The Tommo Way

Chapter Twenty-Three: Skype Dates and Pregnancy Rumours

"Oh, Abby, for god's sake!" Mum cried in exasperation and jumped up to get out of the dangerous zone. Dad only cleared his throat and disappeared back behind his newspaper again, looking fairly pleased with himself. "Sorry, sorry!" I said sheepishly and tried to take care of the mess by using my sleeve as a rag. My mum shook her head and handed me a proper rag before sitting back down at the kitchen table.

"You two will be the reason for me to go grey." She complained and my dad lowered his newspaper. "Darling, I'm sure you would look absolutely stunning with grey hair!" He said and leaned over the table to give my mum a kiss. "Get a room, you two!" I grumbled and quickly finished off my breakfast.

"So your plans for this week?" My mum asked me again as she watched me put my dirty dishes into the sink. I turned around to her and leaned against the kitchen counter. "Not much, to be honest." I said and gave my mum a little smile. She knew that I hadn't kept in touch with most of my school friends, simply because I needed a fresh start when I moved to London.

Mum twister her mouth slightly in disapproval but recovered quickly. "How about we go out for dinner tonight?" She suggested and Dad reappeared from behind the newspaper, looking fairly interested. If there was on person more obsessed with food than me, it was my dad. "I'm sorry, I can't!" I said and felt my cheeks heat up. Mum frowned and put down her coffee. "You just said you didn't have any plans." "I do tonight." I admitted and studied the floor. "Very well, tomorrow then!" My dad said and picked up his paper again, he was never the most talk active one in the family.

Mum however didn't seem satisfied with my answer. "What are you doing tonight? Are you going out with Dean?" She inquired and sent me a searching look. "No, I'm skyping my... some friends of mine." I said and knew that I had to look as red as a tomato by now. My mum's lips twitched as if she was supressing a grin. "Do I know these 'friends' of yours? The nice young man I was on the phone with the other week perhaps?"

Dad put down the newspaper faster than I could blink. "What nice young man?" He asked and his eyes darted between me and my mum. "Nicely done!" I told her and my mum giggled like a little girl. "Well, David, it seems like Abby has made some new male friends in London. His name is Louis, I talked to him on the phone a few weeks ago. He seemed like quite the gentleman." I groaned and buried my face in my hands.

"Who is this Louis guy, why have I never heard of him before?" Dad asked and in his worry his German accent sounded stronger than ever. "Papa, Louis is just a friend of mine." I reassured him but he didn't seem very convinced. "Then why are you skyping him tonight?" My father asked me with a frown. "You only left London yesterday, surely you can't miss him already?"

I shot my mum a very angry look which she returned with a smile before I turned back to my father. "Louis and his friends are...traveling in Europe at the moment. I haven't seen him in over a week. Tonight is our only chance to Skype before I see him when he returns at the end of June." I explained and my father relaxed a little.

"David, relax, he seems like a nice chap!" Mum said and put her hand over my father's. "I don't believe that until I meet him." Dad replied stubbornly and Mum chuckled. "You will meet him soon enough, I invited him and Abigail to Rosie's party." "You did what?" My dad asked and squinted his eyebrows. "We don't even know this man!" "Well, yes but he seemed really lovely and he is very dear to our Abby." Mum said sternly and I felt like now was the right time to leave the kitchen. "I'm going to take a shower." I said over my father's reply and hurried out of the kitchen without waiting for an answer.

The rest of the day, I spent driving and wandering around town, seeing a familiar face from time to time. Being back in Nottingham felt weird and yet comforting at the same time. This town had been my home as long as I could remember and it had a calming familiarity to it but I couldn't help but notice that I felt more like a visitor now. Without me noticing, London had become my home over these past few years.