Page 93 of C is for Comfort

“I’ll get snacks,” I say when we reach the front of the queue.

“No need,” Spence says. “Let me spoil you both. What would you like to drink, Lexi?”

“Coke.”

I shake my head. “You’re not allowed Coke.”

“No Coke,” Spence says firmly. “I wouldn’t want to get in trouble with your dad.”

“Can I have a slushy?” Lexi asks.

“Please,” I say.

She doesn’t rephrase her question. I crouch down to talk to her quietly while Spence orders our popcorn.

“You need to be polite, Lexi.”

“Why?”

I smile through gritted teeth. “Because you always say ‘please’ when you ask for something and ‘thank you’ when you receive it. You know that.”

“I don’t like Spence.”

“You don’t know him. And whether you like him or not or know him or not, you should still be polite. Why don’t you try asking for that drink again?”

I stand tall.

“What would you like?” Spence asks me.

“Lemonade, please.”

“Lexi?”

“Can I have a blue slushy.Please?”

I resist the urge to wipe my hands over my face in exasperation.

“Of course,” Spence says in a tone that’s far too cheerful.

I guess that’s one of the differences between us. He’s far more relaxed and seems to be able to take everything in his stride. Maybe it’s because he’s used to difficult patients and relatives when he’s at the hospital.

Armed with our drinks and popcorn, we make our way into the screen and find our seats. Spence has bought us the posh seats that recline and have plenty of legroom.

“Wow, D—you didn’t need to splash out like this,” I say.

“I enjoy spoiling you both,” Spence reiterates.

Unsurprisingly, Lexi sits on one end and tugs me into the seat next to her. Spence sits on my other side. On the bright side, I’ll be able to hold his hand through the whole film.

The film is okay. We picked it for Lexi’s enjoyment rather than our own. I find myself laughing at the jokes that have obviously been put in for parents, but that will fly right over the heads of children. Spence and I hold hands. He strokes mine with his thumb, a calming rhythm that makes my annoyance at Lexi’s behaviour fade in the first ten minutes. We all eat far too much popcorn—although Lexi is the only one who actually reaches the bottom of the box—and fill ourselves with drinks.

At the end of the film, we’re encouraged to go out the fire escape, straight into sunlight that’s far too bright after the low-light environment of the cinema. We blink and shield our eyes. I keep hold of Lexi’s hand as the car park is busy.

“Thank you, Spence,” I say before looking pointedly at Lexi.

She scuffs her shoe on the ground.

“I hope you both had fun,” Spence says. “The day isn’t over yet if you’d like to do something else?”