Page 7 of The Forever Gift

If only a school bag was an iPad,I think, rolling my eyes.

Reaching my arms out, I say, ‘Let me turn it on for you?’

Molly looks at me as if I’ve just offered her detox tea and raw kale for breakfast.

‘I can do it all by myself,’ she says, tugging it out from under her arm to wave it at me like a fan.

‘Molly, be careful.’ I tut. ‘No more than twenty minutes. And only in your room. You’re not to bring it downstairs.’

‘Twenty minutes,’ Molly echoes as if she has a concept of time.

Molly hurries into her bedroom, kicks off her shoes by the door and hops up onto her bed. Sitting cross-legged she turns on the iPad. Upbeat theme-tune music soon fills the air. I use my foot to guide Molly’s school shoes to one side then close her door until there’s just a crack open and walk down stairs.

The smell of coffee calls to me from the bottom step. Gavin has obviously moved from the sitting room to the kitchen. I’m desperate to ask him what on earth Heather said to rattle him so much, but I don’t want it to come out sounding all irritated. As hard as it is, I try to act normal and let him tell me in his own time.

‘Oh God, I could murder a cup,’ I say, reaching the kitchen and pulling out a chair from the table that there really isn’t room for in the cramped space. ‘Oh, I said Molly could have your iPad for a little while. She’s in her room with it now.’

‘Yeah. Okay,’ Gavin says, stirring a spoon around one cup, tapping it off the edge and moving it to the other.

‘Molly loves that thing, I thought it would be a good distraction. Just for a few minutes so we can talk. I’ll drop her into school later,’ I say, sitting down.

‘Um…’ Gavin stirs the second cup.

‘By the way, what’sTeen Titans Go!?’ I ask. ‘Molly says she loves it. Is it too grown-up? I’m not sure about some of that stuff she watches.’

‘Teen Titans Go!You’re seriously asking me aboutTeenTitans Go!’ Gavin raises his hand above his head before he throws the spoon. It misses the sink and clatters against the granite with a sharp, sudden bang before it bounces onto the floor with a less-aggressive clink.

‘Gavin,’ I inhale, wide-eyed.

‘It’s just a TV programme for God’s sake, and she likes it,’ Gavin says as he crouches to pick up the spoon. Standing up again he points it at me, his hand and the spoon shaking. ‘But what about piano? And swimming and all the other stuff that we make her do that she hates? And for what, Charlie? Huh? Why do we make her do it?’

‘Gavin.’ I shake my head, trying to stay calm. ‘What’s going on?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t know.’ Gavin drags his hands around his face and walks, somewhat blindly, towards the table, leaving the two cups of steaming coffee on the countertop behind him.

I hop up and pull out the chair next to me noticing Gavin’s lips are losing colour. He flops into it.

‘Why do we do it, you know?’ Gavin says. ‘Why do we push them? Push them to learn. Push them to achieve. They’re just kids. Kids! Shouldn’t they just enjoy being young?’

I walk around behind my husband and rub his shoulders. ‘Talk to me. Eh? Tell me what’s wrong.’

‘Heather got a call,’ Gavin says, tilting his head from side to side as I rub his aching neck. ‘From a doctor at the kids’ hospital.’ Gavin pauses, to gather his thoughts, or catch his breath. ‘Not the one Heather has been taking Kayla to. A different one, here in Dublin.’

I dig my thumbs into the stubborn knots below Gavin’s shoulder blades, circling. ‘Um,’ I say, listening.I just know this is heading towards something I don’t want to hear.

‘Heather is meeting him today,’ Gavin adds. ‘It’s important.’

I dig harder into Gavin’s shoulders. He doesn’t budge.

‘He wants to see us both.’ Gavin breathes out. ‘The doctor wants to see Heather and me.’

‘Really? Both of you?’ I ask, rolling my eyes again. I can’t think of a single time I’ve taken Molly to the doctor when Gavin would need to be there too. ‘Do you think Heather is—’ I pause and choose my words carefully. ‘Do you think Heather is over-reacting? It’s a knee injury, after all. Not uncommon for a basketball player, is it?’

‘Heather was in an awful state on the phone,’ Gavin says, and I can tell from the softness in his tone that he’s going to give in to her request.

‘I know. I know,’ I say. ‘But Kayla has already missed the last couple of games and the team are suffering. She’ll lose her place as captain if she doesn’t start playing again soon. It would break her heart. Couldn’t you have a word with Heather?’

‘It’s not that simple,’ Gavin says, running a shaking hand through his hair.

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