Tuesdays Are Just As Bad by Cethan Leahy

Author:Cethan Leahy [Cethan Leahy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781781175644
Publisher: Mercier Press
Published: 2018-06-08T04:00:00+00:00

***

‘I like the gnome,’ said Linda.

‘Oh yeah, that’s my dad’s. He thinks they’re funny. Ha!’ said Adam.

I wondered what he was so nervous about. Was it his friends meeting his family or his family meeting his friends? He opened the door and, despite what he may have hoped, his mother was there immediately.

‘Hello, Mrs Murphy!’ said everyone in a sweet chorus.

‘Hello! You must be Adam’s friends.’

‘You have a cool house,’ said Barry, admiring a tacky-looking vase.

‘Oh, well, you have a cool jumper.’

Barry beamed, vindicated in his decision to wear the same thing day in, day out. Everyone else rolled their eyes. After Adam introduced them all, they travelled up to his room, where Adam’s dad was directed to bring his drum machine.

‘Your room is a bit sparse,’ said Linda. ‘You should get a rug or something.’

‘I like it,’ said Aoife. ‘Very modern.’

‘Oh, yeah,’ said Adam.

‘There you go, lads,’ said Dad, bearing an electronic gift. Douglas brushed off the thin layer of dust and pressed one of the buttons. It created a steady beat.

‘Well, it’s already surpassed your shoddy timekeeping, Barry.’

‘Enjoy!’ said Dad, who stopped a moment before leaving to stealthily point at Aoife with a questioning face. Adam cringed hard. This was actually quite amusing.

‘Oh, I love this book,’ said Aoife, pointing at one of the ones he hadn’t read all of.

Adam was relieved she hadn’t seen his father’s not too subtle communication. ‘Oh, that one, me too.’

‘My favourite bit is the moment with the test.’

‘Me too. Man, it’s been so long since I read it.’

Adam was an inexpert liar. It was a bit embarrassing to watch really. You could almost hear his heartbeat speed up.

‘Oh, I can increase the tempo too!’ said Douglas, playing with the drum machine. ‘Wow, Barry, you have been rendered obsolete by the latest technology of the nineties.’

‘This is total BS.’

‘Shoot, I have to go,’ said Linda, noticing the time. ‘My mother is making me go shopping for “sensible shoes”.’

‘Me too. I need to practise with my new band member, Barry 1,’ said Douglas, hugging the drum machine and leaving the room.

‘Shouldn’t it be Barry 2?’ said Barry following him out to the hall.

‘It’s really more of a ranking.’

It was just Aoife and Adam (and me) in the room now. I willed Adam not to say anything. She smiled at him and he smiled back. His eyes looked around frantically for something to delay her.

‘Adam! Can you help your father in the garden? No worries if your friends are still here.’

‘Duty calls. I’ll see ya later,’ said Aoife.

‘Yeah, I’ll get on to you about that.’

‘About what?’

‘Later?’

‘Bye.’ She waved goodbye, a FRIENDS ONLY wave, I hoped, since their romance was something that was never going to happen.

He showed her to the door. After she popped her headphones back on and walked out the gate, he joined his father in the garden, who handed him a trowel.

‘Is it okay if Douglas borrows the drum machine?’

‘Well, since I saw him walk out the door with it already, I guess it had better be.

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