Page 79 of A World Apart
“If you’re sure….”
“Course I am! We just miss you, love.”
“I miss you too,” I said thickly. “Hey pops?”
“Hmm?”
“You’d tell me if anything was wrong, yeah?”
“Don’t be so soft,” he scoffed. “Anyway, must dash, it’s nearly time for Strictly Come Dancing, and I promised your mum I’d make her a cheese platter.”
“I want a cheese platter!” I whined.
“Better marry a man like me then.” He winked, and I laughed.
“I should be so lucky.”
“I’m the lucky one,” he said softly. “Talk to you later, love.”
As the screen went blank, I couldn't shake the unease that had crept in during the call.
“Your folks alright?” Becka called from the couch, her mouth full of bagel.
“I hope so,” I said quietly.
Labour Day weekend
“Where were you?” Iwhined. “I came up to the office and you weren’t there! I had to eat lunch on my own.”
Becka waved away my pout with one perfectly manicured hand. “I had to go back to the apartment to get something.”
“You went all the way home on lunch to get something?” I asked sceptically. “It’s Labour Day weekend. We won’t be back in the office until Tuesday, what was so urgent?”
“I left something there,” she said evasively, immediately piquing my interest. I wasn’t going to press it before, but I would now.
“Oh yeah? What?” I crowded her, narrowing my eyes at her. She’d crack, she always did.
“Tampons!” She squeaked.
I frowned. “Tampons?”
“Yeah, geez, give agirl a break, Inspector Ratchet.” She pushed me away gently.
“Hey, is that my bag?” I asked in confusion as Becka pulled my spare backpack out from under her desk. It was pretty obviously mine because it was covered in dinosaurs wearing party hats. I’d bought it ‘ironically,’ but I low-key loved it. It was also pretty obviously full.
“Er, yeah. Yeah, it is. I needed to go shopping on the way back to the office for….”
“For…?” I prompted.
“Snacks!”
“Snacks?” I said, propping my fists on my hips. “Uh huh. Why?”
“Oh, good grief, can we just go now, please? If I’d known you would make such a fuss about me borrowing your bag, I would have torn the apartment apart for the one I think I have in there somewhere, and left a whole load of mess. Is that what you want?” Becka turned the full force of girl-rage on me, her eyes wide, cheeks flushed.
“Whoa, chill out Regan, it’s cool, use the bag.”
“Who-the-fuck-is-Regan?” she hissed.
