Page 83 of A Country Practice Christmas
‘Wait, CJ. What’s happened?’
‘It’s about cricket.’ He sniffs and wipes his nose. ‘I’ll tell Cam tomorrow.’
‘You were on your way to cricket the first time we met.’ I put a hand on his arm. ‘I don’t know anything about cricket except that the balls are hard, but I don’t think you should ride all the way home again until you’ve had a break. I have hot chocolate. Why don’t you come in?’
‘I hate the balls too.’ He sniffs and shudders as I close the door behind him.
‘Is that what you wanted to talk to Cameron about?’
‘Team selection for next year started tonight and I didn’t go.’ I give CJ tissues and he blows his nose. ‘I’ve been skipping cricket practice, but the selection sessions are compulsory.’
‘Are you worried that Cameron will find out?’
‘He’s good mates with one of the selectors, so it’ll happen sometime. I wanted to tell him last week but …’ CJ shudders. ‘I didn’t have the guts.’
After hugging him tightly, I sit CJ on the sofa. When Keith Urban clambers up next to him, CJ takes his paw and strokes it.
‘You came a long way in the dark.’ I hand CJ a glass of water. ‘Drink this while I make hot chocolate.’
CJ blows his nose again before pointing to a cupboard above the sink. ‘Cam keeps it up there.’
‘You go to cricket tests with Cameron, don’t you?’
‘One Day games too, and we watch cricket on the telly when he has time. We get to talk about team selection, player form, pitch conditions and everything else. I love that.’
‘You’d prefer to watch cricket than play it?’
‘Now I’m older and in a higher division, the bowlers are brutal. I’m scared of the ball and my batting is crap. I’ve been lying to Cam about going to practice.’
I tip a sachet into a mug and pour in hot water. ‘Extra milk?’
‘Just two sugars.’
CJ cradles the mug of chocolate, and I perch on a dining chair opposite. ‘You feel bad because you lied, but that can be fixed.’
‘Cam always says he doesn’t care what I do wrong, but he wants me to be straight with him.’ CJ swipes at his eyes. ‘He says lying is the worst thing you can do and that’s what I’ve done.’
‘You don’t want to let him down but—’
‘Mum says if he didn’t help her when she needed him …’ His voice breaks.
‘The last thing Cameron would want is for you to feel you owed him anything. He loves you and Anna, and he loves having both of you in his life.’
‘Cam has been better than any dad I know. Mum says he’s always been good at everything.’
‘Maybe that’s true, but he doesn’t judge people who aren’t like him. Even when he was your age, he didn’t do that.’ My voice crackles like CJ’s. ‘I knew that better than anyone.’
‘I want to tell him the truth, but I don’t want to disappoint him.’
‘He’ll be happy you’ve been honest with him, and you’ll feel better that you’ve owned up.’ Keith Urban has stretched out on the sofa next to CJ, so I perch in front of him. ‘Does your mum know you’re here?’
‘I snuck out.’
‘I’d like to call her, just in case she wakes up, so she knows where you are. Can I do that?’
‘I don’t want to talk to her before I talk to Cam.’
‘How about I talk to Anna, and then I message Cameron? He’ll come and pick you up, and you can confess.’
