‘Hello! You’re back. How was the trip?’
‘Mia, how are you? I didn’t expect a welcoming committee, but it’s nice to have one.’
She flashed her uncle a sheepish grin. ‘Oh, I wasn’t waiting here for you. I was just, er, nipping to the bathroom.’
She stood there in the hallway while Mark, who looked worn out and dishevelled, dropped his overnight bag on the floor before removing his jacket and placing it on a hanger on the coat rack.
There was an awkward moment when he looked up and, seeing his niece there, watching him, interpreted this as her waiting for a proper greeting. So he leaned forward and planted an unexpected kiss on her cheek.
‘Hello,’ she found herself repeating. ‘Um, Hannah said you did manage to catch up with Mum yesterday evening.’
‘That’s right.’
‘How was she? Did she, er, say when she’d be coming back for me?’
Her uncle smiled, although his eyes didn’t join in with his mouth. ‘Is it okay if I freshen up first, Mia? Then we can all sit down together and I’ll bring you and Hannah up to speed. I’ve been dreaming of a shower all the way home. I feel so hot and sticky, although it’s definitely not as warm now as it was in Bournemouth yesterday. It was roasting.’
‘Sure,’ Mia replied. ‘Hannah’s in the kitchen, by the way. I’ll, um …’ She pointed in the direction of the bathroom.
‘Please. You carry on, love.’
She hadn’t actually been on the way to the bathroom when Mark had walked through the front door. She’d been listening out for him for the past hour or so, splitting her time between the lounge and her bedroom, trying to read but struggling to concentrate. Hannah must have noticed she was on tenterhooks, but she’d been good enough not to say anything.
As soon as Mia had heard the key, she’d darted towards the entrance of the apartment, desperate to know what her uncle had discovered. She hoped for some explanation about what her mum was up to and a date when she could return home: preferably soon, while there was some of the school holidays left to enjoy with her friends. Hearing Mark say how warm it had been down there was enough to make her feel homesick. She longed to sunbathe or play ball games on the beach; to enjoy a refreshing dip in the sea.
It was for this reason that she’d not been messaging as much with her friends back home in recent days. It only made her envious and sad she wasn’t with them. Meanwhile, not wanting to look like a total loser, she’d told them a few porky-pies about what she’d been up to in Manchester.
For a start, Mia had claimed to have befriended a group of local kids, who she was supposedly hanging out with most days. She’d taken some surreptitious pictures on her phone of teenagers skating and hanging out in Cathedral Gardens, an open space near Victoria railway station, then used these to bring her fictional friends to life.
Unbeknown to Todd, she’d also woven him into this fantasy as a guy she had a crush on – older not younger – who she was gradually getting close to in the hope that something might happen between them. She’d not used a photo of the real Todd, as it would be obvious he was younger than her, but rather one of a particularly hot skater she’d managed to snap from a distance and zoom in on.
She and Todd had spent most of today out and about together. Todd had called round for her after breakfast and she hadn’t returned to the apartment until gone 5 p.m. They’d both agreed to try to swipe some alcohol from their relatives. It had been Mia’s idea, mooted while they were messaging each other the previous night. It was out of character for her to do such a thing, never mind suggest it, but she’d been emboldened by hearing her friends going on about various parties and nights out she was missing. She’d felt a yearning for some real excitement and adventure of her own, hoping this might shake things up a little and help the day pass more quickly as she anxiously awaited her uncle’s return.
Initially Todd hadn’t been too enthusiastic. But in the event, he’d been the one to come up with the goods.
‘So, what have you got?’ Mia asked him once they were alone in the lift that morning, heading down.
‘Sorry, nothing,’ Todd said, looking at the floor.
‘So what’s with the backpack?’ she asked, nudging him in the side, having noticed a flash of a grin escape from the corner of his mouth.
‘Okay, okay.’ He turned to face her with his hands aloft. ‘Busted. I’m winding you up. I got two bottles of wine.’
Mia was impressed. ‘Serious? Isn’t that too much? Won’t she notice?’
