‘No, not at first. That was just to have a good time, see what I’d been missing. But, son, it’s a shitshow out there. Do you know the effort it takes to keep all that dating stuff going? I mean, it’s all fun and games at the start, but then it’s serious work. Sometimes I just wish I could go back to being married and settled and… you know, maybe go a couple of nights without having to go to the gym and batter this old body into any kind of shape.’
‘You’re not old. You’re two years younger than Brad Pitt.’
‘Yeah, and he should have stayed with Jennifer Aniston. Look at the royal cock-up he’s made of things. There’s a lesson in that. Just wish I’d learned it.’
Aiden had never seriously considered the possibility of his mum and dad getting back together – a ceasefire had been the most he’d hoped for. But maybe… Nope, he wasn’t getting his hopes up and he wasn’t interfering. At least, no more than a bit of unsolicited advice.
‘You know, Dad, if you really do want any hope of reconciling with Mom, first thing you’d have to do is drop all the other women, drop the fake jokes and the big gestures and just be consistent, be real.’
‘Be boring?’
‘Nope, not what I said.’
‘Yeah, but that’s what I heard, son. Look, we’ll see how the next few days play out. I’m just gonna be me, and hope she sees that life with me could be a lot of fun again. And if she doesn’t… well, that’s her loss.’
Aiden sighed. He’d never learn. There was no hope. ‘You know, Dad, for a smart guy, you’re hiding it well.’
His dad pulled another can from the minibar. ‘Yep, son, but that’s why there’s beer.’
Aiden caught the Bud that was tossed in his direction, laughing as he shook his head. There was no point trying to change this man. This was who he was and whether Aiden approved or not, if he wanted his dad in his life, he just had to roll with it and try to soften the edges. But if he ever had a son, the kid was getting nowhere near Granpa Gary and his messed-up perspectives on life.
His dad picked up the remote for the TV and switched on a ball game, putting an end to what was probably the most open, honest and emotional exchange they’d ever had. Gary didn’t do depth. He didn’t do feelings. He only did living in the moment and planning the next good time.
Aiden sighed. Great. One parent bailed out to another room. Another one watching football. It was going so well. He really hoped Zara had a plan to get them all together soon, because otherwise this was going to be the longest, most stressful few days of his life. And that was coming from someone who had been jilted on his wedding day.
His dad’s focus on the TV gave Aiden the opportunity to check his texts. Just one from Trevon.
Did your mom knock you out?
Aiden typed back a quick answer.
Not yet, but still time. If I stop replying, come identify my body.
He sent it then checked his WhatsApp, his emails… nope, nothing from Layla. He wondered what she’d think about all this. She hadn’t had a chance to get particularly close to his mum, but they seemed to like each other, and she’d only met his dad a couple of times. How weird was that? He was getting married to someone who barely knew his parents. But then… they’d only been together for ten months, and he tended to go to sports events with his dad, or drop in on his mom alone, so it wasn’t a huge surprise. Layla hadn’t really been into the whole family gathering thing. It was something that he’d hoped would grow over time.
Aiden felt his jaw start to tighten at the thought of her. Where was she? Was she sitting somewhere right now thinking about him? Was she ever going to give him an answer as to why she’d ditched him, why she’d bolted at the last minute? Was there ever, in any world, going to be a way to come back from this? And was it pathetic that there was a part of him that still wanted her, that would listen to her and try to forgive?
‘Yasssss! British football. Son, I might be here all night,’ his dad joked, settling back now that he’d found a channel with his favourite sport. His mum used to say his dad would watch anything that involved kicking, throwing, catching or chasing a ball, although, she and Aiden weren’t far behind him. That said, when it came to participation, his dad enjoyed reminding him that it was the saddest day of his life when Aiden chose to focus on basketball instead of soccer. His mum said it was the happiest of hers. Much as she enjoyed all sports, it thrilled her that she got to spend the next few years sitting on bleachers in the sports hall instead of standing outside in the heat all summer.
He was about to toss his phone to the side and watch the game with his dad, when a new text popped up. Zara.
Welcome to Vegas! How’s it going your end? All okay here I think. My parents are knackered though – jet lag – so was thinking we should wait and ambush them with the surprise tomorrow? Me and sis going out for drink later though. Want to meet and hatch a plan? Zx
It wasn’t the worst idea. His mum wouldn’t be up for a late night and there was no way he was going to hit the Vegas clubs with his dad. Everything he did over the next few days had to be with the objective of making both parents happy, not favouring one over the other, or doing anything that would piss one of them off or make either of them feel excluded. This must be what parenthood felt like. Right now, it was like having two kids and trying not to show favouritism, even though one of them was mad at him, and he wanted to put the other one in a time-out.
That would all change tomorrow, though. As soon as they met their old friends, hopefully all the petty bullshit between his mum and dad would be forgotten and they could just all enjoy every minute of the rest of their trip.
He began typing.
All good here. Tomorrow perfect for getting the olds together. Drink tonight sounds good. Just let me know where and when. Looking forward to meeting you both in person. Ax.
16
EILEEN
This was going to be the longest few days of her life. Eileen let the power of the water jets pummel her body, while she contemplated what the hell she was doing here. This was like one of those reality shows where you got dumped on an island with your ex and there was a chance of survival if you chewed your own arm off.
The worst bit about it all was the disappointment that it wasn’t the mum-and-son trip that Aiden had promised. She’d been so looking forward to that, so into the thought of taking Aiden’s mind off the wedding disaster by making new memories. How many more times would they get to do that? Even if he did manage to sort things out with Layla – and Eileen was not, under any circumstances, supportive of that scenario – then they weren’t exactly going to invite his mother along for a natty wee weekend break. No, this was it. Her one chance to have some one-on-one time with her son. Gone. Sabotaged by that bloody man she used to be married to.
