Kate trudged up the congested Cardiff high street. Cars were parked half on the pavements; buses coughed black soot into the air. The school run was in progress, and she was running late. It didn’t matter that Mikey was always straggling behind. He liked her to be there, and Mum was cooking dinner. Hopefully, Mum didn’t ask her to stay again. She’d like to get in an hour at the gym, take a long shower, and curl up on the sofa. Mum called her boring, and Kate always laughed. Anyone who watched Darcy the flipping fake surgeon needed their heads checked. Didn’t help that someone had decided Darcy needed to be on huge billboards. One of which was outside the school gates, proclaiming that beauty came in stylish packages. Great message for junior-school kids: they were only worth their clothes?
“Kate,” Bennie, ex-friend and complete bitch, called from behind her.
Oh no, keep walking. Selective deafness. Her stepdad had it off to a T, which was why he was probably still married to Mum instead of living in a rented flat in Splott. Although, maybe Dad had the right idea. Saved him from eating Mum’s “Darcy delights.” Why did dressing people make her a cook too? Mum wasn’t a cook. Mum murdered toast for fun. Even Mikey could manage toast.
“Kate, come on.” Bennie huffed loud enough that she had to be close.
Shit. Just walk faster. She picked up her pace, only for a thick hand to grip her arm.
“Kate. Stop being a baby.” Bennie yanked her around. Her enticing dark-brown eyes twinkled, and those long eyelashes fluttered.
Wow, she’d decided a grade two shave—a buzz cut—was her. Made those eyes look huge. Had to be Laura’s influence. Bennie had always had long, flowing brown hair to her shoulders. “Stare all you like. You need to talk to me.”
“I don’t need to do anything.” Kate pulled her arm free. Yup, the shaved head definitely removed all attraction. What a relief. “Later.”
She turned back around and smiled to herself.
“We’re getting married,” Bennie said. Her tone was as if she wasn’t too pleased about it either. “Soon.”
That familiar pain prickled through her stomach, and she stopped. A bus puffed out a cloud of thick, black smoke, and she spluttered. She hurried on, tears stinging her eyes. Married. Nice. Bennie wouldn’t even commit to a relationship with her. She’d never done relationships.
“Kate-oh!” Mikey yelled it through the February crisp, damp air. Yelled it in a way that filled her with some kind of strength. Just keep walking. Don’t give Bennie the satisfaction.
“I want you to be there,” Bennie called out, but Kate fixed her eyes on Mikey breaking into a run. Focus on Mikey. “I want you to be part of it.”
“Hey, babe,” she said, throwing her arms out to catch him, one eye on Bennie. “How was your day?”
“I sent the invitation to your mother’s.” Bennie leaned against the wall, close enough to watch her. She’d always been able to read her.
“I fell.” He held up his hands, grazes on them. “Mrs Jones said I got my feet in a twist.”
She studied his scratched-up palms.
Why would Bennie do that? Why would she send it to Mum’s house? Why inflict more pain? “Did she bathe them?” she asked Mikey.
He nodded, then grinned. When he turned and spotted Bennie, his smile faded. He’d get stressed. It made all his problems worse when he was stressed, his speech especially. He scowled and blew a raspberry, a big one that made three kids strolling by snigger.
Bennie waved like she didn’t care. Kids were not her strong point. “Hey, Mikey.”
“No hi.” He scowled at her. “You…naughty.” He flopped forward into Kate’s arms and clung on. “You hurt.”
She pulled him back. He sounded really upset about it. How had he noticed? He’d noticed?
Bennie sucked in her chin. “Nah, Kate’s tough.”
Mikey turned and stomped over. “You make cry.” He booted her in the shin and narrowed his eyes, wagging his finger at her. “You… Mum say…” He blew another raspberry. “Mum say…you…slapper.”
Kate clamped her lips shut and hurried to him, scooping him into her arms.
Bennie just stared at him, wincing.
“You think I should be at her wedding, babe?”
Mikey narrowed his little eyes. “No.”
Kate nodded and glared at Bennie. “Me neither.”
She turned, and he wriggled around to piggyback as she hurried across the racetrack of a road. “Did Mum really say that about Bennie?”
“No.” Mikey blew another raspberry into her ear, and she chuckled. “She says…she says…ladies… box…” He took deep breaths and sighed. It would take him hours to get the flow of his speech back now. “Lady box slapper.”
“You mean the TV?” She skipped past the kids congregated around the local corner shop. Mum needed to watch her language. She knew Mikey picked stuff up; when had she let that slip?
“Yup. Dad-step watch…” He took more breaths as they headed up the steps through the large park. His speech must drive him nuts, but he never grumbled. “Mum say lady box slapper.” He giggled, then blew another raspberry.
Hmm. Maybe best not to think too much on what her stepdad was watching, but Mum was rich when she drooled over the men on her programmes. “You can’t really call people slappers.”
“Dad-step say.” Mikey squeezed as she puffed her way up a steep hill. Two joggers ran towards them in Lycra-patterned trousers. They were too busy chatting to each other, so she had to deviate onto the squelching grass. Mikey cheered. “But Ben slapper. She not…true. She mess… She hurt you. Slapper.”
She was. How come it took hearing Mikey to say it for her to get it? The joggers carried on, ignorant to everything aside their gossip session. Yeah, she’d been ignorant too. How had she missed so much? “I need a change.”
“Why, you pee?” Mikey let out a sigh. “You too old to pee.”
She chuckled, and they headed out onto the grassy tree-lined street occupied by tall Georgian houses and luxury cars. “No, I meant…” How did she explain?
Mikey cuddled in. “You need find smile.”
Mikey-speak always seemed to capture a wisdom.
“Yeah. I do. Any ideas?” She jogged up the road to her stepdad’s house, passing the homes of doctors, lawyers, and financial gurus. Her stepdad was none of those things. He owned a building firm. He was as rough and ready as Mum. Dad was a tradesman like him, but her stepdad had a business head and less of a love for beer.
“Darcy says style new.” Mikey giggled. He knew how much Darcy bugged her. “She say no to black and yes to colour.” He flopped into her shoulder. “Weird.”
“She is, yeah.” Darcy wouldn’t like her in her work uniform, then—black men’s trousers, a navy jumper, and a white shirt, complete with boots and a keychain. “You think some posh clothes will make me happy?”
“No?” Mikey shrugged, and she placed him on the front step. “Think love. But…” He sighed and took long, slow breaths, then set his jaw. “New clothes make love follow?”
“Doubt it.” She kissed him on the cheek and rang the doorbell. It hurt watching him struggle. “If you see a letter from Bennie, you ditch it before Mum sees, right?”
He nodded. “Ben slapper.”
“Yes. She is.” She could hear movement behind the door and gave Mikey another squeeze. She ducked behind her stepdad’s van as the front door opened.
“Where’s Kate?” Mum muttered. “I have some things to say to her.”
“No yell. Kate sad. Ben slapper.” He muttered it back like he was the adult. “You make her leave. No.”
“I…” Mum stopped, then sighed. “Where do you pick this stuff up from?” She glanced out the door, and Kate ducked further behind the van. “Never mind. I have smiley faces for you.”
“Cool!” Mikey and Mum headed inside, and Kate shuddered out a breath. Maybe a change should involve leaving the country?