He shook his head as the lift arrived with a thud at the ground floor and spat them out. ‘No way.’ Once they were safely outside in the warm, breezy air, he added: ‘You should see how many bottles she has in the pantry. I think she’s in a wine club or something. I picked two at random.’
‘Red or white?’
‘White. Have you ever tried red? It’s disgusting. My dad’s always drinking it. Plus it stains your teeth, which would be a dead giveaway.’
‘Isn’t white supposed to be served cold?’
Todd shrugged. ‘Don’t ask me. I just got some alcohol, like you asked. How did you get on?’
‘Yeah, about that—’
Todd started to laugh. ‘Oh, come on. You didn’t get anything, did you? There can’t be much in that little handbag.’
Looking around first to ensure no one was watching, Mia unzipped her bag and pulled out a small glass bottle of clear liquid, which she flashed at Todd before tucking it away again.
‘What’s that?’ he asked. ‘Vodka? Gin?’
‘It’s kirsch.’
‘You what? I’ve never even heard of that? Where did you find it?’
‘It was tucked away at the back of the cupboard under the kitchen sink, like it had been forgotten.’
‘What is it, though?’
‘Well, I looked it up online and, apparently, it’s a kind of fruit brandy made from cherries. It’s strong too – forty per cent alcohol – although it does smell a bit odd.’
Mia had wanted to bring something better than this, but she’d bottled out, fearing anything bigger would get noticed.
When she’d suggested the idea of getting their hands on some alcohol yesterday, she’d made out to Todd like it was something she did all the time. This was far from the truth. Other than sneaking the odd sip from her mum’s glass at home, she’d only tried it a couple of times: once at a house party thrown by an older girl from school and another time at a beach party about a week before she’d come to Manchester. It had been alcopops she’d drunk the first time and cider the second; on both occasions, she’d stopped before getting too wasted, unlike some of her friends, who’d embarrassed themselves and/or been violently sick.
So why now?
Everyone had to rebel from time to time. And wouldn’t it be great to have something juicy – not made up for once – that she could tell her friends she’d done in Manchester?
After wandering in the direction of the city centre for a few minutes, Mia grabbed Todd’s arm and jerked him to a halt. ‘Hang on,’ she said. ‘Wouldn’t a park be better: somewhere quiet where no one will notice what we’re up to? We don’t want to get arrested.’
‘Good point,’ Todd replied. ‘Um, have you been to any parks here before?’
‘What about the Whitworth?’
Todd had no idea where she was talking about, so she explained it was an art gallery she’d visited with her aunt.
‘An art gallery? How’s that a good place to get drunk?’
She explained it was located in a big park and, ten minutes later, they were on a bus heading down Oxford Road towards Manchester University. At this point, Mia started to feel anxious. Todd was chatting away about how he’d got further than ever before on one of his PlayStation games; she nodded occasionally, pretending to listen.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked her when they left the bus.
‘Yeah, why?’
‘I don’t know. You seem quiet.’
Mia had been thinking about her mum. Hannah had told her over breakfast that Mark had met up with her at the house last night, but he hadn’t told her anything so far. Mia had a bad feeling about the situation, which she couldn’t shake. She’d nearly messaged her mum loads of times this morning, but something had stopped her. She didn’t want to tell any of this to Todd, though. She preferred him to think of her as this chilled, older, worldly-wise girl who took everything in her stride. Admitting she was homesick and worried about what the hell was going on with her mum didn’t exactly fit in with that.
But as they crossed the road, which was really busy despite none of the uni students being around due to the holidays, the whole getting drunk thing seemed like less and less of a good idea. Nonetheless, she continued in the direction of the park with Todd at her side.
‘So what shall we start on first?’ he asked after they’d found a quiet spot, tucked away behind a bush.
‘I’m not sure. You pick.’
‘Can I have a smell of your weird stuff?’
‘Sure.’ She opened her handbag and pulled the small bottle out, handing it to Todd, who was sitting cross-legged on the grass next to her.
As Mia shuffled around, trying to get comfortable without giving anyone – especially Todd – a view up her skirt, she wished she’d thought to wear trousers or leggings. Even shorts would have been better.
