Reunions by Debbie McGowan

Author:Debbie McGowan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mystery, family, mental health, bipolar disorder, everyday life, lgbtq, dimentia, literary soap opera
Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing

Thin Ice

Wednesday, 26th–Thursday, 27th December

Josh peered over his glasses at Libby as she perched on the arm of the sofa, her eyes on the TV. George sat up and moved along, freeing space for her to sit. She smiled in thanks and slid into the seat.

“Have you left your friends upstairs?” Josh asked. If it sounded like an accusation…well, it was. She’d done exactly the same on Christmas Day, claiming she didn’t think it was right to abandon her family for her friends.

“Yeah. I’ll go back in a minute. They’re watching videos of practical jokes. I don’t know why they call them jokes. They’re not funny.” She noticed George’s smirk. “You think it’s funny telling someone to stick their tongue to a frozen pipe?”

“Not in the least. It’s just you reminded me someone else used to say that.”

“She’s right,” Josh said.

George nodded. “See what I mean?”

“What are you watching?” Libby stared hard at the TV. It was a poor attempt at deflection.

“Wildlife programme,” George answered, although the footage spoke for itself. A chase was afoot, graphically depicted in slow motion.

“Ugh, that’s even worse.” Libby got up and left the room.

Josh listened to see where she went, because it wasn’t back upstairs. “It sounds like a case of two’s company to me,” he said, although he suspected it was a little more complicated than that.

“Yeah,” George agreed vaguely. He shut one eye and then both of them as another innocent animal was taken down by a predator. “I wish they’d edit the kill out.”

“That’s hardly the point, is it? People enjoy watching an animal rendered helpless and ripped apart by a greater being.”

“Nice.”

“Libby’s right. It’s at least as bad as playing pranks.”

“This is about survival,” George argued. “Pranks serve no purpose.”

“Are they not about proving one has the ability to successfully outdo another?”

“If you say so.”

“I do.” Josh adjusted his glasses and returned to his reading, dividing his attention between it and listening out for Libby. It sounded like she was preparing snacks, and he decided: if she was still in the kitchen in five minutes, he’d go out and talk to her, just to make sure there was nothing more going on than her needing some space away from her friends.

Almost as if she’d known what he was planning, in the fourth minute, she passed the living room door on her way back up with a tray. He couldn’t see what was on it. Fifteen minutes later, she was back in the living room.

“You do know it’s your room, don’t you? You can send them home if they’re making you feel unwelcome.”

Libby stopped where she was and chewed her lip for a moment. She quietly closed the door and sat in the chair. “I need to talk to you about it.” She gripped her knees, pressing her fingertips into the spaces below her kneecaps, using the pressure to distract and give herself thinking time. She still wasn’t sure she was doing the right thing.

Josh set his book aside and took off his glasses; George muted the TV.

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