‘Come and sit down,’ she said, guiding him back to the sofa. ‘I’m sure you had your reasons.’
‘I did, but they seem a bit silly now.’
‘Never mind about that. The main thing is that you’re safe. I spoke to your dad and he was worried sick. I bet your mum was too.’
He nodded. ‘I know, but they were arguing. I hate it when they argue.’
‘That must be hard for you. But what made you get on a train here? It can’t just be because of an argument?’
‘They were arguing over you. Dad said it was all Mum’s fault, that she’d pushed you away. I heard them so I came downstairs. I asked Dad if you were coming back and he said no. I didn’t want to never see you again and I was cross with them for you not being there, so I thought I’d come and see you myself.’
‘Oh, Ben!’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘No, I’m sorry. I should have realised. I shouldn’t have gone without speaking to you myself. That was bad of me. I was upset and I didn’t think things through. See, we all make mistakes when we’re not thinking properly. You could have phoned me, though. You’ve got my number in your phone, haven’t you?’
He nodded. ‘Yes, but I didn’t know if you’d speak to me. I thought that if you were angry with Dad then you might be angry with me too.’
‘Oh, Ben!’ She reached out and hugged him. ‘It wasn’t about you, although I should have been more careful with your feelings.’
‘Did Mum really push you away? Did she hurt you?’
‘No, she didn’t push me like that! I . . .’ Anna paused, knowing she needed to phrase her words very carefully. ‘This might sound like a grown-up trying to brush things under the carpet, but sometimes relationships can get very complicated. Sometimes people do strange things because they’re afraid.’
‘Was Mum afraid I’d love you more than her?’
‘I don’t know about that,’ Anna said, shocked at how perceptive he was. ‘And that would never happen, because you’ll always love your mum the most.’
‘I do, but sometimes she can be a bit . . . I don’t know, I can’t talk to her like I can to you.’
‘That’s because I’m not your mum, so it might be easier to talk to me about some things. But I know that your mum loves you very much. And she does things because she wants it to be right for you and to keep you safe.’
‘Okay.’ He nodded. ‘I understand. I think.’
‘Good. Well, when I spoke to your dad, he was relieved to know that you were safe and sound. He said he was coming straight down here.’
Ben nodded. ‘Was he really mad at me?’
‘Not mad, no. I think he was just relieved. He might have a few words to say to you when he’s got over the shock, though. Because what you did was very dangerous. You should never do something like that without speaking to your parents.’
‘I know. I’m sorry about that. It’s just that things are very complicated with Mum and Dad and you.’
‘Oh, tell me about it. And if we find it complicated, you must find it even harder. It doesn’t help with us all living in separate places.’
‘Do you think you and Dad will get back together?’
‘I don’t know,’ Anna said, wishing she could wave a magic wand and make it all right for all of them. But in the absence of a magic wand, she added, ‘Whatever happens between me and your dad, I’ll always be there for you and you can ring me if ever you need someone to talk to.’
‘Okay.’
‘Now, you tell me something. How did you manage to get all the way to London with no one knowing?’
Ben smiled. ‘Well, I knew where the train station was, so I packed my bag and snuck out of the house before anyone else was up. And I walked to the station. It was a long way, but I was determined to get there.’
‘Wow, you certainly were determined. And what did you do for a train ticket?’
He blushed. ‘Mum has a train app on her phone. I know the code to her phone — she told me what it was before I had my own and I used to play games on it. And I . . .’ He faltered. ‘I booked a ticket on her app.’
