When we return to the house, Theo goes to do some work and Archie disappears to play, but I notice Callum and Mabel muttering between themselves, shielding their mouths with their hands. What are they up to?
They approach the cottage and call over Giuseppe. Suspicious, I climb the short wooden ladder into the space above the garage that we call the grain store. I close the door behind me and peer through the ventilation slats. I have a perfect view of Callum, Mabel and Giuseppe standing in the doorway to the cottage.
“We overheard your conversation with Arjan,” begins Callum, his feet set apart. “We heard you trying to get him to redo that plaster. So we know he refused to work in the bedroom of two gay men.”
Giuseppe twists his wedding ring round his finger. “Yes, he does say that.”
“But you let him get away with it,” Mabel interjects. “You didn’t challenge him.”
Giuseppe throws up his arms. “What do you want I say? He is the best plasterer in the area.”
“But he wouldn’t plaster that room,” Callum points out. “And now it’s falling off and he won’t fix it.”
“Yes, this is true,” Giuseppe concedes. “I have to ask my other men to do it. But Arjan continues working in all the other rooms of the house.”
“Well, I don’t feel comfortable seeing him,” Callum states, firmly.
“We’re not comfortable with him in our home,” adds Mabel.
I feel butterflies in my stomach.
Giuseppe shifts his weight from one foot to the other. “Children, thank you for your help. But now I speak to Adam.”
Mabel steps forward. “No, we don’t want you to do that. Adam’s had a lot going on and is sad today.”
Giuseppe runs his hand over his jet-black buzz cut. “OK, I speak to your father.”
“We don’t want you to do that, either,” Mabel says. “Dad’s already had to handle one lot of homophobia. We don’t want him dealing with any more.”
“It took him a long time to come out,” Callum explains. “He deserves to be happy.”
Pride rushes into me, sweeping away my ache for Mum.
Giuseppe, however, frowns. “What do you want I do?”
Callum and Mabel look at each other, as if to bolster their conviction.
“We want you to get rid of Arjan,” declares Callum.
“We want you to fire him,” confirms Mabel.
“But Arjan is from a different country,” Giuseppe argues. “He does not know about these things.”
Callum shakes his head, firmly. “It doesn’t make any difference. You’ve got other builders from Tunisia and Egypt and they’re not like that. So there’s no excuse. Homophobia is unacceptable, wherever you’re from.”
Atta boy!
“And he’s been working here for weeks now,” Mabel observes. “He’s had plenty of time to change his views.”
Attagirl!
Giuseppe rocks backwards on the balls of his feet. “Yes, I agree. But the job is nearly finished. We have only one week left.”
“Can’t you find someone to replace him?” Callum asks. “He isn’t doing the work you’re paying him for anyway.”
Giuseppe runs his hand over his beard. He’s starting to look exasperated. “I am sorry but I cannot take orders from children.”
“We may be children but we can still write online reviews,” says Callum, drawing himself up to his full height. “I’m sure all those customers you’re hoping to attract would be interested to hear you employ staff who are homophobic.”
