The Fixer by John Daniell

Author:John Daniell
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-927262-46-7
Publisher: Upstart Press
Published: 2015-01-04T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

Because I can bear only so much reality I bump Michel from a card game down the back of the bus — age has its privileges — for the ride back to the airport, lose €50 in just under an hour and laugh more in that time than I have in the last week.

* * *

It’s nearly midnight when I get home to an apartment that feels depressingly empty now that Rachel is in London. We agreed that it would be silly for her to come over for weekends if I was playing away. I call Ali — it must be nearly noon at home. It rings through to the answerphone first time, so I try again and this time Darrin picks up. He passes me over like a hot potato to Ali, who is just waking up. I wonder what they say about me. Does he respect me so much that he finds it hard to speak to me, or am I the rich prick who’s dumb enough to send money and they laugh every time they think about it? I stopped being able to connect with Ali about ten years ago.

‘Hi, Spark. You’re up late.’

‘Not really. Sounds like you were, though.’

‘Oh yeah, Darrin had some of his mates round. It was a good night. Ow, shit. Jesus, where are those Panadol, hun?’ She yawns.

‘Have those kids had breakfast?’

‘They’re fine. Sasha knows where the cereal is, and she looks after Steph. Sasha’s quite independent. She’s nearly eight.’

‘How do you know they’re all right?’

‘I can hear the TV from the bedroom. Thanks, hun.’ Sarah would have seen the irony in this exchange: the man who didn’t want to have kids because he wanted to keep being a boy getting wound up about his sister’s loose interpretation of parental duties.

‘Well, that’s all right, then. Listen, I’ll let you get over that hangover, but call me some time this week.’

‘That’s OK, I can talk now. Busy week coming up.’ I bet. Another yawn, then a stifled giggle. Darrin will be feeling horny. I know I always do when I wake up with a hangover. He’s probably pawing her under the sheets. I shake my head to get rid of the image. It’s bad enough that they’re in our parents’ bedroom.

‘No, honestly, let’s do this another time. I wanted to talk about Granddad’s tapes. Did you read the clipping?’

‘Ah, nah, I just sent it all off to you.’

‘You weren’t even the teensiest bit interested in what he might have been up to?’

‘You were always the golden grandchild. He was never that interested in me. As far as I remember, the old bastard reeked of booze and mothballs, or something nasty. And he said I was chubby, which I didn’t think was that cool. Anyway, you know I’ve never been interested in war and all that stuff.’

‘All right, forget it. See ya, wouldn’t wanna be ya.’ We used to say this when we were kids. I’m trying to be friendly but I

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