said Jenner, and with that, he pushed.himself to his
feet, hoisting the cat over his shoulder. 'I'll see you tomorrow, son,' he
said. 'It's been a good day. A hell of a good day.'
'I'm
glad.'
'Too
long coming though.'
Mark
just nodded and looked up at his uncle. This once hard man. This
Jack
the lad. Now old and racked with cancer, clutching his dead wife's cat as if it
was a straw to save him from the freezing sea of his own fate.
'Goodnight
then,' said Jenner.
'Goodnight,
Uncle John.'
'You
could just call me John, you know. That uncle business makes me feel ancient.'
'Force
of habit.'
Jenner
smiled and left the room.
After
he'd gone, Mark mooched around the room that had changed little in the years
he'd been gone. The DVDs were new, and the home cinema too, but otherwise
things were much the same. He looked at the books on the shelves. Crime fiction
mostly, and some autobiographies by London criminals. He smiled at himself,
thinking that maybe John Jenner had fancied doing one of those himself. He
opened the silver cigarette box and looked at the neatly rolled joints and was
tempted for a moment, but he shook his head, closed the box and decided to go
to bed himself.
He
went back up to his old room. It was strange, more than strange to. find
himself there. But it was warm, the bed still fitted his contours when he laid
on it and stared up at the familiar ceiling. After a few minutes he went to the
bathroom next door which had always been his alone and found a new toothbrush
and toothpaste, soap and flannel, laid out on the washbasin, razor and shaving
cream in the mirrored cabinet. He looked at his reflection and smiled wryly. It
had indeed, as John Jenner had said, been a hell of a day. He cleaned his teeth,
relieved himself, washed his hands and went back to the bedroom where he
undressed, slid under the Bros duvet and was soon asleep.
A
noise awoke him sometime later. He had no idea what time it was. The door was
open to allow light in from the hall and he saw that Martine wasstanding
in the doorway. 'The prodigal returned,' she said, and he couldn't decide
whether she was glad or sorry. Even from the other side of the room her perfume
filled his head and he felt dizzy, although it might have been from the amount
he'd had to drink during the day.
'Just
for tonight,' he said. His throat was dry and his tongue felt huge in his
mouth.
'No.
You're back. I can tell.' 'Is that bad?'
'No.
Dad needs someone.' 'What about you?' 'I'm a girl. It's not the same.' 'I'm
sorry.'
'Don't
be. It's not your fault. It's just the way it is.' 'Did you have a good time
tonight?' he asked. 'Yeah. Not bad. Danced on the tables, that sort of thing.'
'What time is it?'
'What
does it matter? You didn't wait up for me.' 'I didn't think you'd want me to.'
'You'd be surprised.' 'Maybe.'
'I
used to do this years ago. Did you know that?' 'Do what?' He was confused.
'Creep
into your room when you were asleep and watch you.' 'Did you?' Now he was
genuinely surprised. 'Why?' 'Because you were beautiful. I don't think you knew
how beautiful. That's what made it special. All my girlfriends at school had
crushes on you.' 'Did they? I never knew.' 'You could be very thick sometimes.'
'I know.'
'So
what happened, Mark? Did you take an ugly pill?' But there was no malice in her
voice. He touched his face and felt the lines and the rasp of his beard.
'Life
happened to me,' he said.
'It
happened to all of us.'
'But
it hasn't affected you the same.'
'Thank
you, kind sir. Anyway, I'll let you get back to sleep. I didn't mean to wake
you.'
'I'm
glad you did.'
'Good.
I loved you, you know.'
'What?'
'I
was in love with you, just like all the other girls.' 'I never knew that
either.'
'But
then, things change don't
feet, hoisting the cat over his shoulder. 'I'll see you tomorrow, son,' he
said. 'It's been a good day. A hell of a good day.'
'I'm
glad.'
'Too
long coming though.'
Mark
just nodded and looked up at his uncle. This once hard man. This
Jack
the lad. Now old and racked with cancer, clutching his dead wife's cat as if it
was a straw to save him from the freezing sea of his own fate.
'Goodnight
then,' said Jenner.
'Goodnight,
Uncle John.'
'You
could just call me John, you know. That uncle business makes me feel ancient.'
'Force
of habit.'
Jenner
smiled and left the room.
After
he'd gone, Mark mooched around the room that had changed little in the years
he'd been gone. The DVDs were new, and the home cinema too, but otherwise
things were much the same. He looked at the books on the shelves. Crime fiction
mostly, and some autobiographies by London criminals. He smiled at himself,
thinking that maybe John Jenner had fancied doing one of those himself. He
opened the silver cigarette box and looked at the neatly rolled joints and was
tempted for a moment, but he shook his head, closed the box and decided to go
to bed himself.
He
went back up to his old room. It was strange, more than strange to. find
himself there. But it was warm, the bed still fitted his contours when he laid
on it and stared up at the familiar ceiling. After a few minutes he went to the
bathroom next door which had always been his alone and found a new toothbrush
and toothpaste, soap and flannel, laid out on the washbasin, razor and shaving
cream in the mirrored cabinet. He looked at his reflection and smiled wryly. It
had indeed, as John Jenner had said, been a hell of a day. He cleaned his teeth,
relieved himself, washed his hands and went back to the bedroom where he
undressed, slid under the Bros duvet and was soon asleep.
A
noise awoke him sometime later. He had no idea what time it was. The door was
open to allow light in from the hall and he saw that Martine wasstanding
in the doorway. 'The prodigal returned,' she said, and he couldn't decide
whether she was glad or sorry. Even from the other side of the room her perfume
filled his head and he felt dizzy, although it might have been from the amount
he'd had to drink during the day.
'Just
for tonight,' he said. His throat was dry and his tongue felt huge in his
mouth.
'No.
You're back. I can tell.' 'Is that bad?'
'No.
Dad needs someone.' 'What about you?' 'I'm a girl. It's not the same.' 'I'm
sorry.'
'Don't
be. It's not your fault. It's just the way it is.' 'Did you have a good time
tonight?' he asked. 'Yeah. Not bad. Danced on the tables, that sort of thing.'
'What time is it?'
'What
does it matter? You didn't wait up for me.' 'I didn't think you'd want me to.'
'You'd be surprised.' 'Maybe.'
'I
used to do this years ago. Did you know that?' 'Do what?' He was confused.
'Creep
into your room when you were asleep and watch you.' 'Did you?' Now he was
genuinely surprised. 'Why?' 'Because you were beautiful. I don't think you knew
how beautiful. That's what made it special. All my girlfriends at school had
crushes on you.' 'Did they? I never knew.' 'You could be very thick sometimes.'
'I know.'
'So
what happened, Mark? Did you take an ugly pill?' But there was no malice in her
voice. He touched his face and felt the lines and the rasp of his beard.
'Life
happened to me,' he said.
'It
happened to all of us.'
'But
it hasn't affected you the same.'
'Thank
you, kind sir. Anyway, I'll let you get back to sleep. I didn't mean to wake
you.'
'I'm
glad you did.'
'Good.
I loved you, you know.'
'What?'
'I
was in love with you, just like all the other girls.' 'I never knew that
either.'
'But
then, things change don't
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