Page 35 of Dead Serious Case 4 Professor Prometheus Plume

“Maybe I should go and talk to him.” I stand slowly, aware of Tris watching me.

“No need, love.” She waves at me to sit again as she starts pouring the tea from an old chipped rosebud teapot that used to be my nan’s. “Best give him some space. Have a cup of tea and stay for a bit so I can get to know your partner.”

“No, he needs to leave. He hasn’t been around for a bloody year and a half,” Derek shouts angrily. “He dropped a bombshell that impacted all our lives and just walked away, then when he shows up out of the blue, we’re just supposed to roll out the welcome mat.” He turns his accusing glare from Mum to me. “Do you have any idea of the what we had to deal with after your little stunt?”

“My little stunt?” I repeat incredulously.

“Yeah. When you decided to publicly announce you’re a fucking fairy,” he spits out, and I vaguely register Tristan sucking in a sharp breath of shock at my brother’s words.

I, on the other hand, am not shocked or surprised. It’s only a variation on the vitriol he’s spewed over the years about anyone who’s queer.

“Hey, arsehole, it wasn’t about you,” I snap. “It was about standing up for myself and all the others like me. We shouldn’t have to hide who we are or who we love behind closed doors. We shouldn’t have to put up with being attacked physically or verbally, and we definitely shouldn’t have to put up with those attacks being brushed under the rug by our employers.”

“You’re so selfish. Do you know how embarrassing it is to be known down the pub as the bloke whose brother is that gay copper?”

“Derek!” Mum snaps, and it’s so unlike her that we both fall silent and turn toward her.

She looks livid. Her cheeks are stained red as she slams the teapot on the tray, sloshing tea over the surface. “That is enough.”

“What?” he says in confusion.

“I spent so much of my life being bullied by my brothers, I will not tolerate bullying from my sons,” Mum hisses. “I have spent years in this house trying to keep the peace by walking on eggshells. I let you get away with far too much, I can see that now. I was so young when you came along that I wasn’t strong enough to stand up for myself. I let all of you walk all over me, and what did it get me? I wasn’t there for my own daughter when she was pregnant and scared. I wasn’t there when she gave birth all alone in a hospital room, I missed the first four days of my first grandchild’s life because everyone else thought their opinion was more important. When Danny’s friend was hurt, we didn’t support him. When he came out, we didn’t support him. And because I wasn’t strong enough to stand up to all of you, I didn’t see my son for a year and a half because we all made him feel unwelcome.”

“Ma.” Derek scowls.

“No!” She jabs a finger at him. “You’ve had years of forcing your opinions on everyone else, and it stops right here, right now. I love all my children and every single one of them is welcome in this house, but I will no longer tolerate these antiquated, bigoted beliefs. Your brother is gay and there is nothing wrong with that. I want to get to know the man he’s in love with. It doesn’t matter that he prefers men, just like it doesn’t matter your sister fell pregnant so young or wasn’t married. This isn’t the bloody Dark Ages and that’s what I should have told her the moment I found out. Instead, I stood by while all of you ranted like it was all her fault. Well, it takes two to create a life, yet somehow it’s always the woman’s fault. You all thought it gave you the right to tell her what she could do with her body. I’m so grateful she was nothing like me, that she was strong enough to stand up for herself and her child. She has raised an incredible young man and she’s done it all on her own.”

Derek goes to open his mouth but Mum continues, like everything she’s ever wanted to say comes pouring out of her in a tidal wave.

“Do you remember the summer before Leigh fell pregnant? Danny worked every single day, mowing lawns, doing odd jobs, had his paper round, all so he could save up and buy himself the mountain bike he’d been desperate for. Do you have any idea how badly he wanted something new that was just his own, not something that had been passed down to him? He saved up every pound he had and do you know what he did with that money when he finally had enough for that bike? Do you?”

Derek shook his head.

“He gave every last penny to his sister the night she left home, pregnant and alone, with nothing to her name but a bag of her clothes that wouldn’t fit her for long.”

“Mum,” I whisper.

“You didn’t think I knew about that, did you?” She turns to me, her tone softening. I swallow the lump in my throat and can feel Tristan’s hand rubbing my back as he leans into me. Mum now includes Gareth and Euan in her gaze along with Derek. “When have any of you ever put someone else’s needs before yours, or listened, reallylistened, to someone else’s opinion instead of shouting them down with your own? Ask yourself this, Gareth, and you too, Euan, as you’re about to become a father. Would you treat your own children the way you’ve treated your brother and sister? What would you do, Gareth, if Lily came home pregnant at sixteen? Would you insist she have an abortion or throw her out of her home when she didn’t agree? Or how about your future son, Euan? What if he came home beaten black and blue for being gay like Danny’s friend was? Would you tell him he deserved it for not keeping his private life behind closed doors? Or you, Gareth? What if Joe told you he was gay? Or bi? Or... or...”

“Trans,” Nick says helpfully.

“Trans. Thank you, pet.” Mum nods. “I think there’s some people in this room that need to have a long hard look at themselves and it’s not your brother and sister. It’s not good enough. Not anymore. The world has changed and you need to change with it. We all do, including me and your father. Now, you’re all welcome to stay and get to know Tristan, but if you cannot keep a civil tongue in your head, then you should leave.”

Derek glares for another moment before stomping out of the room. A few seconds after that the front door slams loudly. Gareth is the next to stand, a confused frown furrowing his brow as if he was trying to work out a really complex equation.

“I’m just going to check on Ruth and the kids,” he mumbles and heads out of the room.

Ellen stays where she is, perched on her chair by the window, looking up from her book and watching silently. Euan rises from his seat as well; however, instead of just walking out the door, he stops in front of me and Tristan.

“Tristan.” He clears his throat. “I want to apologise for saying your job is creepy. It was rude of me. Um, and Danny, I’m sorry. Mum’s right. My kid hasn’t even been born yet and I already know I’ll do anything for him and that includes defending him if he’s gay or anything else.” He turns his attention to Leigh. “Leigh, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry the most for how I’ve treated you. I may not have said half the things that were thrown around the night we found out, but I sure as hell didn’t defend you and I didn’t make sure you were safe, either. I’ve seen how tough Susie’s pregnancy has been on her and knowing you did that on your own at sixteen—well, if I had a daughter, I wouldn’t want that for her, so I’m sorry to you too.”

“Thank you,” Leigh says quietly.

He nods and leaves the room, but once he does, Mum’s face crumples and all the fight just drains right out of her. I pull her into my arms as she falls apart and cries like I’ve never heard before.

9

Iwatch as Danny holds his mum while she cries, and I do feel bad for her. Yeah, she hasn’t made the best decisions when it came to her kids, but she’s trying now and that counts for something.