When Love Comes to Town by Tom Lennon

Author:Tom Lennon
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Published: 2013-01-03T13:57:39+00:00

chapter six

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chapter six

As they drove up to the airport terminal, the enormous dark outline of an airplane loomed overhead, making a deafening roar as it soared into the night sky.

Neil leaned out of the car window to watch the red flashing taillights grow smaller and smaller in the distance.

Alongside him in the back seat, Jackie was making her hundredth last minute check of her hand luggage.

“Passport, tickets, money . . .” she muttered.

“Hairbrush,” his dad joked.

“Ssssh!” Jackie hissed, and Neil’s dad caught his eye in the mirror and winked conspiratorially.

“Well, if you’ve forgotten anything, it’s too late to go 146

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back for it now.” Their mum was the voice of reason.

Jackie gave another panicky squeal as their dad turned the car into the short-term parking lot.

Neil smiled when he spotted Liam, lurking behind a pillar, way off down at the other end of the lengthy departures concourse. He was smoking a cigarette, his scruffy rucksack leaning against a video games machine. As planned, Neil pretended he had to go to the bathroom so he could give Liam the ticket Jackie had had for safekeeping.

“Thanks, man,” Liam beamed, flicking his long hair back from his face and slipping the plane ticket into the top pocket of his faded denim jacket.

Neil grinned. “Your name is dirt in our house.”

“Do they know I’m here?” Liam winced, his eyes open wide.

“Of course they do, but they’re pretending they don’t,” Neil said and Liam smiled.

“How’re you feeling, man?” Liam asked.

“Okay,” Neil answered and saw Liam eyeing him thoughtfully. There was something soothing, almost Christlike about his hair, his beard, his smile, that left Neil feeling totally at ease. Maybe Liam was the one to talk to.

But, of course, he was going away, like everyone else who meant anything to him. Deserting him for his crisis summer.

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“Fancy a pint?” Liam asked, handing Neil a cigarette.

“We’d never have time,” Neil said, leaning forward to catch the flame of Liam’s lighter.

“Course we will,” Liam drawled, slinging his rucksack up onto his back and loping gazelle-style past the lines of people waiting to check in their luggage, and into the bar.

Jackie came rushing in before the froth had settled on their pints. She shrieked with nervous laughter when she spotted the pair of them.

“Give us a swig of that,” she said, taking a long gulp out of Liam’s pint.

“Where’s the old pair?” Neil asked.

“Brendan, if I don’t get a cup of coffee soon, I’ll pass out,” Jackie said, doing an exaggerated imitation of their mum.

“You’ll have time for one,” Liam said, going up to the bar to get a pint for Jackie. Neil and Jackie were alone.

Jackie slipped the silver chain that was hanging around her neck out from beneath her T-shirt.

“Look what she gave me,” she giggled, holding the miraculous medal out for Neil to inspect.

“Holy Josephine.”

Jackie leaned forward and cupped Neil’s hands in her own. “See ya in September then, Gladys.”

“Yeah.” Neil lowered his gaze.

“We’ll be going to college together,” she enthused, 148

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squeezing his hands in delight. “It’ll be brilliant.

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