Change of Life (4 page)

I was chatting to Max about his school project on Bonnie Prince Charlie when I became aware of Sam and Jenny bickering. A new, and as yet unworn, top of Jenny’s had found its way into Sam’s room apparently. I glanced over at my daughters.

Jenny was quite wound up. She sat back, frowning and folded her arms. “Anyway,” she said, addressing Sam, “Dad wants a word with you.”

I looked at Jenny and rolled my eyes.

“What?” said Jenny, all
innocence.

“Ah, yes,” said Tom, turning to Sam. “Is it really necessary to get your mother to give you a lift this evening? She has other things to do. You could get the bus or take Mum’s car. Where is it you’re going anyway?”

“We’re going to the cinema – the one at Haymarket. I haven’t got time to get the bus, I’m afraid. Actually, I’ll just text the others and let them know Mum’s taking us.” Sam got up, kissed her father on the top of his head and went to get her phone. Tom looked at me, exasperated.

I smiled weakly and changed the subject. “Adam, how was your day? How was the exam? Jenny said a couple of the questions were tough.” I realised, as I asked, that relying on Adam to steer the dinner table chat away from Sam’s arrangements was futile. But I did want to know how he’d got on.

“My day was okay. The exam was okay.”

Tom looked over at the twins. “So, is that four down and one to go?”

“Yes, it’s biology tomorrow. Then we’re free!” Jenny answered for both of them.

Adam didn’t look up. His dejected demeanour concerned me. He’d been a tense and anxious child and these tendencies had intensified with the onset of adolescence.

Sam returned to the table. “It’s kind of you to offer me mum’s car, Pops.” She patted her father’s arm. “But we’re going for a couple of drinks after the film. No – don’t worry!” She raised her hands to ward off any possible parental protest. “Sarah’s mum said she’ll pick us up. We’ve to phone when we’re ready. She insisted.”

Tom laughed. “I’m not going to win this one. You’ve got it all figured out. So, how’s the world of retailing?”

“Boring as always,” Sam sighed. “I might pack it in actually. I don’t think I want to spend the summer in that place.”

Tom and I exchanged a glance at this. But neither of us got the chance to ask what she planned to do instead, as she continued talking.

“Oh, he was on today, Jenny – on the back shift. He was late actually - got a bollocking from the boss. He gives me the creeps, that boyfriend of yours!”

“He’s not my boyfriend! He’s not a creep. He’s just shy. He’s actually quite friendly when you get to know him.”

“Jenny’s got a boyfriend!” Max cut in. “What’s his name? Why’s he a creep?” Max asked the questions for the rest of us.

Jenny tried to speak, but Sam leant forward to answer, waving a dismissive hand at her sister. “He’s called Robbie. He’s always staring and he follows me – I’m sure he does. In fact I think he followed me home last night.”

“Jenny’s boyfriend’s a stalker!
A weird, creepy pervert!”
Max’s eyes were wide as he relished this revelation.

“Don’t talk like that!” I said. “What rubbish. Sam, what do you mean he followed you home? Why didn’t you say? Who is he? Jenny, is this person your boyfriend?” I knew I was babbling and I suspected I’d met the boy already.

Once again, Jenny’s attempts to speak were overridden by her sister. “He’s called Robbie - as I said. He’s a right weirdo. He’s not from here. He comes in on the bus from Edinburgh. He just appeared one day, got a part time job in the shop. He says he’s on exam leave, but that he can’t spend all his time studying, and he says he needs the money. But it’s not like they don’t have supermarkets in Edinburgh – why would he want to work here? He must spend loads on bus fares.
Like I say – weird.
He and Jenny spend a lot of time talking to each other when they’re on the weekend shift together. Jen likes him – don’t you Jen?”

All our eyes were on Jenny. “Yes – as a friend – not in the way you’re all thinking!” She blushed. “He’s not weird. Why would he follow you, Sam? You shouldn’t say things like that about him.”

“Oh, I know he’s not really your boyfriend,” Sam replied. “I think he fancies me actually – probably using you to get close to me. But it’s all right you can have him. He gives me the creeps with the staring and stuff – and that earring is so not cool! And he likes Slipknot – I rest my case – weird!” Sam glanced at her brother, but he didn’t rise to the bait. “Anyway, I’m sure he followed me.”

Now I knew. “I think
I
-”

“No, no wait a minute.” Tom waved his hand to silence me. “I don’t like the sound of any of this. Jenny, you’re not to encourage this boy. I could have a word with Andy. Get him to investigate the guy.”

“No, Dad, no!”
Jenny looked horrified. “Don’t go talking to the police about him. He’s fine. He doesn’t mean any harm.”

“I’ll speak to Andy unofficially –as a friend – come on, you know Andy. He’ll be low key. You can trust him.”

Jenny grabbed Tom’s arm. “Please, Dad, don’t. He’s okay!”

“Well – no coming home alone for the moment, either of you,” Tom said, pouring himself another glass of red. “I’ll have a word with this Robbie myself.”

“No!”

The girls glared at Tom as if he was a lunatic. I used their horrified silence to get a word in. “I think I may have met Robbie already,” I said quickly. “Well I think it was probably him that I hit earlier – with the car.” Now the glares swung to me. “He was a young lad with straggly, dark hair…” I had Tom’s attention now. No-one was eating anymore, not even Adam, who normally rams his food down his throat as fast as he can, and then leaves the table as soon as possible.

“You hit someone? When? What happened? Was he okay?”

