Chapter 10
361 Words
Something jostles my elbow: Bear. He’s big enough to look down on my abandoned plate. He aims his snout down at my leftover egg… Up at me… Down at the egg… Groans…
Groans…I put my plate down on the floor and Bear rasps over the coagulated yolk with his tongue. Michael’s mutt dashes in for a share-grab. Bear moves over, claiming one side of the plate. I shift, ready to boot the thief aside, but then realise Mitch’s stare is fixed on me. Hard. Wide-eyed. Emerald turned to stone.
I settle back… Pick up my coffee… Look the other way…
Wasn’t going to do a thing…
… But from the corner of my eye, that granite-stare still glares.
Michael is still rattling out his enthusiasm, Jenny and Beth, goggle-eyed with attention…
Talk… Talk… Talk…
There can"t be enough air in here for so many people…
It’s not as though I’m wearing a tie, but my throat is tight. My face heats and I shift in my seat.
Mitch is fussing with Vicky, my misdeeds apparently forgotten…
How to make a polite escape?
James is watching me.
What’s he thinking?
Then Mitch, still cradling Vicky, looks to me. The hardness has gone. She blinks slowly, her great green-eyed gaze holding mine and, all but imperceptibly, she raises her chin…
… and I can breathe again…
A clatter of dishes… A communal effort to clear the table… fill the dishwasher… wipe away grease and crumbs and baby-food…
Michael taps Ryan on the shoulder. “If you give me ten minutes, you can come with me and pick out which tree you’d like…”
James and Haswell pull on jackets, check briefcases, Haswell jangles car keys. James kisses Jenny. Haswell kisses Beth. “Enjoy your wedding plotting.”
Mitch, giving me a last speechless look, carrying Vicky, leaves the room. Kirstie trails behind, Jenny, and Beth with Adam, following. Moments later, footsteps grow quieter, heading upstairs.
Michael throws back the last of his coffee. “C’mon, Ryan. Catch you later, Larry…” The bang of the kitchen door rattles through the air.
Just like that, silence returns.
And I’m alone.
What now?
*****
- Writer
