Fin had been pacing up and down his living room for the past half-hour. He knew this wasn’t going to be a nice conversation, and although there were a million other ways he’d rather be spending his New Year’s Eve, he knew he couldn’t avoid it any longer. When would he learn? Situations left unattended could swiftly turn septic and deadly. In fact, wasn’t that what had got him into this mess in the first place? You could ignore something all you want, but eventually it would turn around and bite you in the arse.
Fin heard the key turn in the lock.
‘Cam?’ he called out nervously.
‘Hey, babe,’ Camilla replied, her sing-song LA accent brimming with enthusiasm.
He sat on the edge of the sofa, unsure whether to stand or stay seated.
‘Sorry I’m late, the traffic was insane today!’ she continued brightly. The sound of her footsteps stopped abruptly. Fin felt his heart drop a little lower in his chest.
‘Why is your suitcase in the hallway?’ she asked, herheeled boots beginning to stamp their way towards him. ‘Hey, Fin, can you hear me?’
The moment she saw his face, her voice changed completely. Fin felt the entire atmosphere freeze as her arms folded across her chest. ‘What’s going on? Why is your suitcase packed?’
‘I …’ He took a deep breath and willed himself to just say it. ‘I’m heading back to London tomorrow.’
Camilla’s face contracted into a confused scowl. ‘London? Don’t tell me this is another one of Rob’s last-minute urgent job requests.’ The disdain in her voice was blatant.
‘No, it’s not for work.’
‘OK, so what is it for?’ she demanded. Fin could sense her very limited patience was already wearing thin.
‘My mum’s not well so I’m going to go and visit her.’
‘Your mom?’ Camilla’s confusion was increasing rapidly. ‘I thought you didn’t talk to your mom?’
‘I don’t.’
‘Well, why are you going back then?’ she huffed.
‘Because it sounds bad. Like … end-of-the-road kind of bad.’
Camilla’s edges softened slightly. ‘OK, that’s obviously not ideal.’ She flicked her long, golden hair over her shoulder in irritation. ‘How long will you be gone for?’
‘That’s the thing.’ Fin stood and shook his head. ‘I don’t know.’
‘What do youmeanyou don’t know?’ She flared. ‘Surely you’ve booked a flight home?’
‘No,’ he mumbled, his eyes fixed to the floor. ‘Not yet.’
‘Why not?’ Her voice rose in a wave of outrage.
‘Because funnily enough there isn’t a neat schedule of when someone is going to die, Cam,’ he snapped.
‘You don’t need to be like that.’ She pouted. ‘I’m just saying … It’s New Year’s Eve, for Christ’s sake.’ She stamped her foot in frustration.
‘I wish I could have given you more notice, but I only found out a couple of days ago. It’s not my fault that my mum has dementia and is now living in a care home, and on top of that has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.’ He hadn’t meant to lose his temper, but his head was filling up with so many thoughts that he was quickly reaching boiling point. ‘It’s not easy for me either, you know?’
Camilla stepped back, her dark brown eyes wide with shock. ‘Why didn’t you tell me sooner?’
Fin shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I needed to think about some things, I guess.’ He knew it was a pathetic answer, but he had never been good at difficult conversations.
‘Right, sonowit’s OK to tell me, when you’re dropping everything to fly across the world to be by the bedside of a woman you haven’t seen in nearly fifteen years.’ She paused. ‘You’re not expecting me to come with, are you? Work is crazy at the moment.’
‘No. I don’t want to do that to you.’
‘Fine.’ Her face noticeably relaxed. ‘Long distance it is. Surely if her condition is that bad, it won’t be too long before you’ll be back.’
