Page 33 of When We Were Young

Will had left the house early that morning without seeing anyone.

Shifting boxes in and out of the van all day had been agony.

His entire midsection was aching and the knuckles on his right hand were bruised and swollen.

He was glad to be home, but when he entered the kitchen, he wished he could be anywhere else.

His mum was sitting at the kitchen table, her eyes red and puffy, and his dad sitting opposite her, with a furrowed brow.

Will had an inkling but asked anyway: ‘What’s the matter?’

‘You know what’s the matter!’ snapped his mum. ‘How could you?’

Will sat at the table and wiped his palms down his face with a sigh. ‘What?’

‘The state of Aidan’s face.’ She was crying now. ‘How could you do that to anyone, let alone your own flesh and blood? I never thought you could be capable of something like that.’

‘Mum, I don’t know what he told you, but he waited for me and jumped me on the street. He pushed me to the ground and kicked me in the stomach and the kidneys.’ Will got up and lifted his shirt.

His mother gasped at the sight of his bruises, and her sobbing intensified.

‘All I did was defend myself,’ he added.

‘It’s that bloody Emily. She’s splitting this family apart. I told you not to see her. I told you!’

‘Mum, I know family is everything to you, but Aidan hasn’t acted like a brother to me––’

‘Enough!’ barked his dad, making them both flinch.

Will couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard his father raise his voice.

‘Neither of you are to see her,’ he continued. ‘Those are the rules while you are under my roof. If you don’t like it, you can clear out.’

‘What about Reu?’

‘Jesus, don’t tell me he’s sleeping with her as well?’ said his mum sarcastically.

‘Of course not.’

‘Well, this is his home – he’s not going anywhere,’ she said.

Will rose from the table. He realised what Aidan was up to. He needed to speak to Emily. Now.

Up in his room, he dialled her number on his work mobile. ‘Emily, it’s Will,’

She sighed.

He knew then he was too late.

‘Has Aidan been to see you?’ he asked.

‘No, but I bumped into him at the station.’

‘Oh, that’s convenient.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Listen, I don’t know what he said but let me tell you my side of the story. Hear me out.’

‘I can’t keep––’

‘Please?’

She exhaled, so he continued.

‘After I left you last night, I got halfway down the road when Aidan pulled up. He jumped out of his car and kicked the shit out of me. But – and this is the weird bit – he let me get up and goaded me into hitting him. He didn’t defend himself.

He literally stuck his chin out, making it look like I’m the bad guy. ’

‘Will––’

‘I don’t blame him for giving me a kicking. I deserved it, but he wants you to think I’m violent because he knows that’s why you dumped him. And he wants my parents to think it’s my fault too. He came over today to show off his bruises.’

‘You think he planned it?’

‘I doubt he planned it. He must’ve come to talk to you last night, and when he saw you with me, it wound him up. He wanted to hurt me, but at some point, he must have realised he could hurt me and get me in trouble with you and my parents as well.’

‘What did your mum say?’

He didn’t want to tell Emily his mother blamed her. ‘She’s upset.’

‘This is making everyone miserable. I bet they all hate me.’

‘No! Aidan’s angry, but he’ll get over it.’ He hesitated before asking, ‘Can I see you?’

‘That’s not a good idea.’

‘Come on, please…’

‘I’ve got a deadline.’ She was softening.

‘I’ve got a gig tomorrow night,’ he said, ‘but what about Sunday? Let’s go for a walk somewhere.’

She was silent.

‘Please…’ he persisted.

‘All right.’

They said their goodbyes.

Now he needed to find somewhere to live.

The next day, Will parked the van outside his parents’ house and walked up the path to the front door. It felt weird to ring the doorbell instead of using his key. Reu opened the door.

‘Hi,’ said Will. ‘You all set for the gig?’

‘Yeah.’ Reu shuffled from foot to foot, his hands deep in his pockets. ‘Do you want to come in?’

‘Nah, just open the garage door and we’ll load the van.’

‘I think your mum wants to speak to you.’

‘Is Dad in?’

‘No.’

‘Okay, why don’t you start loading the van?’ He gave Reu the keys. ‘I’ll be out in a minute.’

Will found his mum sitting in the lounge; she looked tired.

‘Where did you stay last night?’ she asked.

‘Matty’s.’

There was silence for a moment, then she said, ‘I can’t believe you would choose her over our family.’

‘I’m twenty-three. I shouldn’t be living with my parents at my age. It’s about time I moved out.’

‘I want you to know,’ she said, her tone serious and solemn, ‘if you’re ever in trouble, despite what your father says, you always have a home here. And when you’re finished with her––’

‘Mum––’

‘You think that won’t happen, but it will. So – when you’re finished with her – let’s put all this behind us and be a family again.’

‘I’m an adult. I get to decide who I want to be with.’

‘Well, remember what I said – you can always come to me.’

‘Thanks Mum, I love you.’

He kissed the top of her head and went through to the garage to help Reu.

While Reu put his kit in the back, Will went to the passenger side of the van, where Matty was waiting.

Matty wound the window down. ‘What’s up?’

‘I think you’re going to have to drive, mate,’ said Will.

‘You okay?’

‘My hand’s killing me.’ Will raised his right hand, the knuckles were swollen and purple.

Matty whistled. ‘Jesus. Is that from hitting Aidan?’

Will gave a bitter smile.

‘How the hell have you been driving all day?’

‘It wasn’t too bad this morning, but it’s throbbing now.’

‘Will you be okay to play?’

‘I’ll have to be.’ Matty had secured a support slot at another legendary venue – the Dublin Castle in Camden.

‘Yeah, you’d better be. It’s taken me weeks to get this gig.’

They’d barely finished sound checking when the venue started to fill up.

‘Maybe you should strap it up?’ said Matty as showtime approached.

‘No, that would be harder to play. I’ve taken painkillers, it’ll be fine.’

It wasn’t fine.

The set was short, but every minute was agony.

Will inevitably made mistakes. He kept thinking of Aidan: how he’d tried to put Emily off him, how he’d upset their mum, and how this evening was ruined because Will couldn’t play properly.

What an utter prick. The pub was packed now.

The headline band had a decent following.

And the crowd were listening too, not just waiting for the main act.

More than that, they were jumping around, singing along to the choruses.

As Will stomped and shouted his way across the stage, screaming the crescendo parts, people were feeding off his angry performance.

During the last song, a photographer was taking pictures, the camera flashing in his face every few seconds – pissing him off even more.

After the last agonising strum, he dropped to his knees in front of his amp, generating an ear-splitting squeal of feedback.

The crowd went wild.