Page 106 of A is for Aftercare

Archie almost chokes again. “Yes,” he wheezes.

His parents frown.

“We…uh…”

“Invited them and a few of my friends over one evening,” I say. “For conversation and games.”

Archie coughs into his napkin.

“Board games?” Sean asks.

“Yes,” Archie says in a pained tone.

“The night we babysat Lexi?” Katherine muses.

“Uh-huh.”

She stares at the table for a few moments. “That was about two months ago. You can’t have been seeing each other long, then.”

“No,” Archie agrees. He reaches for his water and takes a sizeable gulp.

“What do you both do?” I ask to change the subject and give Archie a chance to recover.

“We’re both accountants,” Sean replies. “It’s how we met.”

“At work?” It’s probably a low blow, but I can’t help it.

He goes red. “Well, yes, but we were colleagues. Not boss and employee.”

“Of course.”

“We work for different firms now,” Katherine adds.

“We have for many years.”

I nod knowingly. “Having triplets must have been a handful.”

“They were,” Katherine says, smiling fondly. “But worth it. Do you want children, Hamish?”

“I’ve never really thought about it.” It’s not something Archie and I have talked about, so I don’t want to commit to a yes or no answer until I know what his feelings are on the matter.

Katherine looks a little disappointed. I assume she’s been hoping for more than one grandchild.

“I don’t want kids,” Archie says, glancing at me. “I love Lexi, but I’ve never seen myself as a dad.”

I'm relieved by his words. I've never thought about having kids because it's not something I want or need in my life. All I need is Archie and my writing.

“Marriage?” Katherine says hopefully.

“Not any time soon,” Archie says. “If ever.”

“If you’re serious enough about each other to live together…”

“Not everyonewantsto get married, Mum.”

“I know.” She sighs. “I’m sorry.”

The rest of the conversation is kept away from tricky subjects. We talk about my books, Sean and Katherine fill us in on their news, and we have a generally good time. When lunch is over, I insist on paying the bill, and we say our goodbyes. Katherine and Sean both hug Archie before shaking my hand politely.