Health Care
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sam only has a limited time he can text me for while he’s away as he's left his phone charger at home. He’s been switching his phone off overnight in the hope this will preserve what little battery life he has left. I haven’t heard from him since yesterday afternoon, so I guess I can infer that its well and truly dead. I sure hope his family don’t experience some kind of emergency; otherwise they have no hope of getting hold of him.
Sam promised that once he’s home, I can finally meet his family. They don’t live too far out from Swindon, and Sam insisted we can spend the day with them. I’m half-nervous. In fact, I’m still nervous that Sam is spending the first week of our new relationship on holiday with his friends.
On the way to the corner shop, I pass by Thompson’s. Mum catches my eye through the window pane and gives me a wave. Christopher looks up from the till. He’s handing over a prescription to an elderly gentleman, but seems to stop dead in his tracks. I duck into the shop and squeeze past the consultation office again.
“Afternoon Alexa,” Christopher nods, crisp as ever. I notice his new navy plimsolls are poking out from under his work trousers. He catches me staring at them and grins.
“I’ve bought myself two new pairs of espadries too,” he says proudly. I cringe. God, he’s like an embarrassing uncle sometimes.
“Espadrilles, Christopher, jeez,” I point out dryly. My mum stifles a snort.
“So how’s Sam?” Christopher juts in. He sounds wary as usual, as though he’s waiting for me to make a comment about the whole garden party fiasco. To be fair, I’d tread carefully if I were him too.
“Good,” I say. “We’re, y’know, ‘official’ now.” The words feel uncomfortable to say. It makes a stark contrast to how I practically screeched down the phone to Katherine. I’m suddenly made more aware that Christopher is in fact my ex-boyfriend. He’s leaning on the counter again, inches of bicep are straining against his shirt sleeves. Oh Jesus. I avoid his eye.
“Really?” Christopher’s voice is unusually high. “I knew this day would come!” he sounds jolly, but he’s not. He forces a smile and stuffs his hands into his pockets.
“Yeah,” I breath, nodding thoughtfully. Christopher still doesn’t know where Sam really is. The time difference in Malia is two hours. He’s probably settling down for a dinner of fries and pizza, ready to hit the strip on a full stomach.
“Well, I’m happy for you, Alex,” Christopher says softly. It sounds like he means it this time. He sounds sad. Why so sad? Oh shit, does this mean I have to say I’m happy about him and Melissa? Am I happy?
“Mmm,” I mumble, lost. “I’m happy for you too.” God, the tension in this pharmacy is unbearable. I haven’t even said two words to my mum yet.
“What, being single?” he says. I stare at him. Single? He nods as though he can read my mind. “It just wasn’t working with Melissa and I. The age gap …” he trails off.
Gee, well I can’t say I’m surprised, I think to myself. I wonder who broke it off. Is it too insensitive to ask?
“Shit,” I whisper. “Are you both alright?”
Christopher shrugs as if to say ‘I’ll manage’. I feel a sudden surge of pity for him. We were finally starting to get along, considering he seemed settled with his new girl.
*
Over dinner, Mum’s conversation soon turns to Christopher’s confession in the pharmacy today.
“You do realise that the news about him and Melissa was the first we’d heard of it,” she says plainly, surveying me.
“You didn’t know?” I ask. I was the first person to know?
“Nope,” Mum says, raising her eyebrows. “Funny that.” She sounds like she knows something.
“Why’s it funny?”
“Well, of all the people he chooses to tell, you’re the first one.”
“So?” I ask.
“Odd, don’t you think? He was clearly itching to tell you, his ex-girlfriend, that he is now single.”
“Yes but,” I stammer, trying to find an explanation. Mum’s eyebrows just rise further. “He knows I’m with Sam.”
“Yes but he also knows that Sam is on holiday,” Mum hisses. “He saw you at the airport. He was picking up Timothy from a business trip.”
“You reckon Christopher chose today to tell me he’s single in the hope I’ll get back together with him while Sam is away on holiday?” I clarify. It all sounds bizarre, surely? Mum says nothing, but flashes her eyes at Dad knowingly.
Dad throws some enlightenment on the situation over a mouthful of gammon.
