Page 12 of Something Borrowed

I collapse down onto my seat and hear Wolfie say, “Hello, Hump. Have you been a very good boy this morning?” His longing to pet the dog is tangible, but he knows very well that if his harness is on, it means Hump is working.

Fingers run through my hair. “This is getting really long, Stan,” my sister says.

“I need to go and see Leo.”

She tugs on a strand. “How is it that you got this beautiful head of curls and I didn’t?”

“Well, someone had to rock the flat as a pancake hair, and you were it.” She nudges me, and I laugh and rub my stubble. “This is getting a bit beardy, too.” I open my arms. “Where’s my hug, Lottie?”

She squeezes me and steps back. “You look nice.”

I sit back on my stool. “Oh god, what does that mean?”

My sister gives a huff. “It means you look nice. God, you’re suspicious.”

I wave a casual hand. “It’s fine. I just remembered I got Rafferty to oversee this outfit, so I know I’m okay.”

“As opposed to some of the outfits you’ve overseen for yourself?”

I start to laugh. “Who can forget the day of the orange cords and an acid yellow jumper?”

“You looked like you were auditioning for CBeebies,” my sister says callously.

“I thought you looked brill, Uncle Stan,” Wolfie says, kind as ever, and I grin in his direction.

“Thanks, mate.”

“I wouldn’t listen to him,” my sister interjects. “He was grumpy last week because he wasn’t allowed to wear his wellies to the school disco.”

“School disco? He’ssix. What do they do when they reach year five? A quick jaunt to Spearmint Rhino?”

She laughs, but my nephew immediately asks, “What’s that?”

“Oh, erm, a nightclub,” I say quickly before Kem gets the idea to answer.

“I should like to go where rhinos dance,” Wolfie says sadly.

“They’re vicious creatures,” my sister offers.

“So’s Stan, but you still hug him,” Kem mutters.

“So, how was school?” I ask my nephew.

“It was good, Uncle Stan. I need to talk to you about something.”

“Is it how to behave in the classroom? You’ve come to the right person.”

“He really hasn’t,” my sister offers.

Wolfie continues. “I’m doing a project. We have to tell the class something special about our family.”

“Oh yeah. You could do about your mum when she tied me to her toybox when I was irritating her and told me there was a train coming.”

“I think that might give children a bad idea,” Wolfie says seriously.

I nod. “Of course. So, what are you doing?”

“I want to talk to you about being blind.”

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