Imperfect

Chapter 8

I cannot say that it doesn't make me happy that I distracted him. I'm aware that's probably not a good thing because he needs to get his homework done and all that, but still.

"Charlie, come on!" Stacy shouts as she runs downstairs.

I was completely and utterly oblivious to Mum calling us for dinner. The next few hours are going to be long and annoying.

Mum , Melanie and Stacy are in the kitchen, messing round with stuff I can't even begin to understand.

Arnold and Dad, however, are talking in the dining room:

"So how's work?" Arnold asks.

My Dad is a doctor, well really a surgeon, but it's easier to say doctor.

"It's great, saved a few peoples' lives this very week." Dad replies.

"Oh, good...So Charlie how's school?" Arnold asks, turning to me.

"It's, well, school: Interesting, annoying, dramatic, got lots of homework." I shrug. What else does he want me to say?

If there's one thing I hate is when people say 'back in the good old days,' or when they make you describe it even more. Isn't it clear you don't want to talk?

"Back when we were young, we'd give all our family members a recount of everything that we learnt at school, because we weren't as lucky as you are now. We had to work when we weren't at school." He tells me.

"Charlie knows that. You mention it every time you come here." Dad reminds him.

"Yeah. Have I ever told you about the time your father actually peed himself when listening to one of my stories?" Arnold asks me.

I shake my head eagerly. If there's one redeeming quality Arnold has, it'd his recounts of his and my Dad's childhood adventures.

He may be ten sixteen years older than my Dad but he has way better memory. To be truthful I probably wouldn't have spent the amount of time with Stacy if she was a baby now, that he did with my Dad. And for that he is redeemed.

"Well, I was telling him about the man with the candy cart, who'd just been round and I was teasing him with some of the sweets I had, but then (mind due that he was seven or eight and I was just visiting) he peed himself!"

I can't help myself, I laugh. Dad's laughing with us as well, but he's blushing and is clearly uncomfortable.

"Oh no did I miss another story?" Stacy asks, as she comes in with a large casserole dish and a serving spoon.

"Yeah. Dad was eight and he peed himself when Uncle Arnold was annoying him about sweets." I summarise.

Stacy, looks at me for a moment, then bursts out laughing. We all join in, as Stacy's laugh is infectious, even to Melanie and Mum, who don't even know what we're talking about.

"So what's new? I mean, anything massively happened apart from Granddad dyeing?" Melanie asks.

"Charlie, hasn't your school gotten that new media thing up and running?" Dad presses.

"Yeah. The psychology thing's started." I inform my Aunt and Uncle.

"Are you still doing those little plays at school Stacy?" Melanie asks.

"No that's Charlie. I can't act." Stacy tells them.

We've all sat down and Mum's using a ladle to serve the casserole.