A Family Affair

A Family Affair

"This is just awful" she cried with an exclamation of disgust.

He gazed at her with an air of astonishment as she continued to to wipe the grease from the dirty dishes in the sink. "That's it you're coming back home, I'm not having you living like this, this place is a pig sty!" and she threw the oil soaked cloth onto the floor in protest. "You know me and Dad don't get on Mum" he said as he angled his chin slightly and dipped his fingertips into his pockets. "I'll have a word with your father" she said, "now come on, let's get these sheets to the launderette." She looked at him and blinked as an obscure smile began to appear across her face. She opened up a black bin liner and transferred the sheets from the laundry basket into the bag. "Is there anything you need to get from here before we leave?" "But what about all this stuff?" he said. "Oh just leave it Tommy, it's all junk" she said pursing her lips and luring him toward the front door with his cars keys.

When they got outside she gave him the keys and they drove to the launderette. She handed him a five pound note then said to him abruptly, "Now here, go and change that for some fifty pence pieces at the counter." He returned with the change, handed it to his mother then went to sit on the chair until she was finished. It felt as though they had been there for ages and Tommy could feel the uncomfortable silence between them. Outside it was dark and there was a cold chill in the air. The windows steamed up with the condensation from the industrial dryers. He buried his head into his hands and let out a laxidazical sigh. When she was finished they drove home, she took the house keys out of her purse and they both entered the house. Inside it was warm, and there was a faint smell of his mothers hotpot coming from the kitchen, he relaxed his shoulders slightly, then tightened them back up again when he heard the voice of his father in the background yelling at the tv screen. She nudged a reluctant Tommy into the livingroom and he went to sit down on the chair next to his Father. His Fathers eyebrow furrowed as he peered up from behind the folded newspaper, focusing sharply with one eye at him. "Alright, what's he doing back here?" he stood up and pushed the folded newspaper to the floor. "Oh, Jack don't be like that, he can't live there, that place is a mess" she said looking at him through pleading eyes. "Well he made his own bed, he can darn well lie in it" he yelled back at her, the tone of his voice steadily dropping when he noticed the look of determination in his wife's eyes. "Carol, the boy is out of control, he gets up late, blasts music till' all hours, sneaks his druggy friends in and then eats us out of house and home." "He's changed Jack" she pleaded again. "What since last week? " he said, then shook his head in disbelief and went to sit back in his chair. She went into the kitchen, where she usually went to get away from the constant droning of her husbands voice. She pretended she had housework to be getting on with and began scrubbing the spotless chopping board with a scouring sponge.


© 2007 Juliet Forshaw