The Ordinary Haunting

24. The Conversations - Part 1

"Stop it, I can't see the road."

"Damn it, I really thought I felt it today."

"What would be special about today?"

I took my fingers from New's bicep, spread them in front of the windscreen and flipped my hand around. Sniffling away a sneeze, New pushed his sunglasses up his nose and I was conscious of his eyes flicking to me from the side.

"You really won't tell me what Joss said to you, huh."

I dropped my hand and reached for the volume dial on the car stereo. New had let me sync up my phone and now quiet, guitar-led bedroom pop was making me want to close my eyes, read a dog-eared paperback, ice a cake, and water a cactus (unironically).

"It wasn't anything to do with what he said. I just got uncomfortable--"

"Yeah, yeah. You're a terrible liar, Te." He wound up his window the little that it had been down and the air inside calmed. "Here I was thinking you would..."

I looked at him when his voice trailed off. "What?"

He occupied himself changing lanes to overtake a truck. "Nothing. I was scared you'd be really pushy this weekend, but you're just Captain Cool now, hey?"

"Scared?" I grinned and his eyebrows disappeared beneath his shades. "Alright--"

"Not scared. Sure. I was sure--"

"Sure, I can be pushy--"

"Right, Tay, you got that call from your sister's husband. It's their second anniversary next month? Does he still reject your lucky socks?"

"Don't try to distract-- When did I tell you about my lucky socks?"

"Every freaking day, Tawan."

"Ok, yes, but when did I tell you about Oab rejecting my lucky socks?"

"Didn't you?"

"Pretty sure I didn't. I try not to dirty my mouth speaking about that dog skin."

"You must have, because evidently it's true, and somehow I know it."

We entered a tunnel framed by prehistoric-looking tree ferns as I fell silent, trying to remember ever talking to New about Oab and the socks. I guessed it could have come up one of the times we visited Grandma's house, or when Muk met up with us at the bar, but I doubted it. It always put me in a bad mood, and I was struggling to think of a single time that I was in a -- properly -- bad mood around New. Yeah we'd had arguments, both professional and personal, and we'd had some tough conversations, but all of them seemed warm as the colour yellow. Warm as sunflowers in a vase. A little spiky at the edges and yet really pretty.

Socks. You were talking about socks. How did you get there from socks, Tawan?

We exited the tunnel and noon sunlight poured over the car. New wound down his window again, his hair puffing in the wind. I looked at him and the thought barged its way into my mind, past all the socks, that he was like a sunflower, too.

One of those extra spiky ones, at least.

I wrenched my body towards my window and pressed my forehead to the glass.

Maybe I was better off not having conversations with anyone anymore.

"Are we there yet?"

"Have you learned how to fly yet?"

----

"Uncle Newwiee!"