sister to Matt and back and smiled uncertainly.
Then,
~
They retreated to the living room where Kirsty was crying into her sister’s shoulder. Over Kirsty’s head, Tina glowered accusingly at Matt, as if it was all his fault.
Matt’s mother appeared a few seconds later. “They’re on their way,” she said. She went over to Kirsty and Tina and gave them a little hug. “He’ll be okay,” she said.
Tina glared at her, stiffening at her touch.
Just then, Vince came into the room, carrying a six pack of Heineken. He broke one away from its plastic binding and tossed it to Matt.
Matt’s mother looked at the beer, but said nothing. Vince held the remaining cans towards her, but she shook her head. Instead, he broke another one away and handed it to Mike, then sat on the sofa with what was left.
Matt opened his can, and took a long, cool drink, as his mother left the room and hurried back upstairs.
His hand started to shake and he put the can down on the coffee table.
He couldn’t get his grandfather’s glazed, contented look out of his head. Why had he taken so long to realise what had happened? He had seen the bottle and the empty pill jar as soon as he had entered the room, yet it had taken him several long minutes to understand what they meant.
He had another drink, and forced his hands to stop shaking. Delayed reaction, he supposed. Shock. It’s not every day you talk to somebody who’s in the process of killing himself.
~
The ambulance came, and the paramedics carried Gramps downstairs, strapped onto a stretcher. Carol and her sister went with him to the hospital, leaving Matt and the others to wait at home.
A short time after the ambulance had gone, Mike tried to persuade Tina and Kirsty that they should go to bed. They refused to go. “We’re hardly going to be able to sleep, are we?” said Tina, quite sensibly. “And it’s not even Kirsty’s bedtime yet.” They settled down in a corner of the living room to look at a large, colourful book about coral reefs, Tina explaining everything to her sister in great detail.
She was showing off, Matt realised: this was a chance for her to show how grown up she could be, reassuring and distracting her young sister.
Matt sat on the sofa, working his way steadily down the can of lager and leafing through a mail order catalogue. After about half an hour, he had chosen the best video, hi-fi, TV and computer, and he had just moved on to the tents, when the telephone rang.
Mike grabbed the receiver, snapped, “Yes,” and then listened for several seconds. Everyone watched him as he took the call, looking for any sign that would tell them what was happening.
As soon as he put the phone down, Kirsty said, “What’s happened, Dad? Where have they taken Gramps?”
Mike gathered his youngest daughter onto his lap. “They’ve taken him to the General Hospital,” he said. “The doctors are trying to make him better now.” He looked over Kirsty’s head at the others and added, “She’ll call again when she knows any more.”
So they sat and waited as before, playing video games, reading, watching TV. Occasionally, one of them tried to make conversation – the weather, the new road they wanted to build to the south-west of Bathside, Vince’s prospects for finding something better than the casual labouring work he had at the moment. “What are you going to do now?” Vince asked Matt, changing the subject swiftly away from the last of these topics.
“I don’t know,” said Matt. “Mum’s going to find work, and somewhere to live. I might stay with her or I might go back to Norwich to stay with Dad. I don’t know.”
Turning to her sister, Tina said, “Matthew was saying only the other day how much he liked living in Norwich. Wouldn’t it be nice if he could live with Uncle Nigel?” Kirsty looked from her sister to Matt and back and smiled uncertainly.
Then,
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