Jay’s face dropped. ‘He’s only five. How does he even know that word?’
‘I know. It’s a word I never use in front of him but he said that Elliot has been calling him fat.’
‘The little shit. I don’t like that kid one bit.’
‘Do you think he has got a little chubby?’ I went on. ‘When I was looking at him earlier, I think maybe he has got a bit pudgy but I hadn’t noticed.’
‘I wouldn’t worry about it; I was the same at his age.’
‘Do you think we need to do something about it? Cut out treats, maybe? I don’t want him getting teased about his weight; I had enough of that in school – I don’t want that for Finn.’
‘Come on, Liv, he’s five years old. We don’t want to make an issue out of it. We could make everything worse if we start blowing it up into something bigger. It’s just a bit of baby fat; he’ll grow out of it.’
‘Maybe we should start him playing sports so he’s getting some exercise,’ I suggested.
‘I guess… but rather than putting the blame back on Finn, shouldn’t we be having a word with Elliot’s parents about this?’ Jay challenged.
I exhaled heavily. ‘It’s awkward… There’s a lot going on at home.’
‘So, we have to let him get away with being mean to our son?’ he challenged.
‘I was going to bring it up with Maya today when we went for coffee but then she told me that Elliot stumbled across porn on Hugo’s phone.’
Jay raised his brows. ‘Are you serious? How?’
I nodded and filled him in on the story that Maya had told me earlier.
‘No wonder the kid is confused,’ I went on. ‘That’s why I couldn’t bring it up with her. She already has enough on her plate.’
‘I get that but it’s not really our problem. He can’t be calling Finn names.’
‘I know Maya would be horrified if she knew.’
‘Well, maybe she needs to know. This isn’t the first time that Elliot has been mean to him and you said you would talk to her if anything else happened between the boys.’
‘I know.’ I sighed. ‘But Maya thinks he’s acting out because of the issues between her and Hugo. She doesn’t need this on top of everything else. She’s already really upset, trust me.’
‘Well, we can’t stand by and allow our son to be bullied just because Maya would get upset.’
I sagged back into the couch in frustration. I hated confrontation; it always made me so anxious that I usually let whatever was bothering me go rather than deal with it head-on. ‘I know… but let’s just wait and see. Hopefully, it all blows over soon and Elliot forgets about it but if he does anything else, I promise I’ll talk to her.’
36
LIV
As I buttered bread for Finn’s lunch the next morning, I saw a message from Maya asking me if I’d like to go for a walk after we had dropped the boys to school.
‘Good plan!’ I had replied, looking at the brilliant blue sky beyond the kitchen window. It was a beautiful autumn day and besides, I could do with the exercise.
Maya and I met at the school and decided to walk the short distance to Hewson Park. It was a grand old stately home which had been taken over by the Office of Public Works who had opened the grounds up to the public. The old conservatory was now a tea room and it was a busy spot with families at the weekends and walkers exploring the vast acreage.
‘How’s everything in your house?’ I asked.
‘I know Hugo is sorry about what happened but I’m still so angry.’
‘Of course you are. How’s Elliot?’
‘He’s still being difficult. I’m trying to be patient but it’s hard especially when I’m on my own all day with him.’
