Jamie’s world had been turned upside down. He was so glad that it was the end of the day and he could walk home with Jack. He really needed someone to talk to.

His mind had been whirring in circles all day. Hearing his dad’s voice last night had detonated an explosion in Jamie’s head. The fire was still burning.

He’d listened from the stairs to the conversation between Jeremy and his mum when she’d got back from her shift at the hospital.

“. . .No matter which way you look at it, Karen, the man has a right to see his son,” Jeremy had said.

“He gave up that right the day he walked out on us – with no explanation!” his mum had whispered back angrily. “And what gives him the right to breeze back into Jamie’s life just because he feels like it? Jamie doesn’t need to know about this now . . . not yet, anyway.”

They had no idea that Jamie already knew.

 

Jamie had lain awake for hours last night. There was so much to think about. He was excited that his dad wanted to see him again, but he felt anxious too.

Where had his dad been? Why had he come back now? And why had he left in the first place?

When Jamie had finally fallen asleep, he’d had a dream – or nightmare – which was so vivid that he could still remember it when he woke up.

In his dream, Jamie was a young boy again. He was five years old. He was walking down the old street that he used to live in and he was holding hands with his mum and dad. He was in the middle of them. He was smiling. He was happy. And so were they.

But as they got to the end of the street, his dad started to turn to the left and his mum started to turn to the right. Neither of them stopped to see which direction the other was going; they both just kept walking and they both kept a hard grip on Jamie’s hand as they went.

Jamie was in the middle. His arms were really hurting as both his mum and his dad pulled him in different directions. He was crying out to tell them he was in pain. But neither of them heard him. Or perhaps they just weren’t listening.

 

“Woah! So he’s actually back,” said Jack, trying to take in everything Jamie had just told her. “Are you OK about it?”

“Yeah, I think so,” said Jamie. “I mean, it’s what I wanted, isn’t it? I guess I’d just never thought about what it would actually be like if he did come back, though. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yeah,” said Jack, twisting her finger in her hair as she thought. “Why do you reckon he’s come back?”

But Jamie didn’t answer the question. He couldn’t. All he was able to concentrate on was the man walking down the street towards him.

“Hello, Jamie,” said the man as he came closer. He had dark, reddish-brown hair and his face was covered in a huge smile. “Long time no see.”