AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’m struck, not for the first time, by this tall good-looking man-boy of mine, pushing his hair out of his eyes, his puzzled frown giving an air of thoughtfulness that seems somehow new to me.
‘It was meant to be a surprise, you know? I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.’
‘Yeah, well, Ben had to go to work.’ He moves closer to the collage. ‘Wow, I remember that severed finger. As in I tried to frighten you with it.’
‘You succeeded, running in screaming with a ketchup covered tissue. I could have a heart attack just thinking about it.’
‘My Top Gear chart? You actually hated Top Gear.’
‘It was all part of you.’ I pull a nervous smile.
‘So, how long have you been making this?’
‘I started when you were a baby, as a piece about your conception. Then it became more a record of your childhood – stealing bits and pieces as you cleared them out.’
He scans the length of it again. ‘Liking how you literally start with the syringe. Is that the actual one?’
‘The one and only.’
‘The way it like expands out of that…I remember those drawings: I was obsessed with gore and guts, isn’t it?’ He points to sharks dripping the blood of hapless pirates.
‘That and the spaceships.’ I indicate the rocket drawings I have heading for the star charts, trailing orange and red crayon.
‘Hmm, it’s clever how you’ve done that.’ He looks thoughtful again. ‘I had a properly good childhood, isn’t it?’
I nod, look down at the blur of collage. Was I really such a bad mum? The music beats in loud. Listen to the sound, of my big black boots.
‘Heavy stuff, Mum.’ He laughs.
‘So, how did your day go?’ I ask, wanting to keep him here.
‘Oh, yeah, guess what?’ He seals his lips in a daft grin.
‘Something about Ben?’
‘Yeah, kind of.’
‘He’s seduced you into finding your gay side?’ I joke.
‘Ha! Not bad Mum.’ His dimple twitches and I want to hug him. ‘If anyone could tempt me, it would be Ben, for sure. But it’s pretty much not like that with us.’
‘I give up, then.’
‘I’ve got a job. As in working at Ben’s club.’ His smile fills his face, little boy proud.
And now I do hug him. ‘Oh, Gethin, I’m so pleased. Just, well, for your sake, you know?’ I pull back still holding onto his arms, tears pricking.
‘Yeah, well, it’s just a scabby nightclub. But the guy’s sound enough. I’ll probably look for a day job too. I pretty much want to save up as much as I can, know what I mean?’
‘It’s a start. Well done you.’ I squeeze his arms. ‘Hey, sit down a minute.’ I throw my clothes from the spare chair to the bed and hurry across the landing into the kitchen.
He’s studying the collage when I come back with the Cava. I pop the bottle before he can say anything and pour us both a glass.
‘Having you back more or less in one piece is special occasion enough. The job’s a bonus, eh?’ I clink my glass against his. ‘Here’s to my grown-up son!’
He nods his smile at me.
‘There, something else for the collage.’ I brandish the cork. ‘I’ve been trying to finish it. It was meant for your eighteenth, you see?’
