Second Chances by Charity Norman Read Free Book Online

self-defence. I needed to stop that.
    ‘I know Mr McNamara lost his business. I know that’s shit. It’s totally shit to be still young and feel like you’re a waste of space. My dad was laid off.’ Ivan fiddled with his mug. ‘He was in pieces, too. He works at the petrol station now.’
    ‘I didn’t realise.’
    ‘Not the guy with one arm. Dad does nights.’
    Thinking hard, I remembered a tidy shadow in a blue shirt and tie, muffled behind reinforced glass, joking bravely about the weather.
    Ivan cracked his knuckles. I sensed he was getting ready for the big push. ‘ Emigrating? ’ He shook his head. ‘It’s too much. Sacha will be paying for the rest of the family’s happiness, and it’ll cost her an arm and a leg.’
    ‘This must be hard for you, Ivan. I know that, and I’m sorry. But I really do believe it’s the best thing for Sacha.’
    ‘She’s paying,’ he repeated doggedly. ‘She’ll lose her friends. Her school. Her grandpa. Her cousins.’ He took a mouthful of tea and swilled it from one cheek to the other before swallowing. ‘Oh, and me . . . but that’s not very important because we wouldn’t be together for long anyway.’ He meant that, I think. He said it simply, artlessly. It was a statement of fact. ‘I’ve never known anyone like Sacha, but she’s going places I can’t follow. And I don’t mean New Zealand.’
    The twins began giggling outside. I got up and stood at the window. They were plotting something, their heads close together. ‘We’ve had an offer on the house,’ I said.
    ‘Shit.’ Ivan drummed long, ragged fingers on the table.
    Finn and Charlie suddenly tugged down their jeans, glee in every furtive movement. The next moment they were merrily peeing into a puddle.
    ‘Those little blighters will never be lonely,’ said Ivan from behind me. ‘Wherever they go, they’ll always have a ready-made Best Mate, piddling into their puddle.’
    ‘That’s true; but Sacha will make friends wherever she goes.’
    Finn turned, trying to direct his stream down Charlie’s wellingtons. Fortunately his aim wasn’t very good. I rapped smartly on the window and they both waved, so overcome with mirth that they had to hold one another up.
    ‘She thinks the world of you,’ said Ivan. ‘She says you used to be like sisters.’
    ‘We still are, really.’
    ‘Well, then. I’m begging you to think again. Refuse the offer, get that sign down and find Mr McNamara a job. They’re a waiter short at the Beefeater . ’
    Kit, waiting at the Beefeater. That would be the mighty, fallen. I had a horrible vision of him with his hair standing on end, thunder rumbling on his brow, deliberately pouring beer into people’s laps. I pulled my face straight as I turned around. ‘What did your father do, before he lost his job?’
    ‘Nuclear physicist.’
    ‘W-wow,’ I stammered, wondering how I hadn’t known this. ‘That’s, um . . .’
    ‘Unexpected?’ Ivan pushed back his chair. ‘Nah, pulling your leg. He drove the mobile library. Might not sound very exciting, but he loved it. The council closed it down. Not cost effective, they said. But . . . thing is, that library wasn’t just a bus filled with books. It was the highlight of the week for some people.’
    I saw my young visitor out. He stopped by the front door, watching the twins, who were on their hands and knees as they tried to lap water out of the pond.
    ‘Mrs McNamara—Martha. Can I offer you a deal? Change your mind, and I promise I’ll piss off and never have anything to do with Sacha again.’
    Touched, I squeezed him on the arm.
    ‘I mean it,’ he insisted.
    ‘I believe you, Ivan.’
    ‘The rest of you will be okay. I can see that.’ He cocked his head at the boys. ‘It’s an adventure for those little nutters. For you, it’s . . . I dunno, an escape? For Mr McNamara it’s a dream. But what about Sacha?’
    ‘I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for her,’ I maintained stubbornly.
    He walked