“I think your Mum’s got a point there,” he says. “Speaking from a male’s perspective.” Oh great, possibly the worst kind of perspective. “After all, Christopher is a total knob.”
Sam promised that once he’s home, I can finally meet his family. They don’t live too far out from Swindon, and Sam insisted we can spend the day with them. I’m half-nervous. In fact, I’m still nervous that Sam is spending the first week of our new relationship on holiday with his friends.
On the way to the corner shop, I pass by Thompson’s. Mum catches my eye through the window pane and gives me a wave. Christopher looks up from the till. He’s handing over a prescription to an elderly gentleman, but seems to stop dead in his tracks. I duck into the shop and squeeze past the consultation office again.
“Afternoon Alexa,” Christopher nods, crisp as ever. I notice his new navy plimsolls are poking out from under his work trousers. He catches me staring at them and grins.
“I’ve bought myself two new pairs of espadries too,” he says proudly. I cringe. God, he’s like an embarrassing uncle sometimes.
“Espadrilles, Christopher, jeez,” I point out dryly. My mum stifles a snort.
“So how’s Sam?” Christopher juts in. He sounds wary as usual, as though he’s waiting for me to make a comment about the whole garden party fiasco. To be fair, I’d tread carefully if I were him too.
“Good,” I say. “We’re, y’know, ‘official’ now.” The words feel uncomfortable to say. It makes a stark contrast to how I practically screeched down the phone to Katherine. I’m suddenly made more aware that Christopher is in fact my ex-boyfriend. He’s leaning on the counter again, inches of bicep are straining against his shirt sleeves. Oh Jesus. I avoid his eye.
“Really?” Christopher’s voice is unusually high. “I knew this day would come!” he sounds jolly, but he’s not. He forces a smile and stuffs his hands into his pockets.
“Yeah,” I breath, nodding thoughtfully. Christopher still doesn’t know where Sam really is. The time difference in Malia is two hours. He’s probably settling down for a dinner of fries and pizza, ready to hit the strip on a full stomach.
“Well, I’m happy for you, Alex,” Christopher says softly. It sounds like he means it this time. He sounds sad. Why so sad? Oh shit, does this mean I have to say I’m happy about him and Melissa? Am I happy?
“Mmm,” I mumble, lost. “I’m happy for you too.” God, the tension in this pharmacy is unbearable. I haven’t even said two words to my mum yet.
“What, being single?” he says. I stare at him. Single? He nods as though he can read my mind. “It just wasn’t working with Melissa and I. The age gap …” he trails off.
Gee, well I can’t say I’m surprised, I think to myself. I wonder who broke it off. Is it too insensitive to ask?
“Shit,” I whisper. “Are you both alright?”
Christopher shrugs as if to say ‘I’ll manage’. I feel a sudden surge of pity for him. We were finally starting to get along, considering he seemed settled with his new girl.
*
Over dinner, Mum’s conversation soon turns to Christopher’s confession in the pharmacy today.
“You do realise that the news about him and Melissa was the first we’d heard of it,” she says plainly, surveying me.
“You didn’t know?” I ask. I was the first person to know?
“Nope,” Mum says, raising her eyebrows. “Funny that.” She sounds like she knows something.
“Why’s it funny?”
“Well, of all the people he chooses to tell, you’re the first one.”
“So?” I ask.
“Odd, don’t you think? He was clearly itching to tell you, his ex-girlfriend, that he is now single.”
“Yes but,” I stammer, trying to find an explanation. Mum’s eyebrows just rise further. “He knows I’m with Sam.”
“Yes but he also knows that Sam is on holiday,” Mum hisses. “He saw you at the airport. He was picking up Timothy from a business trip.”
“You reckon Christopher chose today to tell me he’s single in the hope I’ll get back together with him while Sam is away on holiday?” I clarify. It all sounds bizarre, surely? Mum says nothing, but flashes her eyes at Dad knowingly.
Dad throws some enlightenment on the situation over a mouthful of gammon.
“I think your Mum’s got a point there,” he says. “Speaking from a male’s perspective.” Oh great, possibly the worst kind of perspective. “After all, Christopher is a total knob.”