sure she was listening again, I started speaking.
‘Mum, like I said, I’m safe. I’m with some friends and I’m going to be here the night, OK.’
Some sniffling over the phone again.
‘I need this time away,’ I said. ‘It’s been rough for everyone. There’s stuff we’re all going to have to talk about. But right now isn’t a good time for that. So I’m going to come back tomorrow and we’re going to sit down and talk about things, OK?’
‘OK,’ Mum managed to push out.
‘Just tell Dad I’m safe, inside, and that Newcastle just got a second goal.’
Mum laughed. Dad probably already knew, since he was such a fan. Shit though – he’d called during the game. He never let anything interrupt a Newcastle game. No emails, no phone calls… once, he’d made a director of a technology company watch the game with him while they worked on product guidelines. When I was younger we watched football all the time. Once, we went to Highbury to see Newcastle play Arsenal – that was William, Dad and me. Later on, when William was in the hospital, we’d sit and talk about the team, and that was about the only time we talked. It was one of the things Dad and I used to get away from everything that hurt. We’d just turn to football and hope for the best for William. It never lasted long, spending time with Dad, but it did happen.
There was good stuff. But it takes some digging and thinking about, and things happening, to bring it all out. But there was good stuff going on in our lives. Like the Newcastle games, and this dinner we had in Spain where the waiters went around with a pitcher of wine and poured it right into your mouth until you couldn’t drink any more.Dad drank the whole thing and they had to bring a second one out, which he got halfway through before he had to come up for air.
‘I’ll let him know,’ Mum said, interrupting my thoughts. ‘He shut the game off when he called you.’
‘Mum?’
‘Yes?’
‘We’ll work this out, OK?’
‘I love you, Andrew,’ she said, and that was the end of the call.
I’ve never been one to say ‘I love you’ or things like that. I think the only person I ever
said
it to was Sara, and even that caught her off guard. I always want to hear it, and I certainly feel it. However I just don’t usually say it though. I’d rather
do
stuff to show that I care about people. Some people just say it easily, and meanwhile they’re running around on their boyfriends and girlfriends, talking about them behind their backs, or trying tomess up their lives. That’s not love or caring about someone. That’s playing a game.
The phone rang again.
‘Mum, I said I’d be home tomorrow…’
‘Do I sound like your mother?’ Sara said with a laugh.
This is what I get for not looking at the screen before answering; Sara’s number was flashing on the display.
‘Hey baby doll!’
‘Greetings from the past!’ she yelled at me. ‘Whatcha doing?’
‘Just off the phone with the olds. I decked my Dad earlier today.’
‘Oh my God, you OK? What happened?’
‘Just a fight. I think it passed,’ I said. ‘We’re going to talk it out tomorrow when I get home.’
‘You’re actually going to talk to your parents about real things?’
‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘Just figure it’s time to try to work this all out. I’ve been a pain in the arse to them.’
‘Maybe you have, love.’
‘Gee, thanks…’
‘What I mean is that Will’s death bothered you, too, and you never really got to talk to them about it. Or talked about his life. So it’s good if you do.’
‘Yeah. There’s stuff I can do better.’
‘We can all do stuff better,’ Sara said. ‘Anyway, what are you up to tonight?’
‘I’m at Trevor’s house. We’re watching the Newcastle game.’
‘Ooh, is that girl Emma there? You should so have sex with her and take pics.’
I smiled. It was great to have a personal cheerleader in my life.
‘I
could
do that… but I don’t think
‘Mum, like I said, I’m safe. I’m with some friends and I’m going to be here the night, OK.’
Some sniffling over the phone again.
‘I need this time away,’ I said. ‘It’s been rough for everyone. There’s stuff we’re all going to have to talk about. But right now isn’t a good time for that. So I’m going to come back tomorrow and we’re going to sit down and talk about things, OK?’
‘OK,’ Mum managed to push out.
‘Just tell Dad I’m safe, inside, and that Newcastle just got a second goal.’
Mum laughed. Dad probably already knew, since he was such a fan. Shit though – he’d called during the game. He never let anything interrupt a Newcastle game. No emails, no phone calls… once, he’d made a director of a technology company watch the game with him while they worked on product guidelines. When I was younger we watched football all the time. Once, we went to Highbury to see Newcastle play Arsenal – that was William, Dad and me. Later on, when William was in the hospital, we’d sit and talk about the team, and that was about the only time we talked. It was one of the things Dad and I used to get away from everything that hurt. We’d just turn to football and hope for the best for William. It never lasted long, spending time with Dad, but it did happen.
There was good stuff. But it takes some digging and thinking about, and things happening, to bring it all out. But there was good stuff going on in our lives. Like the Newcastle games, and this dinner we had in Spain where the waiters went around with a pitcher of wine and poured it right into your mouth until you couldn’t drink any more.Dad drank the whole thing and they had to bring a second one out, which he got halfway through before he had to come up for air.
‘I’ll let him know,’ Mum said, interrupting my thoughts. ‘He shut the game off when he called you.’
‘Mum?’
‘Yes?’
‘We’ll work this out, OK?’
‘I love you, Andrew,’ she said, and that was the end of the call.
I’ve never been one to say ‘I love you’ or things like that. I think the only person I ever
said
it to was Sara, and even that caught her off guard. I always want to hear it, and I certainly feel it. However I just don’t usually say it though. I’d rather
do
stuff to show that I care about people. Some people just say it easily, and meanwhile they’re running around on their boyfriends and girlfriends, talking about them behind their backs, or trying tomess up their lives. That’s not love or caring about someone. That’s playing a game.
The phone rang again.
‘Mum, I said I’d be home tomorrow…’
‘Do I sound like your mother?’ Sara said with a laugh.
This is what I get for not looking at the screen before answering; Sara’s number was flashing on the display.
‘Hey baby doll!’
‘Greetings from the past!’ she yelled at me. ‘Whatcha doing?’
‘Just off the phone with the olds. I decked my Dad earlier today.’
‘Oh my God, you OK? What happened?’
‘Just a fight. I think it passed,’ I said. ‘We’re going to talk it out tomorrow when I get home.’
‘You’re actually going to talk to your parents about real things?’
‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘Just figure it’s time to try to work this all out. I’ve been a pain in the arse to them.’
‘Maybe you have, love.’
‘Gee, thanks…’
‘What I mean is that Will’s death bothered you, too, and you never really got to talk to them about it. Or talked about his life. So it’s good if you do.’
‘Yeah. There’s stuff I can do better.’
‘We can all do stuff better,’ Sara said. ‘Anyway, what are you up to tonight?’
‘I’m at Trevor’s house. We’re watching the Newcastle game.’
‘Ooh, is that girl Emma there? You should so have sex with her and take pics.’
I smiled. It was great to have a personal cheerleader in my life.
‘I
could
do that… but I don’t think
Similar Books