“Yes, yes, he was okay. I didn’t actually hit him. He ran into me really. It was at lunchtime – when I was going back to school. I didn’t see him coming. He must have been pressed against the hedge or bending down or something. He clattered into the side of the car as I was pulling away outside the house. I got out
to make
sure he was all right, but he ran off.”

“What makes you think it was the same boy?” Tom asked.

I looked at the girls. “He was about Adam’s height, thin, dark. He had a skull-shaped ear stud and a Slipknot tee-shirt.”

Sam raised her eyebrows and nodded. “It sounds like him. When was it exactly?”

“About one-fifteen.”

“What was he doing here at that time?” Sam said. “He’d know I’d be at the shop then. No wonder he was late for his shift. This gets creepier. You don’t think he was going to break in do you?” She looked scared now.

Jenny shook her head.
“Of course not.
He’d be stupid to show himself if he was planning to break in. There’ll be a reasonable explanation. Maybe he was just exploring the village and stopped to tie his shoelace or something.”

“Yeah, right!” said Sam.

Tom’s mind was apparently made up. “I’m going to have a word with Andy. No arguments.” He raised both hands once more, to fend off any protests from his daughters. “Come on, everyone eat up.” He turned to me. “Did you remember to pick up my dry cleaning?”

Chapter Five

When I got home from dropping Sam in town, I made myself a peppermint tea and began to think through my teaching plans for the rest of the week. I took my notebook and sat down at the kitchen table. I sipped my tea as I made my notes. It was dark outside and the lamp on the old dresser threw its soft light around me. The wall clock ticked quietly in the background and the boiler sang to itself in the cupboard in the corner. I heard footsteps upstairs and a door closing. Max would be going to bed. I drank the last of my tea and was just finishing off my preparation when Adam came into the kitchen.

“
Hello,
how’s the studying going?” I asked.

“It’s not. I’m trying to study biology, but nothing’s going in and it’s so boring!”

“Do the diagrams not help – the ones the learning assistant made up to lessen the amount of reading you’ve to do?”

“It’s not the reading that’s making it hard,” he said, taking the seat next to me. “It’s just plain boring. All the diagrams in the world aren’t going to help. I don’t understand most of it and I can’t be bothered. I’m not going to pass anyway…”

“Oh, Adam,” I put my hand on his arm. “Don’t get discouraged. Of course you’ll pass. You’re tired. Have a hot drink and an early night.” I rubbed his back as I spoke. He twisted away from me.

“No, Mum! A cup of tea and an early night – what – what’s that all about? That’s not going to help. I’m not going to pass! I’m not going to pass any of them! Don’t you understand? I’m not clever like Sam and Jenny, and you can’t make it all right with your bloody stupid suggestions and a cuddle. I can’t be what you want me to be. I’m too thick.”

“What – you’re not thick! You have dyslexia, Adam – it’s no reflection on your intelligence – come on,
you
know that.”

“No I don’t. It’s all a load of shit. Why can’t you see it? I’m not going to university – to be a doctor like dad, or a teacher like you. It’s not going to happen.”

I reached out to him. “Adam, son, I-”

“No – no! Don’t. It’s not all going to be fine. You can’t make it all right. I’m not going to get my exams. You and dad, you need to get used to the idea.” With that he pushed past me and headed out of the kitchen. He met Tom in the doorway and kept on walking.

“What’s wrong with him?” Tom raised his eyebrows.

“Oh, exam nerves I expect. He thinks he’s going to fail his exams. He says we need to get used to the fact that he’s thick – not university material.”

“What? He simply needs to apply himself, get studying, instead of mooning about in his room, messing about with those fish of his and reading those car magazines. He should have cut back on working at that karting place as well, spent more time on his school work. He needs to get a grip on what’s important. I’ll speak to him. Sort him out.”

“No, Tom, please - don’t! He needs to calm down and get a good night’s rest. It’s too late now anyway. He’s probably just a bit insecure because of the dyslexia. He doesn’t moon about –not really. I’ll have a quiet word when he’s not so wound up.” I knew Tom would go over the top and shout, and Adam would shout back, and nobody would get anywhere.

“Hmm – you’ll be too soft,” Tom said. “I know you. He needs a kick up the backside.”

I considered arguing – mentioning how vulnerable Adam was. But I knew from previous conversations that it would be pointless.

“Anyway,” Tom said, “I came through to tell you your dear brother phoned– wanted to talk over how it’s going with the rental of your dad’s flat – wouldn’t discuss it with me of course.”

“No? Right – no, I don’t suppose he would.” I was never very sure why Michael and Tom had fallen out. They’d been friends as medical students at Edinburgh University. That’s how I’d first met Tom – at a party in Michael’s student flat. But around the time that the twins were born they began avoiding each other. Then Michael emigrated. “What time did he call? Have I to call him back?”

“It was first thing in the morning in Sydney. Yes you’ve to give him a call. I know it was your dad’s flat but finance is really my department isn’t it?

“Yes, I know!” Tom did handle all the finances, and I got bored very easily by all that money management stuff. But he had a way of making me feel helpless sometimes. “I’m not a complete idiot you know. It won’t only be the financial details. He’ll want to know if the new tenancy is working out. I’m sure I can deal with it. I do manage a demanding job and looking after the house and family.” I wanted to add – ‘with precious little help from you’ – but I stopped myself.

Tom shrugged. “Andy called too. He went to the supermarket to see if your mystery boy is the one the girls know.”