Page 57 of Spiralling Skywards: Fading
“Don’t be sorry, Luke. You’ve done nothing wrong.” I looked pointedly at Liam, letting him know it was him I was pissed off with. Once the look was delivered, I decided not to be a bitch and cause an atmosphere at dinner, plus, winding myself up about it wasn’t going to do my blood pressure any good.
“When d’ya go?” I was pretty sure I managed the calm, interested, and friendly tone I was aiming for. Given my history and the fact that we were expecting twins, the doctors warned us that we should expect another premature delivery. If they arrived as early as Carter, they would be here by the beginning of December, and neither Liam nor I wanted him to miss the birth.
“November,” Liam said without looking at me.
“When in November?”
“The last three weeks.” He finally met my gaze, and I tried to keep my stare neutral, hiding the panic I was starting to feel bubble inside me. I had an uneasy feeling about this. It wasn’t just that I was pissed off. It was something else.
“Best make sure you take your phone charger this time then,” Nan said, breaking the atmosphere.
My grandad was decidedly quiet. In fact, he had been since they’d been here and I was a little worried about him.
“Oh, Luke, before I forget. I pulled these out the pocket of a pair of jeans before I put them in the wash and wasn’t sure if you needed them.”
She pulled four foil wrappers out of the top pocket of the linen shirt that she was wearing and passed them across the table to Luke. My brother blushed a deep scarlet, and Liam smirked. Grandad just raised his eyebrows and gave his head a little shake, as if passing condoms around the table was something we did at every mealtime.
“Pass the gravy, would you?”
“Of course. Would you like a condom with that?”
“Yes, please. I’ll take a Magnum Ribbed in large if you have it?”
“Thanks, Nan.” Luke stared down at his dinner as he spoke.
“They haven’t been through the wash, in case you’re worried.” And then after a beat, “Ya know, I’ve always wondered what the point was in making them flavoured. I mean, it’s not like a fanny has taste buds or anything like that, is it?”
I spat water all over my baked potato, and Luke, Liam, and Grandad almost choked with laughter.
“Let’s have them here, son. I’ll show her later what you do with a flavoured Johnny.”
Luke stopped laughing at that point.
