father’s arm loosely around his shoulders.
‘To Pig!’ the butcher said, toasting the carving.
‘To Pig!’ Joshua echoed, raising his glass and taking a sip. He screwed up his face as the sharp alcohol bit the inside of his mouth and tongue. He handed the glass back quickly to his father, who laughed.
Father and son looked up at Pig in his place of pride, then went to bed, well pleased with their work.
‘I’m going swimming, Dad.’ Joshua put his head round the shop door the following afternoon.
‘Fine. But I want you back before sunset.’ His father didn’t look up from the newspaper he was reading with deep concentration.
With a glance at Pig, silhouetted proudly against the sky, Joshua ran off to the sea.
When he got to the beach, Robert’s mother was there looking out at Leon’s old boat bobbing in the choppy water. Joshua spotted Robert’s dark head and shoulders , weaving and ducking as he baled water from the leaky boat.
‘He’s ignoring me,’ Robert’s mother complained to Joshua. ‘Will you go and tell him I need him home to chop wood?’
He nodded, staring at the patch under her armpits where sweat darkened the faded blue flowers of her cotton dress.
‘What are you looking at?’ she chided him. Her voice was rough but she held out an arm to him and he went and nestled against her, breathing in sweat and soap and the coconut oil she rubbed in her long plaited hair.
‘Are you my aunt?’ he asked suddenly.
‘No.’ She looked at him. ‘Why? Did you think I was?’
He shook his head slowly. ‘Not really.’ He drew a circle in the sand with his big toe. ‘Have I got any? Aunts and uncles, I mean.’
This time she took more time to reply. ‘I’m not sure. I expect so.’
He looked up at her. He thought she was hiding something.
His gaze unnerved her. ‘Your mother’s family didn’t like her marrying your father. At least, I think that’s what happened. They never had anything to do with them after that. But you should ask your father about these things.’
‘Oh.’ He pressed closer to her, enjoying the feel of her fingers in his hair. ‘But you could be my aunt, couldn’t you?’ he asked dreamily.
Her fingers halted, then went on. ‘If you want me to be – well, yes.’
‘What was my mother like?’
‘Your mother?’ She thought for a moment. ‘She was fun. She used to make us laugh. She –’
‘Do I look like her?’ he interrupted.
‘Bits of you, yes.’
‘Which bits?’
‘Oh, I don’t know. Your eyes, perhaps. Your mouth. You’re skinny like her, too.’ But she was getting impatient with his questions. ‘Now go on. Go and give Robert my message.’
He tore off his shirt and ran into the water, plunging through the breakers and out to the sea, kicking strongly, heading towards the boat. A gust of wind sent the boat swinging round on its anchor to face him as he approached. Two eyes, one painted on either side ofthe raised bow to guard it from evil spirits, seemed to stare at him as he drew near. He looked back defiantly but then thought better of it and swam away in a circle towards the stern, to haul himself up where the eyes couldn’t watch him.
Robert was baling with an old jam tin, filling it with water and sending it overboard in an arc. ‘Hello,’ he said.
‘Your mother says you have to go home and chop wood.’
Robert pulled a face. ‘I know,’ he said. ‘I heard her. I’ll go soon. She doesn’t need it till later anyway.’ He reached for a second tin stowed under the bows and handed it to Joshua.
Joshua looked back at the beach but Robert’s mother had gone. He took the tin. Together they dipped their tins in and out of the water in the bottom of the boat. The sun glinted off the bits that hadn’t rusted, and shone through the streams of water that tumbled back into the sea. They fell into a rhythm and Joshua hummed as they dipped and threw.
Once they were satisfied that the boat was dry, Joshua balanced on the bows
‘To Pig!’ the butcher said, toasting the carving.
‘To Pig!’ Joshua echoed, raising his glass and taking a sip. He screwed up his face as the sharp alcohol bit the inside of his mouth and tongue. He handed the glass back quickly to his father, who laughed.
Father and son looked up at Pig in his place of pride, then went to bed, well pleased with their work.
‘I’m going swimming, Dad.’ Joshua put his head round the shop door the following afternoon.
‘Fine. But I want you back before sunset.’ His father didn’t look up from the newspaper he was reading with deep concentration.
With a glance at Pig, silhouetted proudly against the sky, Joshua ran off to the sea.
When he got to the beach, Robert’s mother was there looking out at Leon’s old boat bobbing in the choppy water. Joshua spotted Robert’s dark head and shoulders , weaving and ducking as he baled water from the leaky boat.
‘He’s ignoring me,’ Robert’s mother complained to Joshua. ‘Will you go and tell him I need him home to chop wood?’
He nodded, staring at the patch under her armpits where sweat darkened the faded blue flowers of her cotton dress.
‘What are you looking at?’ she chided him. Her voice was rough but she held out an arm to him and he went and nestled against her, breathing in sweat and soap and the coconut oil she rubbed in her long plaited hair.
‘Are you my aunt?’ he asked suddenly.
‘No.’ She looked at him. ‘Why? Did you think I was?’
He shook his head slowly. ‘Not really.’ He drew a circle in the sand with his big toe. ‘Have I got any? Aunts and uncles, I mean.’
This time she took more time to reply. ‘I’m not sure. I expect so.’
He looked up at her. He thought she was hiding something.
His gaze unnerved her. ‘Your mother’s family didn’t like her marrying your father. At least, I think that’s what happened. They never had anything to do with them after that. But you should ask your father about these things.’
‘Oh.’ He pressed closer to her, enjoying the feel of her fingers in his hair. ‘But you could be my aunt, couldn’t you?’ he asked dreamily.
Her fingers halted, then went on. ‘If you want me to be – well, yes.’
‘What was my mother like?’
‘Your mother?’ She thought for a moment. ‘She was fun. She used to make us laugh. She –’
‘Do I look like her?’ he interrupted.
‘Bits of you, yes.’
‘Which bits?’
‘Oh, I don’t know. Your eyes, perhaps. Your mouth. You’re skinny like her, too.’ But she was getting impatient with his questions. ‘Now go on. Go and give Robert my message.’
He tore off his shirt and ran into the water, plunging through the breakers and out to the sea, kicking strongly, heading towards the boat. A gust of wind sent the boat swinging round on its anchor to face him as he approached. Two eyes, one painted on either side ofthe raised bow to guard it from evil spirits, seemed to stare at him as he drew near. He looked back defiantly but then thought better of it and swam away in a circle towards the stern, to haul himself up where the eyes couldn’t watch him.
Robert was baling with an old jam tin, filling it with water and sending it overboard in an arc. ‘Hello,’ he said.
‘Your mother says you have to go home and chop wood.’
Robert pulled a face. ‘I know,’ he said. ‘I heard her. I’ll go soon. She doesn’t need it till later anyway.’ He reached for a second tin stowed under the bows and handed it to Joshua.
Joshua looked back at the beach but Robert’s mother had gone. He took the tin. Together they dipped their tins in and out of the water in the bottom of the boat. The sun glinted off the bits that hadn’t rusted, and shone through the streams of water that tumbled back into the sea. They fell into a rhythm and Joshua hummed as they dipped and threw.
Once they were satisfied that the boat was dry, Joshua balanced on the bows
Similar Books
