The Family at Number 13 by Monaghan S.D

Author:Monaghan, S.D. [Monaghan, S.D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-04-26T23:00:00+00:00

16

Connor

The doorbell sounded and he opened it to Brona. Her cheeks were coloured and she was breathing deeply, almost irregularly.

Holding the drink he’d just poured himself, Connor asked, ‘Everything OK?’

‘Of course not. I was in my mother’s womb the last time everything was OK.’

He knew what she meant. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘It’s just so stressful in there. I know it’s not Finn’s fault. His life… Jesus. But still…’

‘I’m sure it’s tough on everyone.’

‘Finn is very special. We all know that. Like, at least Mary, Emer and I do.’

‘Yeah.’ Connor felt he should add his name to that list but all he could think about was the noise, his reputation, his career and most imperatively – what was unfolding right now on the internet.

‘But he also has a shark’s way of doing things. He’s our blond, blue-eyed, handsome shark. He’s a machine that eats and cruises around, his brain and guile urging him from A to B.’

Connor’s eyes widened. ‘Well, as you said, he’s had a different type of life. A difficult upbringing. He’s learned to act in certain ways to survive.’

‘Survive? He lives here, in St Catherine’s Hill. Not in a cave in the mountains of Afghanistan. Not that he’d notice as long as he has meat and spaghetti delivered three times a day and Wi-Fi. And his ball. And his MP3 player.’

‘Well…’

‘Yeah, fine. I know, I know. Just because he’s not autistic or whatever doesn’t mean he’s not wired differently to us. And he certainly has a different type of intelligence.’

‘Exactly. And if he has a different type of intelligence then he needs to feed that intelligence.’ Connor had surprised himself. He was sticking up for the young man even though his last sighting of Finbarr was of his raised finger gesturing at him over the hedge just a minute ago. ‘After the type of upbringing he’s had, we can’t possibly comprehend what goes through his mind.’

‘Connor, we can’t possibly understand what goes through a shark’s mind. Except that the end result of its thought process is usually danger for anything in its vicinity.’ She sighed with resignation. ‘Oh look, I’m waffling. Spending so much time with Mary… Seeing her these past six months has been like watching a vase fall off the shelf. Don’t mind me. It’s just sibling stuff. And I’m stressed… Have to go to the vet. Lack of time. Other things to do. You know the drill.’

Connor wished he had other things to do. Things like that. Ordinary, dull things. Instead he had nothing to do but to wait and see if the link Zachery had sent him was going to extinguish his future.

Connor led the way into the kitchen but as he approached the sliding door leading to Kitty-Kat, he realised that Brona was no longer behind him. Instead Brona had veered off and was now stepping down into the sunken study. Slowly she walked around his desk, rubbing her hand over the printer, paper ream and opened laptop, like it was all something in a showroom.

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