Page 86 of The Impossible Fortune
‘I’m prepared to let it go,’ says Connie.
‘Connie is in disgrace,’ says Ibrahim. ‘Doctor–patient confidentiality stops me saying why.’
‘Something to do with Tia?’ says his grandad. Isn’t that a lovely name when you hear it out loud? Tia. Like the ringing of a bell.
‘I can’t tell you,’ says Ibrahim. ‘But, yes.’
‘Why don’t we have a whisky?’ says Connie. Kendrick still can’t work out who or what she is. Someone who sells tickets at a circus?
‘Connie,’ says Kendrick, ‘can I ask you a question?’
‘Of course you can,’ says Connie. She really has been crying. She’s tried to cover it up, but you can never completely cover it up. Sometimes his mum comes and sleeps in his room – ‘Thought you might like some company, Kendrick’ – and every time she’s been crying. She never cries when she’s with him though, and Kendrick is very proud of that.
‘What do you do?’ Kendrick asks.
‘All sorts of things,’ says Connie. ‘A bit of this on a Monday, a bit of that on a Tuesday.’
Lots of things, he knew it. Ibrahim is pouring whisky from a decanter into some glasses.
‘Not for me, thank you, Uncle Ibrahim,’ says Kendrick.
Ibrahim nods. ‘A squash perhaps? I think I have some Sprite too.’
Kendrick looks over at Uncle Jason. ‘Uncle Jason, can I have a Sprite?’
‘Your mum said no sugar,’ says Uncle Jason.
‘She probably said don’t let anyone shoot at him either,’ says his grandad. ‘Let the boy have a Sprite.’
Uncle Jason nods at Ibrahim. This is all good. One, he gets a Sprite, and, two, his mum has given Uncle Jason instructions. Wherever she is, she’s still in charge.
‘Do you think I could get a Sprite too?’ says Tia.
‘Of course,’ says Ibrahim. ‘They’re in the kitchen. Make yourself at home.’
Well, well, well. Kendrick likes Sprite and Tia likes Sprite. What are the odds? Tia heads to the kitchen. Her hair is really swinging. It’s conditioner for sure.
‘Kendrick,’ says his grandad, ‘why don’t you go and help Tia in the kitchen – there’s going to be some boring grown-up talk in here for a while.’
Kendrick nods. This is interesting. Normally Kendrick’s favourite thing in the whole world is boring grown-up talk. He can sit for hours and listen to Joyce talk about a friend who’s just had a hip replacement, but she went private and didn’t she like to let people know about it, but they did it on the cheap and who’s having to fix it? Only the good old NHS, that’s who. He loves it.
But just at this moment he is being drawn to the kitchen.
The adults are all sitting down now. Uncle Jason, Grandad, Ibrahim, and the mysterious Connie who does a bit of everything. Kendrick could see her renting out kayaks on a beach in the Caribbean.
He walks into the kitchen and Tia offers him a Sprite.
‘Thank you,’ says Kendrick. ‘I am obliged to you.’
Tia smiles again. ‘You have very good manners.’
Kendrick nods. He has always prided himself on his manners. Not everybody notices, but Tia did.
‘Are you staying here?’ Tia asks.
‘I think so,’ says Kendrick. ‘Are you?’
‘I think so,’ says Tia.
