‘Very droll.’
‘Was it just the curtains or...?’
‘No, he didn’t like where I put his water bowl so he moved that onto my rug, so that was soggy but thankfully that was only water. Dad said he sleeps wherever his blanket is but failed to point out that it would be Gazza who decided where that would be and not me. I had to remove it from my bedroom three times before I put him in the kitchen area where he proceeded to make the most ungodly noise and scratch my paintwork. At which point I relented and then we had a battle of where in the bedroom his blanket would reside. I initially won with on the floor in the corner but I woke up in the small hours fearing I had developed asthma as I couldn’t breathe properly, to find he was sleeping on my chest and had left his saliva-covered chew toy on my pillow.’
‘Oh well now, that’s a gift. I’d say that’s definitely progress.’
‘And then he destroyed my favourite cushion.’
‘Hmm.’
‘Obviously I won’t tell Dad any of this because he’d feel bad and he’d want to pay for the damage. And he’d also not bring him to stay again.’
‘You’re up for that are you? Another Gazza sleepover?’
‘I’d rather not but as Dad declines, I can’t see any other choice.’
‘You’re doing really well, you know. I’d be a mess if this was one of my parents but you’re really practical and keeping it together, which is way more helpful than I’d be.’
‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’
Outside it was a bright, crisp day as they made their way through Ocean Village. They walked for a bit in silence until Cameron turned to her. ‘Here’s a question. Do you think we’re hand holders?’ he asked, holding his out for her to take.
She glanced at his outstretched palm. She wasn’t big on physical contact. It wasn’t something she’d done with any legitimate boyfriends. ‘Sorry, I don’t think we are. It’s more that I’m not great with anything like that.’
‘That’s okay. I’m a big hugger. I’m sure if we take it slow we’ll find some middle ground.’
Ros wasn’t so sure. ‘Are we any closer to you revealing where we’re going?’ she asked.
‘Nope.’
‘Shame,’ said Ros and they carried on walking in step.
They turned onto St Mary’s Place, which was a fairly ordinary street with a variety of trees on one side of the road as that was the edge of Hoglands Park. Ros was intrigued as to where they were heading. She was pleasantly surprised when they entered Hoglands Park and she saw a crowd of people in cricket whites. They headed in that direction. ‘We both like cricket and whilst it’s only a local match it’s dog-friendly,’ said Cameron, his eyes conveying his trepidation as to whether or not he’d done the right thing. Ros couldn’t help but be touched by his thoughtfulness and planning.
‘It’s a lovely idea. Thank you. It might be dog-friendly but I’m not sure he’s cricket-friendly,’ said Ros, holding on to Gazza’s lead with two hands as he strained to get to a man who was polishing a cricket ball on his trousers.
‘He’ll be good, won’t you, boy?’ asked Cameron and Gazza gave him a worried look.
‘I used to go to the cricket with my dad. It’s my earliest memory, just him and I watching the cricket. Mum would never go with him, so as soon as I was old enough to sit still he took me along.’
‘What happened to your mum?’ asked Cameron.
This wasn’t something Ros usually discussed. It was one of the subjects she sidestepped. Usually she found a way to avoid talking about it if she could but something about Cameron’s expectant face made her feel she should say something, even if it was only part of the story. ‘She left when I was young. I was seven.’
‘And she’s never contacted you?’
Ros clenched her teeth together. This was harder than she’d thought it would be. That familiar feeling of abandonment always much closer at hand than she liked. ‘She used to call each week but I would ask her to come home and she’d say she couldn’t and I’d get upset. And I think she got fed up of repeating herself so she stopped calling. There have been a number of points in my life – landmark birthdays, exam results, graduation – when she has shown up out of duty but I’ve not seen her for five years.’ Cameron’s look of pity was hard to take. ‘But it has taught me an important lesson.’
‘That grown-ups are twats sometimes?’
‘I was thinking more that you can’t rely on anyone in this life but yourself.’
‘Wow,’ said Cameron, his eyes wide.
‘Sorry, what do you mean by wow?’
