The Catalyst | Joanne

Chapter 26

"Well, would you look at that!" Joe's Nan, Carol, stood in the doorway of her house, smiling as she watched her daughter, her two grandchildren and her grandson's beautiful girlfriend make their way up the stone steps. "I've just put the kettle on. Oh, it's so nice to see you."

She greeted everyone in turn with a tight, motherly hug. Once Joe and Dianne had said hello to her, they walked into the living room.

"Alright, Grandad?" Joe said loudly enough for his Grandfather to hear him. "How are you?"

Joe's Grandad grinned and held his arms out, gesturing for both him and Dianne to move closer for a hug.

"I'm very well" he said slowly. "Better now I've seen you two."

Joe grinned. "How about three?" He pointed to the doorway as Zoe entered the room. "It's not often you get two Suggs for the price of one these days."

His grandad laughed. Joe and Dianne slipped off the arms of the chair as Zoe moved in for a cuddle with her grandad. She smiled at him, eyes bright, before leaning in for another cuddle.

"I've missed you" she said quietly. "Sorry I haven't been to visit."

"You never need to worry about that" her grandad said sweetly, "all my grandchildren are busy and successful and happy. That's all I ever wanted. Anyway, we see what you get up to on the internet."

Joe smiled. "You're a modern man, Grandad."

Dianne giggled. "Definitely. You could probably teach me a thing or two, Richard."

At that moment, Tracey and Carol entered the room with a tray full of hot drinks. Tracey took her dad's weak, milky tea and poured it into a plastic cup. Sitting cross-legged on the arm of his sturdy chair, she held it out for him to sip, holding the straw close to his mouth. "Careful dad," she said gently, watching as he struggled to grasp the straw between his lips, "it might still be a bit hot."

Joe looked away, and felt Dianne's hand rub protectively over his leg. It was hard for him, she knew, to see the man he had always looked up to as a source of strength and inspiration so fragile in his old age.

"So, Joe" Carol said, pulling his attention back into the room, "how is London?"

"It's alright. A bit busy sometimes. I miss being here, but obviously it's so much better for work living there. It's been nice to come back. I, uh, I've been showing Dianne some of the places I used to go when I was little."

Carol smiled. "You were never still! Right from when you could walk, you were out and about on your bike or running through the lanes. I think the only thing you'd ever sit down for was that old basket of planes." Joe's grandmother reached behind her chair and produced the basket she had been talking about. Automatically, Joe held his hands out to take it.

Zoe shuffled closer to her brother. "Wow. I forgot about these. Grandad", she held up one of the planes, "do you remember?"

He pushed his cup away, Tracey putting it down on the table next to him, and nodded. "Of course I do. Joe was very good at the noises."

Joe smiled. "I was. I loved these. Oh! And this!" He picked out a large box and showed Zoe. "How long did it take us to get through it?"

Zoe smiled and turned to Dianne. "We used to do jigsaws and stuff all the time when we stayed here. We'd pick them up at boot sales and stuff, usually. This was the first grown up one Joe ever chose. We used to do a bit more every time we came here. Grandad used to keep it safe to make sure none of the pieces went missing."