a break, that’s all.”
“What are you surfing?”
“Flats in Docklands.”
“Really, why?”
“You and Dad said we were going to sell up and move to somewhere better.”
“Oh. Yeah, well, Jules, I don’t think Docklands is where we’ll be going.”
“Where do you want to go then?”
“Not sure. Maybe south of the river. Somewhere nice, a place with a garden, maybe, and more bedrooms.” She pursed her lips. “Might need them eventually.”
“Okay, I’ll look south then.”
“You don’t mind moving again?”
“No. I won’t have to go to St. George’s.”
She sat up. “Is it really bad?”
I shrugged. “All schools are. I’m used to it.”
“That doesn’t make it right.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“You know your dad will do everything he can to help, don’t you? You just have to tell him what’s wrong.”
“I know.”
“I’ll help, too, if I can. If you want me to.”
“Okay. Uh, thanks.”
“I know it’s not easy for you, but I do want us to be friends, Jules. I love your dad.”
“I get it.”
She gave me a small grin and sipped some iced juice. “All right then. I’m going to get me some more sun before Barney gets back. I’ll be washing eye-skids off for hours if he sees me out here like this.”
I blushed again. “Right. Good idea.”
She turned over so she was lying on her front, then unclipped her bikini strap so it wouldn’t interfere with her tan.
It was really hot out there on the patio.
I wondered if Dad loved her as much as Michael loved Jyoti. I’d never thought about it before because thinking those kind of things is difficult for me. I suppose Rachel’s as pretty as Mum, and a lot younger. She must love Dad; otherwise she wouldn’t have married him. And she said they wanted a house with more bedrooms. That must mean they were going to have children, which is also why you get married. I never thought of that, either: me with a brother or sister—well, half brother, half sister. That would be weird. I don’t even know how I’d feel about that. Hopefully I’ll be at university doing my physics degree by the time that happens, so I won’t have to get involved.
Chapter 11
Off to the Office
Spain wasn’t as bad as I’d been expecting. Actually, I got quite a surprise out there, and what made it even more remarkable was that it came from Barney.
Dad and Rachel went out clubbing every night. But three evenings, we all went out to dinner together first. Going plush, Gran called it. We got taxis down to Puerto Banus each time. Barney said it was the posh end of Marbella. I think he was right. The streets were so full of supercars it was like being on the set of
Top Gear.
People wore clothes that you normally only saw on mannequins in windows of exclusive shops. And all the white people were so dark—either murky orange or a really weird brown like their skin was coffee-stained. The older they were, the darker the shade and the more wrinkles they had—same as Barney.
There were whole streets that were mostly bars and restaurants and clubs. Everything was so much cleaner and smarter than back home. I kind of saw why my grandparents liked living here, and the warmth was supposed to make it easier if you had arthritis—which all old people have.
We went to Cono’s on the first night. It had a huge open courtyard in the middle, with a fountain right at the center. The vines overhead were combined with tiny lights, like bright stars in the leaves. It was kind of cool, and Barney got all excited when he saw some Premier League footballers at a table down the other end. The girls sitting with them had dresses a lot shorter than the one Rachel wore. And I’d thought that was small enough. They were younger than Rachel, too, like they could’ve been senior pupils at St. George’s.
“You going to have a beer then, lad?” Barney asked me with a laugh as we sat down.
“You leave Jules alone,” Gran told him.
“No thanks,” I said. “I
“What are you surfing?”
“Flats in Docklands.”
“Really, why?”
“You and Dad said we were going to sell up and move to somewhere better.”
“Oh. Yeah, well, Jules, I don’t think Docklands is where we’ll be going.”
“Where do you want to go then?”
“Not sure. Maybe south of the river. Somewhere nice, a place with a garden, maybe, and more bedrooms.” She pursed her lips. “Might need them eventually.”
“Okay, I’ll look south then.”
“You don’t mind moving again?”
“No. I won’t have to go to St. George’s.”
She sat up. “Is it really bad?”
I shrugged. “All schools are. I’m used to it.”
“That doesn’t make it right.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“You know your dad will do everything he can to help, don’t you? You just have to tell him what’s wrong.”
“I know.”
“I’ll help, too, if I can. If you want me to.”
“Okay. Uh, thanks.”
“I know it’s not easy for you, but I do want us to be friends, Jules. I love your dad.”
“I get it.”
She gave me a small grin and sipped some iced juice. “All right then. I’m going to get me some more sun before Barney gets back. I’ll be washing eye-skids off for hours if he sees me out here like this.”
I blushed again. “Right. Good idea.”
She turned over so she was lying on her front, then unclipped her bikini strap so it wouldn’t interfere with her tan.
It was really hot out there on the patio.
I wondered if Dad loved her as much as Michael loved Jyoti. I’d never thought about it before because thinking those kind of things is difficult for me. I suppose Rachel’s as pretty as Mum, and a lot younger. She must love Dad; otherwise she wouldn’t have married him. And she said they wanted a house with more bedrooms. That must mean they were going to have children, which is also why you get married. I never thought of that, either: me with a brother or sister—well, half brother, half sister. That would be weird. I don’t even know how I’d feel about that. Hopefully I’ll be at university doing my physics degree by the time that happens, so I won’t have to get involved.
Chapter 11
Off to the Office
Spain wasn’t as bad as I’d been expecting. Actually, I got quite a surprise out there, and what made it even more remarkable was that it came from Barney.
Dad and Rachel went out clubbing every night. But three evenings, we all went out to dinner together first. Going plush, Gran called it. We got taxis down to Puerto Banus each time. Barney said it was the posh end of Marbella. I think he was right. The streets were so full of supercars it was like being on the set of
Top Gear.
People wore clothes that you normally only saw on mannequins in windows of exclusive shops. And all the white people were so dark—either murky orange or a really weird brown like their skin was coffee-stained. The older they were, the darker the shade and the more wrinkles they had—same as Barney.
There were whole streets that were mostly bars and restaurants and clubs. Everything was so much cleaner and smarter than back home. I kind of saw why my grandparents liked living here, and the warmth was supposed to make it easier if you had arthritis—which all old people have.
We went to Cono’s on the first night. It had a huge open courtyard in the middle, with a fountain right at the center. The vines overhead were combined with tiny lights, like bright stars in the leaves. It was kind of cool, and Barney got all excited when he saw some Premier League footballers at a table down the other end. The girls sitting with them had dresses a lot shorter than the one Rachel wore. And I’d thought that was small enough. They were younger than Rachel, too, like they could’ve been senior pupils at St. George’s.
“You going to have a beer then, lad?” Barney asked me with a laugh as we sat down.
“You leave Jules alone,” Gran told him.
“No thanks,” I said. “I
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