A young family playing catch with a bouncing Yorkshire terrier in the distance grabbed her attention. Then Todd let out a high-pitched scream and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned to see he’d leapt to his feet and, in the process, dropped the bottle of kirsch on the floor.
‘What the hell?’ she cried out, stretching over to grab the bottle, only to find it was already drained.
Todd had darted a few feet away from her and was staring anxiously at the bush, gesticulating that Mia should follow him.
‘What’s the matter?’ she asked.
‘There’s something in there,’ he said, eyes wide, pointing at the bush. ‘I think it’s a rat.’
‘What?’ Mia yelped, finally listening to her friend and springing to her feet.
She moved over to where he was standing, leaving her handbag behind, next to Todd’s backpack. The pair of them stared at the bush, scouring it for movement.
‘Are you sure you didn’t imagine it?’ Mia asked after a few minutes had passed and there was no sign of any rat.
‘I saw its eyes glaring at me,’ he whispered. ‘It was terrifying.’
‘I noticed.’ Mia started to giggle. ‘That was quite a scream.’
‘Don’t,’ Todd replied, cracking a smile. It was soon wiped away, though, by a rustle in the bush as some of the leaves and branches moved.
‘Oh my God!’ Mia cried, grabbing hold of Todd’s hand. ‘Did you see that? Are you sure it’s a rat? I hate rats. Yuck. They’re disgusting.’
‘I know – me too. I was on a school camping trip once and someone brought along a copy of this ancient horror book called The Rats. He read a bit of it one night and I was terrified. I pretended not to be, because – you know – I didn’t want to look like a wuss, but I hardly slept that night. I’ve had a thing about rats ever since.’
‘I’d never have guessed,’ Mia said, realising she was holding Todd’s hand and gently letting go.
‘You’d have screamed too, if you’d been the one to see it,’ he said.
‘Too right I would, but I’m a girl. Aren’t you guys supposed to be the ones who come to our rescue in these situations?’
‘Um, heard of feminism ever?’
Mia rolled her eyes. ‘That doesn’t apply when rodents are involved. Obviously. You could redeem yourself by going to get our bags. You needn’t bother with the kirsch. It’s empty.’
‘Sorry about the bottle,’ Todd said, ‘but I’m afraid there’s absolutely zero chance of me going anywhere near that bush. Ladies first. I insist.’
They both started giggling at the ridiculousness of the situation, at which point Mia spotted a scruffy-looking chap veer off the nearby path on to the grass, heading in their direction.
The man, who looked to be in his late thirties or early forties, had long, curly ginger hair and a matching beard. As he approached – dressed in combat boots, tatty jeans and a woollen jumper that belied the summer weather – his smell announced itself before he did. It was the unmistakeable reek of someone who’d been living and sleeping rough in the same clothes, without washing, for too long. It wasn’t uncommon to see such folk back home, especially during the summer months, so Mia wasn’t fazed. Her mum had taught her to be charitable towards them rather than afraid, pointing out that they were ‘just normal people down on their luck’.
‘What are you two looking so stressed about?’ he asked them in a softer than expected voice that, to Mia’s ears, sounded northern but not Mancunian.
‘Um, I er …’ Todd had a tremor in his voice as he looked at Mia rather than their new companion. The pupils in his eyes looked stretched to capacity and he appeared almost out of breath. She wanted to tell her friend to calm down, but instead she replied to the man, trying not to wrinkle up her nose at the smell. ‘My friend here saw a rat in the bush.’
‘A rat?’ he said, his breath stinking of alcohol, even though he seemed articulate enough. Turning to look at Todd, he asked: ‘Are you sure?’
He got a vigorous nod in reply.
‘I haven’t seen it myself, but there’s definitely something in there,’ Mia said. ‘The bush was moving around before you got here and there was a rustling noise.’
‘Hmm,’ the man said. ‘I can’t say I’ve seen any rats around here. Are you sure it wasn’t just a—’
Before he had a chance to finish the sentence, there was more rustling and moving branches, followed by the sudden appearance of a grey squirrel.
Mia stifled a scream, having initially mistaken it for the rat – and then, as the truth dawned on her, she started to laugh.
The fluffy-tailed animal beamed its dark eyes at them for a long moment before darting up a nearby tree.
