Читать книгу For the Love of Christmas - Kate Forster, Kate Forster - Страница 9

Oscar

Oscar lay in bed under the covers, playing with his phone. There was no way he was going to give it to his dad; his dad would never give it back, like the time he loaned him his favourite video game to show someone at work, and forgot to bring it home.

Oscar asked so many times, and Jamie promised so many times, that eventually he just asked his mum to buy him a new one.

His dad was unreliable and a bit hopeless, he had decided last year.

And letting Sofie take the phone into the bath – well, that was just dumb. Even he could have told him that but his dad never listened to him. His dad didn’t listen to anyone.

He was sure his parents would divorce when Mum got out of the place in America. They had had a fight every night for a year. Nothing could survive that, he had decided. He’d watched Divorce Court on TV so he knew how it worked, and he’d seen it with Jack Berry’s parents who had fought so often that Jack said it was a relief when he didn’t have to hear it any more.

But Oscar didn’t want his parents to divorce. He liked them together when they were good. They sort of made each other better versions of themselves.

Mum was more chilled and creative but Dad was really smart and logical. She made him fun and he made her a bit more sensible.

That was until they started being the worst versions of themselves.

He wondered if his mum had bought him any presents in America. There were lots of things he wanted but he hadn’t asked Dad; instead he had emailed Mum a wish list with a few things for Sofie, too

Mum hadn’t answered, but then maybe the hospital didn’t have computers for patients in case they googled escape plans.

He flicked through Instagram, answered a few snap chats, making stupid faces, and then shut his phone.

It was boring here, he thought, and he hoped it would snow. Snow would be fun. Not like the dirty muck in London; country snow would be cleaner. Maybe he and Sofie could make snowballs? Or a snowman? He closed his eyes and thought about home. He wished Mum were with them here. She would like the funny-shaped rooms, and she would laugh every time Dad hit his head on the beams.

Mum made everything fun.

He hoped she was having fun wherever she was right now, and he closed his eyes and went to sleep.