cream. “We’ve decided to give things another go. I love your mum, Nell, and we’re both determined to make it work.”
I wanted to whack them around the head with the boiling gravy pan.
“What makes you think it’ll work this time?”
“Nell,” Mum said, her tone warning.
“No, love, Nell has a right to ask questions. There’s never been anyone else for me other than your mum, you know that.”
I understood that perfectly. I could also respect it. But that didn’t mean they should be together. If there was ever two people that should stay away from each other – preferably by one of them moving to Australia – it was my parents.
“Right,” I replied. “Well, let’s hope it doesn’t end the same as it has before.” Dozens of times before.
“It won’t,” Mum said. She always sounded so sure and I had no idea how she could be after going round in circles for such a long time. “Now, would you like a glass of wine with dinner? It won’t be long. You can have one, right?”
“Sure. That’d be great.”
Keeping the disappointment from my voice was so difficult.
“Could you get it please, I need to stir,” Mum said to Dad and then went back to her fucking gravy. I sat down and watched the picture perfect scene in front of me with tears in my eyes.
After dinner Dad went into the living room so he could catch the second half of the game and I stayed back to help Mum clean up.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said, wiping the table vigorously.
“Yep, so there’s no reason why we need to talk about it.”
“There is if you’re going to give me the cold shoulder.”
“I’m not. Under the circumstances I think I’ve been very civil.”
She dropped the cloth on the table and straightened her back. “Things are different this time, Nell. We’re both trying hard to get along and talk about our problems before they turn into screaming matches.”
I’d only heard that about a million times before. I wondered if she still believed it. She couldn’t, surely?
“Really? What’s so different this time, Mum?”
“We’ve been apart for the longest period of time, both done some growing and we want to make it work. We’re trying so hard and Dad’s even suggested we see someone.”
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. That was a new development. Dad wasn’t someone that spoke about his problems to anyone. Still, I wasn’t at all convinced that they’d make it work. Until I saw it, I was one hundred per cent sceptical. They clashed in the worst way and unless one of them had had a personality transplant I didn’t even think a therapist would be able to help them sort it out. Some people just shouldn’t be together.
Rubbing my head, I groaned. Why were they doing this all over again? I just felt so done with it all. I was fed up of the same cycle over and over again. In a few months time they would break up, announce they hated each other and the other was the worst person in the world and I’d be back listening to them bitch about how they should have never put the effort in to get nothing back.
Same shit every single time.
“Fine, Mum. You know how I feel, I’ll never want you two to be together but there’s never been anything I could do about it.”
“Oh, don’t be like that. Most kids want their parents to be together.”
“Well, thankfully , most kids didn’t grow up with you and Dad.”
“Hey,” she snapped. “I know you’re not happy about it but there’s no need to go around saying hurtful things like that. You don’t understand our marriage.”
No, she didn’t understand marriage.
I held my hands up. “I don’t want to argue with you.”
“Neither do I, love. Can’t you just try to be happy for us?”
Nope, no way.
“I’ll pray for the best, that’s all I can give you.”
“Nelly, have a little faith. This time we’ll make it. Older and wiser and all that.” She turned back and continued wiping the table.
They got older but when it
I wanted to whack them around the head with the boiling gravy pan.
“What makes you think it’ll work this time?”
“Nell,” Mum said, her tone warning.
“No, love, Nell has a right to ask questions. There’s never been anyone else for me other than your mum, you know that.”
I understood that perfectly. I could also respect it. But that didn’t mean they should be together. If there was ever two people that should stay away from each other – preferably by one of them moving to Australia – it was my parents.
“Right,” I replied. “Well, let’s hope it doesn’t end the same as it has before.” Dozens of times before.
“It won’t,” Mum said. She always sounded so sure and I had no idea how she could be after going round in circles for such a long time. “Now, would you like a glass of wine with dinner? It won’t be long. You can have one, right?”
“Sure. That’d be great.”
Keeping the disappointment from my voice was so difficult.
“Could you get it please, I need to stir,” Mum said to Dad and then went back to her fucking gravy. I sat down and watched the picture perfect scene in front of me with tears in my eyes.
After dinner Dad went into the living room so he could catch the second half of the game and I stayed back to help Mum clean up.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said, wiping the table vigorously.
“Yep, so there’s no reason why we need to talk about it.”
“There is if you’re going to give me the cold shoulder.”
“I’m not. Under the circumstances I think I’ve been very civil.”
She dropped the cloth on the table and straightened her back. “Things are different this time, Nell. We’re both trying hard to get along and talk about our problems before they turn into screaming matches.”
I’d only heard that about a million times before. I wondered if she still believed it. She couldn’t, surely?
“Really? What’s so different this time, Mum?”
“We’ve been apart for the longest period of time, both done some growing and we want to make it work. We’re trying so hard and Dad’s even suggested we see someone.”
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. That was a new development. Dad wasn’t someone that spoke about his problems to anyone. Still, I wasn’t at all convinced that they’d make it work. Until I saw it, I was one hundred per cent sceptical. They clashed in the worst way and unless one of them had had a personality transplant I didn’t even think a therapist would be able to help them sort it out. Some people just shouldn’t be together.
Rubbing my head, I groaned. Why were they doing this all over again? I just felt so done with it all. I was fed up of the same cycle over and over again. In a few months time they would break up, announce they hated each other and the other was the worst person in the world and I’d be back listening to them bitch about how they should have never put the effort in to get nothing back.
Same shit every single time.
“Fine, Mum. You know how I feel, I’ll never want you two to be together but there’s never been anything I could do about it.”
“Oh, don’t be like that. Most kids want their parents to be together.”
“Well, thankfully , most kids didn’t grow up with you and Dad.”
“Hey,” she snapped. “I know you’re not happy about it but there’s no need to go around saying hurtful things like that. You don’t understand our marriage.”
No, she didn’t understand marriage.
I held my hands up. “I don’t want to argue with you.”
“Neither do I, love. Can’t you just try to be happy for us?”
Nope, no way.
“I’ll pray for the best, that’s all I can give you.”
“Nelly, have a little faith. This time we’ll make it. Older and wiser and all that.” She turned back and continued wiping the table.
They got older but when it
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