Page 4 of The App Trap
She had annoyingly taken it upon herself to become interested in technology since Finn’s arrival back home. As I was the more patient and tolerant teacher of the two, it was me that she chose to approach for some basic smartphone tuition. She was forever coming downstairs to my room for the odd impromptu lesson, and it appeared that class was about to be session as I heard her flouncing down the stairs.
“Let me guess, you want to know what the hoo-hah is with today’s Google logo? Well, it’s National Maths Day. The ‘o’s are set squares, see?”
“Go figure,” she said.
“Ha, nice.”
“Hmm?” she said, distractedly.
“Go figure. Maths. You did a nerdy maths gag. Clever. Um… are you ok?”
She smiled a thin-lipped smile as she slowly moved to perch herself on the edge of my bed. It was the sort of smile that told me something really not good was on her mind. Turned out that I was right to think that.
“Danny.” She exhaled a long breath through her nose that whistled through her nose ring. “I’ve found a lump.”
Chapter
Three
“It’s not the greatest news I’ve ever had, but it’s notterrible.” Mum tried to reach for my hand. “I’ve only gone and got myself a touch of the old cancer, haven’t I?” she said, flicking her eyes up to the ceiling with a sarcastic tut, wobbling her head like that emoji with the squiggly mouth would do.
My silence prompted her next words.
“Okay, it’s a little bit terrible."
“Wha-?”
She grabbed my hand to silence me, cutting in with what I hoped would be calming words.
“I’m gonna be starting chemo next week and the doctors seem pretty confident I can get through this.”
“Next week? How long have you known?”
“A naughty amount of time. Sorry, I just didn’t know how to tell you,” said Mum innocently, eyes peering left and right over her mug of green tea, like an Action Man doll with ‘eagle-eye’ function, but way prettier.
I felt the top half of my body’s blood supply sink to the pit of my stomach. This was my mother’s life being threatenedby an absolute arse-crack of a disease that had no business poking around in my mother’s breast, rather like her Dutch flower delivery guy come to mention it (he was married).
I just didn't think that it was ever possible this could happen. It wasn't a thought that entered my mind. The sheer disbelief made sure that it didn't sink in properly.
“So, you… what do you… what do they…?” I clearly needed a re-boot in the brain department.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said, gritting her teeth and almost punching the lump on her breast for having the absolute gall to attempt to separate her from her beloved sons.
“Finn?” I questioned.
“I told him earlier. Look, it's gonna be fine. I’ll hunt every one of those bastard cancer cells down and kill ‘em off one by one if I have to,” said Mum.
“LikeDie Hard.”
“Yes, just likeDie Hard, darling.”
We paused.
“You don’t know what I’m talking about, do you?”
“No idea, Lovely. Anyway, you can’t get rid of your dear old mum that easily.”
“Oh no, you mean I’ve got to keep telling boys I live with my mum?” I joked.
