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She’s okay. Doctors are running some tests. But it’s cancer, Mel.
She starts to type out I know, then thinks better of it.
Keep me posted. I hope you’re all okay. I’m here if you need anything, okay? She wants to add that she’ll be there in the morning, when visiting hours are open—but is she allowed? Would they want her there?
OK. Thanks Mel.
She looks around her. Everything nearby seems closed and empty. Should she eat? Possibly—lunch was abandoned, after all. But she doesn’t feel hungry.
Because her phone is in her hand, she does the only thing she can think of—she calls her parents. They are clearly asleep. It’s not a video call this time, but she can tell from the hoarse sound of her mum’s voice.
“Mel? What’s wrong? Has something happened?”
“No, no, I’m fine.” Shit, she shouldn’t have called them—she should have thought about the time difference. Obviously, they would panic. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have woken you up.”
“That’s okay. Your dad wants to hear. Hang on. I’m putting you on speaker.”
“Did it work?” It’s her dad’s voice.
“Dad? I’m here.” Her voice is choked, and she feels heat burn the back of her throat. God, it’s been a really, really long day.
“Mel, what’s this all about?” her mum asks gently.
“It’s Susan,” Mel says on a sob.
“Susan? Finn’s mum?”
“Lovely woman,” says Gavin.
“She’s ill. She’s got cancer and I don’t know how bad and she’s in hospital and everyone’s there and I don’t know what to do.”
“Okay. All right, love. Calm down. Have you spoken to Finn?” Her mum is clearly trying to follow.
“He doesn’t want to speak to me.” That much, at least, is true.
“Well, this is a stressful time. People process this kind of thing in their own way. All you can do is offer to be there, can’t you?”
“But Susan—she’s really ill, Mum. She’s in hospital and I don’t know what will happen, whether she’ll be okay.”
“Exactly. You don’t know what will happen. And there’s little point worrying about things until they do happen. I know that’s impossible. I know you’ll worry anyway. But, Mel, you can’t do anything. And you don’t know yet how bad it is, do you? So wait, try to distract yourself. And deal with it when you know a bit more.” Her mum’s voice quietens a little, though Mel still hears the next bit. “Maybe we should try to get an earlier flight, Gavin.”
“I’ll google it.”
“No! No, please don’t cut the trip short. You couldn’t do anything even if you were here.”
Her parents say nothing—and Mel suspects they are looking at flights on her dad’s phone, fully intending to ignore her. “I mean it,” she says firmly. “Don’t come home, okay? I’ll be fine.”
“Where’s Priya?” her mum asks. “Is she with you?”
“She, ah…” Mel swallows. “Yeah. Yeah, she’s with me. Not with me with me, but she’s, you know, nearby.” It will make them worry less if they think she’s not alone, won’t it? Maybe it will stop them cutting their trip of a lifetime short, all because she rang them in tears. But she can’t have her mum questioning her too much on this—she needs to change the subject.
“Also, I hate my job.” She blurts it out, the first thing that comes to mind.
“What’s that?” her dad says. “Did she say she hates her job?”
“But, darling, you love jewelry.”
“I do, but I hate my job.” It comes out in a rush. “Well, I hate the business side. I hate the numbers, I hate all the meetings, I hate the stress. I—”
