“Nice day.”
The voice made me freeze and then despite everything that had happened that morning, smile.
“Robert.” I turned and saw my brother, opening my arms for hugs that were too fucking rare.
“Jackanory.” He gave me the name he’d used as a child. “How’s your lady?”
The grapevine within the homeless community was strong.
“Shaken but not broken. You hear about her tyres?”
He nodded, lighting a cigarette. “Someone has it in for her. I’ll keep an eye out. Where you staying tonight?”
“With her.” I was on my way home now, packing enough stuff to last a few nights along with whatever Lauren needed and then we were moving into Simone’s. Lolly loved the house and was itching to spend an evening in the master bathroom there and there was, unlike mine, a shit ton of security. Plus, I wasn’t letting Simone stay on her own after today.
“I’ll keep a check on yours.”
“Better still, why don’t you stay there.” I knew what the answer would be. My brother started to shake if he was in a building for any more than about twenty minutes. Whatever had happened in Afghanistan had happened in a building and he hadn’t been able to get out.
“I might grab a shower. And raid your fridge.”
My shoulders relaxed. That was progress. Huge progress. Before it would’ve been a massive ‘fuck no’.
“Raid all you like. Although the stuff in the Tupperware box in the fridge was made by Lauren and I’d advise against it. She isn’t chef material.”
He laughed, backing away. “I won’t tell her you said that. Catch up tomorrow. Take care of your girls.”
Seeing him automatically made me feel better. I still didn’t know what he’d been doing in the north for so long. I’d had info that it had been because of a guy he’d served with who was struggling; someone else said Robert had been looking for someone who’d hurt a friend of his. Neither would’ve surprised me if they were the truth. Robert served. In some ways it had always felt selfish, because he would never put himself first, which meant we – me and my parents – could never see him happy for himself and we didn’t know why. I wanted to know my brother better but he had always backed away before I could ask him.
Ask him anything.
I watched as he fell back into the shadows, the dark alleyways of London, a world I’d never understand but that seemed to bring him the shelter he needed.
Back home, my house looked like a burglar had been in and ransacked the drawers. Or a teenaged girl had clothes vomited everywhere. I’d texted her to let her know to start packing. This wasn’t what I had in mind with the word packing.
“Lolly!” I shouted up the stairs. “We’re staying a few days. Not moving!”
My daughter appeared at the top of the stairs. “I know. But it’s hard deciding what to leave.”
I shook my head. “You have thirty minutes to decide and make everything tidy. Uncle Rob is dropping in here while we’re away.”
She smiled, reminding me of my brother. “Simone does know we’re staying, doesn’t she?”
“Why would you ask that?”
“Because…” She looked puzzled. “I don’t know. I didn’t think she’d agree because she’d be worried it would disrupt things too much. Not that this is a disruption. The clothes are just, like, a temporary measure.”
And that was Lauren. A broad vocabulary peppered with the favourite filler of reality TV stars.Like.
“She doesn’t know. But she won’t turn us down when we get there….” I squinted, unsure as to whether I needed an eye check. “Is that a suitcase?”
“Hmmm, yeah?”
I had a choice. I could lecture Lauren on going into the loft by herself which wasn’t safe. I could mention that she didn’t need to take all her clothes as this was temporary or I could walk away and pack my own stuff.
Option three seemed sensible.
“You have twenty-nine minutes.”