‘Exactly,’ the man said. ‘A squirrel. That’s what I was about to say. There are loads of them in this park and they’re not afraid of us at all. They’ll come right up to you if you have some food.’ He turned to Todd again and threw him a good-natured grin. ‘Do you reckon that might be what you saw, lad?’
The teenager looked down at the ground before muttering: ‘Um, maybe, yeah. I only really saw its face.’
‘Don’t worry,’ the man said. ‘It’s an easy mistake to make.’ He looked back at Mia and gave her a private wink, adding: ‘They don’t look that different, do they? It’s only the cute bushy tail that stands them apart really. But they are much easier to love than rats; that’s a fact. I reckon you can return to your bags in safety now, kids.’
Mia expected the man to tap them up for some change before leaving. But he didn’t – and, as a result, she felt bad for thinking so.
She and Todd returned to where they’d been sitting. Once the man was safely out of earshot, Todd whispered: ‘He was a bit of a weirdo, wasn’t he? He totally stank. Do you reckon he was a tramp?’
‘I think he was probably homeless, yes. Tramp isn’t a very nice word. He was only trying to be helpful.’
Todd frowned. ‘If you say so. Are you sure he didn’t nick anything while he was talking to us? He could be a skilled pickpocket, for all you know, like Fagin’s gang in Oliver!’
‘What are you on about?’
‘It’s the musical version of Oliver Twist. We, um, put it on at school a few months ago. I was one of them.’
‘Sorry?’
‘One of the thieves. You know, the Artful Dodger and all that. I didn’t play him, though. I was just in the chorus.’
Mia vaguely knew what he was talking about now. She seemed to remember seeing the film on TV once. ‘It’s not very nice to assume he’s a thief, Todd,’ she replied, cutting to the chase. ‘You shouldn’t be so quick to judge. He didn’t go anywhere near my handbag.’
‘If you say so. I kept my hands in my pockets the whole time he was here. My dad reckons no one needs to be homeless. He says they’re usually people who don’t want to contribute to society, because they’d rather be off their heads on drugs or drink.’
Mia decided at this point that she definitely had no further interest in getting drunk with Todd.
‘I’m not really feeling like this any more,’ she said after he suggested opening the wine.
‘What? How come? Is it because I dropped your bottle? I am sorry about that. I didn’t mean to. It was an accident. It smelled pretty awful anyway.’
Mia got to her feet, smoothing down her skirt with her hands. ‘I know. Don’t worry, that’s not the reason. Come on, let’s go.’
Todd also stood up. ‘Is it something I did? Is it about the rat – or what I just said about that, um … bloke?’
‘You could have been nicer about him, sure. No offence to your dad, but I think what he told you about the homeless isn’t very fair. No one wants to be living on the streets.’
Todd winced. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean—’
‘Never mind. The drinking seemed like a good idea earlier, but now it feels, um, juvenile.’
‘Right.’ Todd picked up his bag and zipped it shut. He looked so dejected that Mia wondered if she’d gone too far in what she’d said. She had been disappointed by his reaction, though, because it was so far removed from her own. Mind you, it wasn’t his fault what his parents had taught him. And he was only thirteen.
‘I’d better find a bin for this,’ she said, bending down to pick up the discarded kirsch bottle and emptying out the drop of clear liquid remaining before screwing the lid back on.
When she looked up again, to her surprise, Todd was running in the direction of the homeless guy, who was now sitting on a park bench in the distance.
What the hell?
She thought about going after her friend, but before she had a chance to make her mind up, he’d already reached the man. She watched the pair interact, although they were too far away for her to hear what they were saying.
Todd had his back to her and was blocking her view of the seated man, so she couldn’t even see their facial expressions. There was some gesturing and then Todd unzipped his backpack, pulled out the two bottles of wine and handed them over. Next thing, Todd was waving goodbye and running back in her direction; she could now see that the man was grinning. He raised one of the bottles into the air and mouthed what looked like ‘cheers’.
‘Cheers!’ she shouted back with a wave.
‘You gave him the wine,’ Mia said when Todd returned to her side.
