‘You areso predictable.’ She shrieked as he pulled her on to his lap and began kissing her neck.
Fin
There had been no word from Eleanor since she’d dropped him back at his flat after the wedding. He supposed this wasn’t unusual – it wasn’t as though they talked much normally – but somehow her silence felt pointed and deliberate. He thought about messaging her a number of times, but what was there really to say? How are you? Want to go for a coffee? No. Rob was right. If she wanted to talk, she would talk. It just sucked that his only real social life in London had been through Eleanor, and now he was back to Netflix and care home visits. And he found neither particularly enjoyable.
‘Hey, Mum.’ He closed the door behind him as quietly as he could, dropping his voice the moment he saw her sleeping. He tiptoed as lightly as possible across the room and into the seat next to her bed. As he was about to pull his trusty crossword book from his bag, he noticed a large cardboard box towards the end of her bed. Scribbled across it in big black marker pen was his name. He cast a quick glance at his mother, who was still out for the count, and carefullyslid the chair towards it. He tried to lift it up but it was heavier than he expected, so instead he left it on the floor and came to sit beside it on the carpet.
Intrigue was bubbling to the surface, but right alongside it was a pang of caution.
Should you really be opening this without her knowing?
It’s got my name on it!
The voices argued back and forth until eventually the strength of his curiosity won out. He checked to see if the box was sealed, but thankfully it wasn’t. Carefully, without making a sound, he opened the large cardboard flaps and peered inside.
His heart sank a little in disappointment.
‘Photographs and paperwork,’ he grumbled, pulling a stack of old pictures and ring binders out and on to the floor. ‘Basically admin.’
‘Fin?’ his mum called out groggily. He shoved the paperwork back in the box and closed the lid quickly.
‘Hey!’ he replied, a little too brightly.
‘What are you doing down there?’ she asked suspiciously.
‘I dropped my pen and was trying to find it without waking you.’
‘Oh. Have you got it?’
‘Yeah, all good.’ He waved his pen enthusiastically in the air. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘So, so.’ She inched her way up a little, the effort of such a minuscule movement plain as day on her face. ‘Did you find anything good?’
He came to sit next to her bed and frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘In the box you were rifling through over there.’ She chuckled hoarsely.
‘Ah.’ He smirked guiltily. ‘You caught me.’
‘You never were a very good liar,’ she mused. ‘It’s probably just a bunch of old junk to you, but it’s all the memories I kept from the house before I came here. I thought you could see if there was anything you wanted to keep when … you know.’ She looked down sadly at her ghostly hands. ‘When I die.’
Fin recoiled at the bluntness and the almost casual way she spoke the words. Even though it was obviously fast approaching, it was still a topic they hadn’t touched upon since his arrival. Maybe avoiding the hard conversations ran in the family.
‘Thanks. I’ll take a look later.’
‘It’s not going to be long,’ his mum continued. ‘The doctor came to see me yesterday and things seem to be progressing fairly quickly now.’
‘I’m sorry. Is there …’ He went to reach for her hand but halfway through decided against it. ‘Is there anything I can do? To help?’
‘Yes, actually there is.’
‘Sure, what is it?’
‘I want you to call your father.’ She closed her eyes as though to steady herself.
‘What?’ he objected fiercely. ‘No!’
‘Fin.’ She sighed, opening her eyes. ‘This has gone on far too long. You said you’d help me.’
