It Was A Wednesday Chap. 2

I got home to see my dad sprawled out on the couch in our much-too-small living room, watching rugby, as usual. Our house was more like a cottage really, I suppose it had been converted at some point, ans it had a old exterior and a modern interior, with a few touches that dad and I had added over the years. We had a small kitchen as well, which doubled as a normally unused dining room.

“Hey Dad!” I called out to him through the glass door separating the kitchen and the lounge.

“Hi Raine, How was your walk? Your mother called while you were out by the way, she wants you to come to London this weekend, Could you call her back?”

“Yeah sure,” I sighed, and headed up to my room to call my mum. My room was the directly at the op of the stairs, so I made a point always to keep my door shut. I had a bathroom to myself as well, unless we had guests, though that didn’t happen very often what with our being so far out. The spare room was on the floor above mine, and was usually used as Dads study, although I didn’t see why he couldn’t just use his room, on the top floor.

I walked into my room and sat down on the double bed that dominated the room, and picked up the phone on my bedside table warily. I hated London; you couldn’t breathe properly, and it was really confusing- not to mention dirty and disgusting! Sure, the shops are good, but you can just take the train to Leads for that, you don’t have to go all the way down to London. And… Alright, the main reason I didn’t want to go down to London was because of my mums new husband, James. He was nice and all, but he always treated me like a guest he had to please, not like family, as a step-dad should. But that was all right, I wouldn’t want to be part of his family anyway.

I dialled the number as slowly as I could, and hoped she wasn’t home. She answered on the second ring.

“Hello?” Her voice echoed down the line.

“Its me mum. Hi.” I answered.

Hello, how are you? Good? Yes, I’m great, James has just finished painting the last room, do you want to come down and see this weekend?” She asked excitedly.

“Umm…Well… I kind of promised Jess that I would help her with her homework this weekend, She’s falling behind in Spanish.” Jess was my best friend for as long as I can remember. We had gone through everything together- She was my only true friend in the popular clique that I hung out with at school. She didn’t actually ask for any help, but I made a mental note to offer it at school the next day. “Sorry,” I told mum.

“Oh, its alright.” I immediately felt a pang of guilt. My mother sounded crestfallen. “Maybe next weekend.” She offered. I told her I would try, and she sounded much happier after that, blabbing about the design of the kitchen. I feel guilty a lot of the time when I talk to my mum- I hardly ever see her, as she never comes up to Yorkshire for fear of seeing my dad, and I don’t like going up to London. So we talk on the phone instead. Or at least, she does, while I guiltily wish I were somewhere else.

When I had eventually hung up on my mum, I went downstairs to talk to my dad. I could tell he was disappointed I wasn’t going to London. Usually he hated me going to London, so something was up. “Dad, you know you don’t have to feel guilty about leaving me alone, I’ll be fine by myself, just do whatever it is you want to do.” He breathed out a sigh of relief and said goodnight to me, before turning back to the TV as I went back upstairs to go to bed.