Page 36 of When We Are Old

“Too far, especially when you didn’t eat.”

“Oh, believe me, the lunch was more than satisfactory.”

I grinned and tucked my legs up, mindful of the fact Ma wasn’t there to tell me off for making the cushions soft.

“Staff okay when they came back?”

“I legged it. Said I had to pick Hannah up.” I rubbed at my nose with my palm, my cheeks heating again.

“I have to say, I never expected that.”

“I think you bring out a repressed side to me.”

“Don’t say that.” I shivered at his major and minors. “It will make me regret all those years even more.” There was a clatter in the background and the sound of a dog barking.

“Ewan! Hugo’s got mud all over your mother's floor again,” he hollered, and my back straightened.

“Who’s Hugo?”

“The bloody dog. Jack forgot his Xbox controller. I said I’d get him one tomorrow, but he wanted it now, so we’ve just popped back home to get it.”

Home?

I chewed on my bottom lip, nodding before remembering that he couldn’t see me. “Oh, right. Sorry, I didn’t know you were busy.”

“I’m not busy, we are just stopping by.”

“And she doesn’t mind seeing you?” I minded her seeing him. Ridiculous. Childish. Pathetic.

“Ronnie, she’s not here. It’s her night off. She’ll be out trying to pull some poor bastard in a bar.”

I tried to read his tone. Was he jealous? What was that lingering under the surface? All I could find to say was, “I didn’t know you had a dog.”

“Hugo. She bought him when I filed for divorce. I think she wanted it to be a bit like a baby.”

“Oh right.”

“Didn’t work though. Bloody thing.”

“You don’t like dogs?”

I had no opinion on this. Ma had never let us have pets. Not even a goldfish. They made mess, pooped in water, whatever her reasons had been.

“No, I love them. This one is stupid. Anyway, I love him, but she wouldn’t let me take him when I left.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

There was an audible space for a shrug.

“Right, Jack, Ewan, let’s get on.” He softened his voice as he directed his attention back to me. “Ronnie, love, I’ve got to go.”

“Sure. Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“Ronnie. Stop it. Listen, let me get the boys to bed and I will call you back.”

“It’s okay. I might go to bed.”

“How about I talk you to sleep?”