unfortunate timing | wroetoshaw fanfic

chapter 27

harry's point of view

"Mum! Have you seen the tie I wore for Auntie Jessica's wedding a couple of years ago?" I shout down the stairs. No reply. I roll my eyes.

We're all in a rush for my cousin Jim's wedding but I can't seem to find any of my old ties that go with my navy blue pinstripe suit. I walk into my parents room to check to see if Dad's got any ties I can borrow.

I rifle through his tie draw in their set of drawers, coming across an envelope. Curious, I open it to find a bunch of photos, drawings and letters all of and from a boy called Jamie.

"Did you shout something, Harry?" Mum asks behind me. I turn around still looking through the envelope.

"Yeh, I was looking for a tie. Who's this?" I hold up a photo. Mum gasps and moves forward trying to grab it off of me.

"It's no one, Harry. Just one of my distant cousins boys, she's obsessed with sending everyone his things." She laughs.

"Oh my god. No mum, that's Sally, and Tom." I hold up a picture, with four people. Sally, Tom, a brunette girl and a young child, who I assume is Jamie. He looks like me, in a wierd way.

I look back up at her and she's crying. Dad walks up the stairs and tries to tell us that we're late.

"Mum what's wrong?" I ask worriedly, giving her a hug. "Dad, who's this?" I show him the photo.

"We need to go, Harry. Rosie and Josh are already in the car." He says avoiding my question, "Come on, love." He takes mum downstairs.

I grab one of his ties, put the photo back in the envelope and slide it in my pocket. Doing up my tie, I follow them downstairs and out to the car where Josh and Rosie are standing.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Rosie asks.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." I answer. I'm terribly confused right now and I don't think anyone is being straight with me.

"No seriously Harry, what is it?" She presses.

"Rosie! I'm fine okay! Fuck off!" I shout and get in the car. I hear her mutter something to Josh but I brush it off not wanting make a scene.

Mum starts the car and everybody is silent. I sit in the middle of the back with my siblings on either side of me.

Who's that boy? Why have Mum and Dad got photos of him? Are they my childhood photos? No, they look too modern. And there's photos of Sally and Tom there as well. Sally. Oh my god, is that her kid? He looks about six or seven years old. That's how long I haven't seen Sally for.

"Oh my fucking god, that's my kid." I mutter.

"Sorry, what? Speak up?" Josh says, looking up at me from his phone.

"That's my fucking kid."

"Who's your kid? Harry, what the hell are you on?" Josh shouts at me.

"Stop the car." I say.

"Harry." Dad shouts.

"Stop the car." I persist.

"Harry." Dad shouts again.

"Stop the fucking car."

Mum stops and I clamber my way out of the car stepping over Josh.

I sit down on the curb, staring at my parents who have gotten out of the car and are leaning against it, staring at me.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask through tears.

"She didn't want you to know."

"That doesn't mean shit! That's my child. I have a right to know, you're my parents for fucks sake! You knew!" I shout, waving my arms around.

"Harry, we're sorry."

"Why didn't she want me to know?" I ask quietly.

"Liv." Mum says.

"Fucks sake." I roll my eyes, laying back on the curb.

"What the fuck? Harry has a child?" Josh asks, getting out of the car.

"Josh... Please, not right now." Mum says trying to persuade him to get back in the car.

"No, how could you not tell any of us?" He argues.

"I knew." Rosie speaks up.

"What?" We all turn to her.

"I spoke to Tom, he let it slip. I promised not to say anything because Sally thought it would ruin your career." She blurts out, quickly.

"Oh for gods sake. I'm going back to London." I get up, walking back in the direction we came from.