To: Jonas Zebila
From: Abi Zebila
Subject: AQOTWF
Monday, 8 June 2015
J,
I don’t want to be emailing you only if there’s a problem so I’m just letting you know that All is Quiet On The Western Front. There’s a woman I know whose mum texts her that when she’s babysitting to let my friend know all is well and the baby is asleep.
All is well and the Zebilas are – mostly – asleep. No unusual dramas of any kind.
Gran seems to have stabilised quite a lot since the hospital stay (which of course gives credence to what Mummy has been trying to say about her being in a home where she can get specialist care). Mummy has disappeared the artwork as I thought she might.
Declan is gearing up to one of his monthly meltdowns about us living together again and being a proper family. I can feel it coming. Mummy and Daddy are still pretending that Lily-Rose was the Immaculate Conception and that Declan doesn’t exist. Even when we go to spend the weekend with him at his flat, they never ask where we’ve been or what we got up to. He can’t see why I won’t move in with him full-time, but you know, every time I think about it, I remember the look on your face when you told Mummy and Daddy what the things Gran had said and done had resulted in, and that if they wouldn’t stick up for you and Meredith against Gran, then you weren’t hanging around any longer.
Is Declan worth giving up my family for? He was such a dick when I told him I was pregnant. We were both nineteen and both meant to be doing the university thing after we’d finished school together, but I couldn’t believe how badly he behaved. I know, I know, it lasted all of three days before he was begging me to give him another chance, but it still makes me cautious about committing totally to him. That’s why I’ve never properly lived with him – we’ve both kept our own places until now when I’m living here. He could do it again.
I suppose my only way forward is to move to Montenegro with you. Ha-ha, you’d love that, wouldn’t you?
What did you think of the pictures? Do you want some more? Do you want me to get Mrs Lehtinen to send you some of those Jim bars? Or maybe I should pass on your email address to her. I may just do that if you don’t reply!!!
Talk to me, big brother, please.
Abi
xxxxxx