Sold.
She started to sob. She knew it wasn’t the only place to build her vision but she had been so attached to it because Petey had told her about it, and because she had shown Marc.
Putting her head on the steering wheel, she cried properly for the first time since she and Simon had split. She cried for her choices and naivety. She cried for her dad. She cried for losing herself to Simon. She cried because she wanted something different than this right now and she cried because she wanted to be with Marc and the boys but Avian would never let that happen. Not when Avian and Simon were a couple. Avian would always be in Christa’s life if she was in Marc’s life.
There was no way she could escape the mother of the boys and nor should she.
When her sobs finally subsided, she wiped her face and looked in the rear-view mirror. She looked like she had run into a wall but that would go. She would lie down when she got home but first she had a call to make.
‘Peggy? Can I ask you a favour? I’m not feeling well, and I’m wondering if you can make a shepherd’s pie for the house. Really? You have one in the freezer? Amazing thank you.’
At least dinner was sorted, she thought as she drove home.
*
Dinner conversation was non-existent as Christa served Peggy’s shepherd’s pie to the table.
‘Is this your version of a shepherd’s pie? Or Peggy’s original?’ asked Marc, looking at the dish.
‘Peggy’s,’ said Christa not looking at him as she handed a plate to Seth.
‘It’s gluggy,’ said Seth, poking it with his fork.
‘Shhh,’ said Marc. ‘It looks very hearty.’
‘Hearty makes me farty,’ said Ethan, putting extra emphasis on his complaint with a huge pretend fart.
Seth laughed and then joined in.
Christa spooned two servings of the potato topping into bowls then handed them to Avian and Simon.
‘Pie, no shepherds,’ she said.
‘I can’t eat this,’ said Avian.
Simon, however, looked thrilled to be having carbs. He poured tomato ketchup on top and started to eat like a Siberian prisoner.
‘Excuse me? What is this shit?’ Avian pushed the bowl away.
‘It’s Peggy’s dish, so if you don’t like it I suggest you speak to her,’ Christa said and went behind the kitchen bench and wiped the surface with extra gusto.
‘Marc, what is going on?’ asked Avian. ‘You shouldn’t let the staff speak to you like that.’
Marc looked at the boys.
‘Boys, you can go and order a pizza and eat it watching some TV, okay?’
‘Thank the Pope,’ said Ethan.
‘Where did you learn that?’ asked Marc, looking around the table.
‘Peggy,’ said Adam and Paul at the same time.
‘Can we also go and order a pizza?’ asked Paul. ‘No offence, Christa, but I think my dinner is forming a gelatinous skin.’
Marc nodded as Adam and Paul fled the kitchen, while Simon took their bowls and shoved the food into his mouth.
‘Why did you bring Simon here?’ Marc asked Avian.
