for June

14. Charcoal and the Chook

Chad didn't mean to, but every time he regarded his dad, his eyes narrowed into laser-shooting slits. If only he had the power to pulverize. "What could they be talking about?" he grumbled, sitting across Jo on a deck chair and sipping his beer.

"It's dad," Jo stated. "She's a young, hot thing. What do you think?"

"You think he's asking her about us?"

"Thought you said there was no us." Jo grinned. "Have you asked her out yet? Or you still a chicken?"

Chad choked on his beer, sputtering it over his light blue polo. The question had been unexpected and he could feel the burn in his nose as the liquid found its way up and through it. "I don't like her that way, Jo."

Jo remained quiet but her grin widened evermore, accompanied by a patronising nod. Chad hated when she did that. All their childhood, Jo seemed to know more about the world around Chad than he did. He was only good in his written world, where every detail, every fantasy was his to command. "You think I like her?" he finally asked.

Jo shrugged. "You haven't been able to look away. What do you think?"

He went back to his beer. "By the time tonight ends, dad might beat me to it." He managed a smile as did his sister. "Where's mum?"

Jo nodded towards the bedroom window and soon enough when he turned, Marjorie was staring out the window at her ex-husband and the girl.

"Did you know they're not even divorced yet?" Jo's voice broke out in an indignant whisper as she moved closer.

"What?" he sounded equally scandalous in his whisper. "No? They've been divorced since we were sixteen?"

Jo shook her head and scooted closer till her lips touched his cheek. "Separated, but not officially divorced. Apparently mum refused to sign the paper for a while, and when she was ready to sign eight years later or something absurd, he had already run off to Europe."

Chad's mouth flew open, flabbergast. This was a shocking piece of news. "They're still married?"

Jo nodded, eyes darting to 'dad', busy flirting with June over by the barbecue.

He savagely stared at the man too, blatant in his attempt to chat up June. The meat on the barbecue forgotten and turned to charcoal, probably. "Is that why he's back? To make it official?"

Jo shrugged, getting up off the cooler she sat on. She grabbed a couple more drinks and handed one to Chad. "That's not what mum said last night."

"You stayed over?"

"We would have done the barbecue at mine, but she needed a friend last night. It's not a crime," Jo countered. "Besides, Tom and I hit a little rough patch, and I needed to get away too."

Chad laughed. If he was a serial failure at establishing relationships at all, his twin was a gamophobe, gravely scared of commitment yet boasted an extensive list of lovers, which bordered on declaring her a nympho. Her longest relationship to date was eleven months, a month shy of that big YEAR. The poor bloke never saw it coming, the breakup.

"Should you even be having problems with Tom this early?" he asked, knowing Jo had only started dating the man a few months ago. "What's it been, three months?"

"Four," she corrected. "I'm trying to make it work this time."

"Yes, and you're doing a fantastic job of it I'm sure." He suppressed a peal of laughter. "By avoiding your own problems and help disgruntled oldies solve their decades' old marriage debacle?"

"Dad's here to make it work," she whispered, and Chad's beer once again found the front of his shirt, but thankfully not his nose.

"Are you kidding me? After everything he's done?"