Page 15 of Kicks
Lennox squealed with delight as Billy continued.
“Is he walking?”
“Of course. He’s nearly two.”
Had it almost been a year since the birthday party? Shame burnt across his face.
“Harry, we’re failing.”
“At what?”
“Being a family.”
Harry’s face fell. “When Mum died, you said we’d lost the glue that kept us together,” he said quietly.
“I was right, wasn’t I?”
“Billy, I’m sorry. With the baby and this little terror, life got in the way.”
“I understand. Honest I do. It’s just…”
“You need help.”
Billy nodded.
“Okay, fine,” Harry said. “If you’re determined on keeping this place, there’s only one thing to do.”
“What’s that?”
“Ditch the plastic tat. No one wants it. We need to diversify.”
Billy got up. Whilst he wanted Harry to help, he didn’t want him to take over. “This was Brian’s dream. He built it up from nothing.”
“Who cares about that? We don’t owe him a thing.”
Lennox wriggled off Harry’s knee and tottered over to some crayons that had spilled out of a container. Billy grabbed some old envelopes and spread them out in front of Lennox on the floor.
“Can you do your Auntie Crystal a lovely picture?” he asked.
Lennox nodded. “Yeah.”
Billy looked at Harry in shock.
“Yes, he speaks too,” Harry said. “Amazing, isn’t it? You’d know if you ever came to visit.”
“I’ve never been invited.”
They’d reached a stalemate.
“Okay, we need to do better,” Harry said. “How is Crystal, anyway?”
“Driving me mad,” Billy replied. “She’s doing really well with her football. Shit, it’s expensive, though.”
“Shit,” Lennox repeated.
“Oh great. Now he’ll be saying this all night. Kim’s going to kill me. Lennox, don’t say that word, please.”
“Shit.”
