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Authors: Cate Lockhart
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his head, his wild hair unkempt and wet from the beer that seemed to have made its way onto his head. I refused to enable him by asking what had happened, knowing interest in delinquent conduct could be misconstrued as attention. He wouldn’t get that from me at the risk of provoking similar outbursts.
‘Good,’ Cartwright almost shouted in his stout way. ‘Good show. If I see him here again, there will be a more severe penalty.’
Zack looked up at Cartwright as if to challenge his statement. The officer read Zack’s body language like the Bible and pushed his chest out.
‘Yes, boy, the next time I will misplace your uncle’s number for a few hours while you are in holding over there,’ he bellowed aggressively, pointing toward the holding cells down the hallway. ‘In there you will learn the true meaning of attention, my son. We’ll see how quickly you want to come back after a bit of a dance with our other guests. They don’t have uncles who have their backs, you see? They don’t have anyone to come and pick them up when they misbehave.’
The officer obviously didn’t know Zack’s background, including his current emotional turmoil, but he was beginning to badger my nephew and I felt he’d had enough.
‘There you go,’ I said in a lighter tone. ‘We should get going, hey Zack?’
I took hold of Zack’s arm with one hand and shook the officer’s hand gratefully with the other before we marched out of the building to avoid any more of the officer’s unforgiving lectures.
Inside the car was another matter. Here, I was the warden. At least in part, Officer Cartwright was right about scaring boys enough the first time round.
‘What the hell were you thinking?’ I asked as we travelled home.
‘Just leave me alone. You don’t give a shit anyway,’ he mumbled. The fumes of stale beer wafted off him.
‘Leave you alone? Really? Would you really want that? Because if I leave you alone, pal, you are messed up for life,’ I snapped at him.
‘Like you would know. You grew up with everything, right? Your life is perfect with Mummy and Daddy’s money.’
‘You listen to me,’ I retorted loudly, trying not to shout—yet. ‘Had it not been for my Daddy’s money, you’d be way worse off than you are. And I’ll tell you, kiddo, there’s not much farther you can sink before you’re buried.’
He looked out the window as we drove up the lane that came into our street.
‘Oh, and we haven’t talked about your suspension. Don’t think I didn’t know,’ I told him, but he simply ignored me.
Before I even parked the car, Zack opened the door and tumbled out.
‘I’m talking to you,’ I said from my car door as I locked it.
‘Listen, you’re never home anyway, Uncle . What do you care?’ he shouted at me. ‘I wish you were dead instead of my mother. At least she was there when I needed her.’
He ran into the house.
His words had sliced through me like a cleaver. I couldn’t say much to that. Maybe Zack was right. Maybe it should have been me, and I swear, if I’d had a choice, I’d switch places with Claire any day.
Unfortunately, Zack was stuck with me, the arsehole who had just as much trouble getting over Claire’s suicide. I hadn’t been there when she’d needed someone.
The least I could do was to save her son from the same fate.
Chapter 10
Amber
Just before eleven, we finished with the preparations. Proudly, we stood in the cocoon of the new décor, born from our magic. Even Kat had stayed right till the end, sitting on the floor in the corner, staring at her curtain work. I got us all some apple juice to celebrate, because the weak tea was our daily suffering, not our celebratory beverage.
I lifted my plastic glass in the air, ‘I’d like to propose a toast.’
They all followed suit.
‘No matter how today turns out, I want you all to know that we were a success for getting all this awesomeness accomplished to revamp our little nest here. Regardless
‘Good,’ Cartwright almost shouted in his stout way. ‘Good show. If I see him here again, there will be a more severe penalty.’
Zack looked up at Cartwright as if to challenge his statement. The officer read Zack’s body language like the Bible and pushed his chest out.
‘Yes, boy, the next time I will misplace your uncle’s number for a few hours while you are in holding over there,’ he bellowed aggressively, pointing toward the holding cells down the hallway. ‘In there you will learn the true meaning of attention, my son. We’ll see how quickly you want to come back after a bit of a dance with our other guests. They don’t have uncles who have their backs, you see? They don’t have anyone to come and pick them up when they misbehave.’
The officer obviously didn’t know Zack’s background, including his current emotional turmoil, but he was beginning to badger my nephew and I felt he’d had enough.
‘There you go,’ I said in a lighter tone. ‘We should get going, hey Zack?’
I took hold of Zack’s arm with one hand and shook the officer’s hand gratefully with the other before we marched out of the building to avoid any more of the officer’s unforgiving lectures.
Inside the car was another matter. Here, I was the warden. At least in part, Officer Cartwright was right about scaring boys enough the first time round.
‘What the hell were you thinking?’ I asked as we travelled home.
‘Just leave me alone. You don’t give a shit anyway,’ he mumbled. The fumes of stale beer wafted off him.
‘Leave you alone? Really? Would you really want that? Because if I leave you alone, pal, you are messed up for life,’ I snapped at him.
‘Like you would know. You grew up with everything, right? Your life is perfect with Mummy and Daddy’s money.’
‘You listen to me,’ I retorted loudly, trying not to shout—yet. ‘Had it not been for my Daddy’s money, you’d be way worse off than you are. And I’ll tell you, kiddo, there’s not much farther you can sink before you’re buried.’
He looked out the window as we drove up the lane that came into our street.
‘Oh, and we haven’t talked about your suspension. Don’t think I didn’t know,’ I told him, but he simply ignored me.
Before I even parked the car, Zack opened the door and tumbled out.
‘I’m talking to you,’ I said from my car door as I locked it.
‘Listen, you’re never home anyway, Uncle . What do you care?’ he shouted at me. ‘I wish you were dead instead of my mother. At least she was there when I needed her.’
He ran into the house.
His words had sliced through me like a cleaver. I couldn’t say much to that. Maybe Zack was right. Maybe it should have been me, and I swear, if I’d had a choice, I’d switch places with Claire any day.
Unfortunately, Zack was stuck with me, the arsehole who had just as much trouble getting over Claire’s suicide. I hadn’t been there when she’d needed someone.
The least I could do was to save her son from the same fate.
Chapter 10
Amber
Just before eleven, we finished with the preparations. Proudly, we stood in the cocoon of the new décor, born from our magic. Even Kat had stayed right till the end, sitting on the floor in the corner, staring at her curtain work. I got us all some apple juice to celebrate, because the weak tea was our daily suffering, not our celebratory beverage.
I lifted my plastic glass in the air, ‘I’d like to propose a toast.’
They all followed suit.
‘No matter how today turns out, I want you all to know that we were a success for getting all this awesomeness accomplished to revamp our little nest here. Regardless
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