‘Yep. I asked him first if he liked wine, which he does, and then I offered him the bottles. He seemed pleased.’
Mia couldn’t help thinking they would have been better giving him some food or even cash. But what the hell? If it made him happy in the short term, why not? He’d no doubt be buying alcohol at some point anyway, judging by how much he smelled of the stuff. It was a nice, well-meaning gesture on Todd’s part; enough to make up for what he’d said before.
‘I thought I might as well pass the bottles on to someone who wanted them. I’m sure Gran won’t miss them and, if I tried to put them back, I’d run the risk of getting caught in the process.’ He winked before adding: ‘It’ll be nice not having to lug them around any more.’
‘Fair enough.’
‘So are we heading back into town?’
‘Um, we could have a look around the art gallery first, if you like, or there’s a museum a bit further up Oxford Road where there’s a dinosaur skeleton.’
Todd pulled a face. ‘I’m not really into museums and art galleries. Sorry. And I think I’ve seen the dinosaur before. It must be the place Gran took me last summer. I’m actually a bit hungry. Do you fancy popping to that McDonald’s we passed on the bus earlier? It’s only a short walk, I think.’
‘Go on, then,’ Mia said, laughing inside at the fact they were surrounded by culture but chose instead to go for a Maccy D’s. ‘I reckon I could handle a chocolate milkshake.’
‘It’s the cheeseburgers I love. Yum.’ Todd rubbed his stomach with one hand to emphasise his point as they headed back to the park entrance, Mia dropping the empty kirsch bottle into the first bin they passed.
As they walked, they joked about how angry their respective parents would be if they found out about them stealing the alcohol from their relatives.
‘How come it’s just you and your mum, actually?’ Todd asked next. ‘Unless you don’t want to talk about it.’
‘No, it’s okay,’ Mia replied. ‘It’s always been this way. My dad’s never been on the scene. Mum doesn’t like to talk about him. Any time I’ve brought him up, she’s just said he’s a waste of space who’s not interested in being a father – and we’re better off without him in our lives.’
‘So you don’t even know who he is?’ Todd asked, his mouth agape. ‘That’s mental. Don’t you even want to find out?’
‘I don’t know really. It’s hard to miss someone you’ve never known. But then occasionally – when I spend time at friends’ houses, for instance, and see what a regular family looks like – I do think about it. I wonder where he is and what he’s doing; if I look like him and whether he ever thinks about me.’
‘Don’t you reckon she’d tell you if you went on about it enough and wore her down?’
‘She’d probably just get mad, to be honest. Mum really doesn’t like to talk about it. She’s doing what she believes is best for me. And if he isn’t a very nice person, who’s not interested in the fact he has a daughter, then I am probably better off without him. It’s not like he’s ever made any effort to contact us.’
‘It must be weird, though. I can’t imagine. What about your aunt and uncle? Do they know who he is?’
Mia shook her head. ‘Mum’s always said she’s never told anyone. I did ask my grandad once, a couple of years ago, and he said he didn’t know. I don’t think he was lying. Whoever my dad is, it’s likely he’s from around here, because Mum lived in Manchester when she had me.’
‘It could be that dude I gave the wine to,’ Todd said with a smirk.
‘Very funny.’
As they arrived outside McDonald’s, Mia decided to change the subject to something lighter. ‘Anyway, Todd, since you’re being a comedian, tell me more about your time on stage in that musical.’ Mia fought to keep a straight face. ‘I guess there must have been lots of singing and dancing involved. You’ll have to give me a rendition.’
Todd groaned as he held open the door for her. ‘Why did I tell you about that? I was awful, honestly. My English teacher roped me into it because they were short on numbers. My singing voice is so bad they actually told me to mime.’
This made Mia giggle. ‘Maybe don’t sing after all, then.’
Back in the present, Mia was lying on her bed, staring at the plain white ceiling above and trying to stay calm when there was a knock at her door.
‘Come in,’ she said.
The door swung open and Hannah’s head appeared. ‘Have you got a minute, love? Your uncle wants a word with us both about what happened yesterday with your mum. We’re in the lounge.’
‘Okay. I’ll be there in a sec.’
Mia took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment and wished for good news.