The Unknown Road

3 - Archie

***

SITTING AT OUR DINING table, staring at my porridge, I have that same feeling now as I do everyday. And I can tell Millie and I are thinking the same thing. When can we get out?

We hear a crash coming from outside the dining room door and we both jump. The doors fly open and Dad stumbles in, muttering something. He walks past us to sit down at his place at the table, his greasy hair is in disarray and still in his dressing gown. We look at him, but before he can shout at us for staring, we pick up our spoons and start eating our lukewarm tasteless gloop.

When I'm about half way through, I feel my phone buzzing in my pocket, making me think of Dee.

I felt like a bad boyfriend this summer, scratch that, I am a bad boyfriend. I've barely spoken to Dee all summer and, to be honest, I wasn't even sure if I was still her boyfriend.

Mum had whisked us away so fast I barely had time to pack, let alone say goodbye. I'd called her from the airport, with no answer, so I just sent a text saying I was going away and I'd call when I could. She'd responded, and I'd caught her on FaceTime once, but I'd barely texted her because the signal was awful. But that wasn't all of it. Sometimes I wasn't remembering to, even when signal was good. I wanted to enjoy myself, but I was now feeling terrible because I'd basically ignored her.

But for some reason Dee wasn't the person I missed most while I away. It was Tessa. I missed our phone calls, and her annoyingly infectious laugh. I even missed her quietness. I always felt completely at ease with her, comfortable. When I was around her she made me feel like myself and I liked that about her.

Checking my phone under the table, I'm about to open the message when I hear a loud bang come from next to me.

Dad has spotted me looking at my phone and had smacked his fist so hard into the table that it makes me jump and drop my porridge. It spills forward slightly, but thankfully because it was so lumpy it barely goes on the table, mainly going on the mat.

I brace myself for the shouting, trying to not to jump as the words erupted out of his mouth.

"What the HELL do you think you're doing?" He yells, making Millie jump and almost do the same thing.

"This table's RUINED. Go and get a cloth and clear this shit up! NOW!"

I scrape my chair back immediately without looking at him and move to the door, pushing it open. Running straight to the sink I take a moment to catch my breath and try to calm down, taking six deep breaths before wetting the cloth and returning to the table.

Ignoring my stinging eyes, I wipe up the porridge Dad had made me spill and then put the cloth back. I want to break something, to hit the wall, anything. But I settle on taking a long, steadying breath before heading back in.

As I sit, Millie smiles at me before glancing at Dad out of the corner of her eye, reading the paper.

"I'm taking you today," he tells us after an uncomfortable silence, shocking us both. "You usually pick up the Grangers don't you?"

I nod, "Yes." My voice is so small I barely recognise it.

"Make sure they don't make me late. I have a flight to catch."

"Do you want me to message them?" I ask.

He doesn't say anything, but just looks at me as if that was a stupid question to ask.

Without another word I pull my phone from my pocket and type out the message.

Hey Matty. Dad's giving you a lift this morning... We'll be at yours in about an hour?