“You have a great job,” Mum says, attempting to save the conversation. “And you help so many people.”
“Not as many as if I’d been a doctor,” she says, biting her lip.
There. She said it. She closes off the conversation and closes off herself. Casey never does that: it must mean that she’s hiding something, and that our nosey, prying family can’t know anything about it.
Nice move – even though it doesn’t work in my favour.
“And you guys,” Casey says, taking control of the conversation, “you did it. You made it onto the team.”
“Obviously,” Ryan responds.
Same old smartarse.
“Well, I had some serious doubts about you,” Casey shoots back.
“How come?”
“I never expected you to get onto the team at this age.”
“Are you saying I’m old?” Ryan says, getting heated.
“I never doubted Ian, though. He’d been ready for years.”
“Thanks, Casey.”
“Don’t be a suck-up,” Ryan complains. “There’s only two years’ difference between us!”
“Yeah, but he started first and didn’t waste any time playing for the baby teams.”
Oh shit.
“And what would you know about where I played? Maybe that’s thanks to someone…”
That piece of…
“Ryan…” Dad intervenes.
“And I’m not old, by the way.”
“Well, actually…” A melodious voice pipes up amongst the crowd. Little Evan is starting to grow on me. I need to spend more time with this kid. He needs my guidance.
“Don’t you start. You don’t even know if you’ll make it onto the team.”
Ouch.He shouldn’t have said that.
“At least I still have a good few years ahead of me to show I’m worthy.”
“If youareworthy…”
Chris scoffs; Ian gets to his feet, probably off to grab a beer or escape out of the back door; Riley pretends to check on the baby who, in the meantime, has decided to make the wisest decision: sleeping. I knew she’d be the most intelligent one in the family.
Evan and Ryan start to squabble, Dad keeps eating, my mum shakes her head and Casey laughs.
Why is she laughing at this?
I can tell that she doesn’t know that things are about to get ugly, and will probably end in another fistfight in my parents’ garden, with my dad trying to break it up and Ryan being grounded. Chris will probably leave him there, locked outside, while I go back to my apartment with a pounding migraine and an unbearable stomach ache.
“And if we’re all being honest, Nick’s the one who’s old.”
