Least Said (13 page)

‘Well,
‘she
said,
‘I
have
to
say
it
was
worth
coming
all
this
way
just
for
that,
Will.’

We
walked
back
to
the
car
with
Will
dancing
alongside
Tina,
clutching
her
hand
and
trying
his
hardest
to
get
from
her
any
hints
as
to
what
the
present
might
actually
be.
He
became
almost
hysterical
when
we
pulled
into
our
driveway
and
found
Calum
sitting
on
the
doorstep
with
a
gaily
wrapped,
big
square
parcel
in
his
hands.

‘Don’t...’ I
began,
but
I
was
wasting
my
breath
because
Will
was
unclipped,
out
of
his
booster
seat
and
out
of
the
car
before
I
could
put
the
handbrake
on.
‘What
have
I
told
you?’
I
demanded,
but
was
well
aware
my
words
were
falling
on
deaf
ears.

Calum
remained
seated
almost
until
the
very
second
before
Will
reached
him,
and
then
he
was
on
his
feet
and
holding
the
package
aloft.
He
laughed
as
Will
jumped
up
and
down
with
no
chance
at
all
of
reaching
the
prize
being
held
so
tantalizingly
out
of
his
reach.

‘Calm
down,
William,
and
give
us
all
a
chance
to
get
inside.’

I
lifted
my
cheek
for
Calum’s
kiss
and
thought
how
well
he
looked
–
and
how
handsome.
In
his
fifties
now,
his
mature
years
sat
well
with
him.
As
he
pulled
Tina
close
and
kissed
her
full
on
the
lips
I
noted
again
what
an
attractive
couple
they
made
and
how
obviously
deeply
in
love
they
still
were.

‘Come
on,
Calum,’
Tina
ordered
the
minute
we
were
safely
inside
with
the
door
closed
behind
us,
‘stop
teasing
the
child.’

William
gave
her
the
brightest
of
smiles
and
held
out
his
hands
eagerly
to
Calum,
completely
confident
–
as
I
was
–
that
her
words
would
be
heard
and
understood.

‘Oh,
wow,
how
brilliant
is
that,
Will?’
I
breathed,
excited
for
my
son
as
the
paper
was
ripped
away
from
a
box
that
held
a
real
grown-up
football,
sporting
the
Liverpool
logo
if
I
wasn’t
mistaken.
I
was
touched
that
they
had
remembered
Will’s
favourite
team.

‘It’s
lovely,’
Will
said
dutifully,
hugging
the
ball,
still
in
its
box,
to
him.
Then
he
stared
at
it,
‘but
why
has
it
got
scribble
all
over
it?
I’m
not
allowed
to
use
pens
on
my
toys.’

‘William...,’
I
was
seriously
beginning
to
despair
over
these
lapses
in
the
good
manners
that
Jon
and
I
had
instilled
into
him.

Calum
just
laughed
and,
pulling
the
boy
onto
his
lap,
he
pointed
to
the
writing
and
carefully
explained
that
the
scribbles
were,
in
fact,
signatures
of
the
whole
Liverpool
football
club
team,
‘and,
do
you
see
here,’
he
pointed,
‘it
says
To William with best wishes
.
’

‘Wow,’
William
breathed,
‘is
it
especially
just
for
me?’

‘Definitely,
just
for
you,’
Calum
assured
him,
‘and
one
of
these
days,
if
your
Mum
and
Dad
will
let
me,
I’d
like
to
take
you
to
Anfield
so
that
you
can
meet
the
players
in
person.
Now,
how
about
we
get
the
ball
out
of
the
box
and
have
a
quick
game
in
the
back
garden
before
dinner?
We
are
invited
to
stay
to
dinner,
aren’t
we,
Wendy?’
he
asked
cheekily.

It
was
quite
like
old
times,
with
Tina
and
I
sharing
a
kitchen
as
we
worked
side
by
side
companionably,
and
Jon
was
as
delighted
as
I
was
when
he
came
home
to
find
visitors
who
would
always
be
assured
of
a
welcome
in
our
house.

‘Stay
the
night,’
he
urged.
‘Go
on,
say
you
will.
It
will
give
us
time
for
a
proper
catch-up.’

Tina
had
barely
accepted
the
invitation
before
Jon
was
making
his
way
eagerly
out
the
back
door
to
join
the
football
game
being
played
with
more
enthusiasm
than
skill
in
the
garden.

They
were
all
three
filthy
dirty
when
they
were
called
inside
to
eat.

‘Well,’
I
said,
staring
at
the
three
of
them,
‘I
was
going
to
tell
you
to
wash
your
hands,
but
that
would
leave
the
rest
of
you
covered
in
mud.’

‘Look
at
you,’
Tina
pointed,
trying
to
look
dismayed
at
suit
trousers
worn
by
the
two
men
that
were
clearly
ruined,
spattered
as
they
were
with
thick
mud
and
even
sporting
a
rip
or
two,
and
William’s
school
trousers
appeared
to
be
in
much
the
same
state.