‘Come on, buddy,’ nudged Jack.
Reluctantly Calum gave in and they were soon sat at the table eating.
‘This isn’t too bad, Mum,’ remarked Calum tucking into the curry.
‘Thank you, Calum,’ replied Tara dryly.
‘It’s lovely,’ said Jack smiling at her.
‘What’s for afters?’ asked Calum.
‘Cheesecake, your favourite,’ replied Tara.
Calum turned to Jack with a cheeky wink. ‘Shop bought, not homemade.’
‘Oh, give your mum a break,’ he laughed. Then added, ‘She’s an amazing doctor you know. Excellent with a needle and thread.’ He lifted his hand to show Calum the scar he was left with from the wound that Tara had stitched.
‘Wow,’ said Calum staring at it. ‘Does it hurt?’
‘Not now, thanks to your mum,’ replied Jack.
‘That’s how you guys met, isn’t it, the hospital?’
‘It is. I sliced my hand on a window I was installing and was rushed to A&E.’
Calum’s eyes slid from Jack to Tara, as if for confirmation.
‘Yes, and I—’
‘Came to the rescue, again,’ cut in Jack.
Tara looked at him and smiled self-effacingly. There it was again, he thought, her modesty. He got the impression Tara never gave herself the full recognition she deserved.
‘So, you see, your mum might not be the world’s best cook, but she’s a superhero to many.’ He looked steadily at Calum, keen to drum home the message.
Calum shrugged. ‘Yeah, I guess so.’
After eating, they watched an action film which Calum picked. Tara was reminded of happier times when they’d been a family with Richard. Most weekends had been spent this way. That thought inevitably led to darker ones, mainly the letter she’d received from him.
‘You OK?’ whispered Jack, sensing her unease.
‘Fine,’ she replied with a tight smile.
Once the film was over, Calum announced he was off to his room, leaving Tara and Jack alone. Jack seized his moment.
‘Tara, what’s troubling you? And don’t say nothing,’ he quickly added, seeing the beginnings of her denial. He could tell by her expression she was about to deny anything was wrong.
Tara let out a heavy sigh.
‘Perhaps it’s easier just to show you,’ she replied somewhat wearily.
‘Show me what?’ frowned Jack.
Tara got up and retrieved Richard’s letter from her bag.
‘This,’ she said, handing it to him.
Jack scanned over the printed words, his jaw tightening all the time. A slow anger built up inside, threatening to spill out.
