Book Girl and Chestnut Boy

Chapter Nine

No way. No, it was just coincidence. Sure, Dad had had black hair and his name was Murphy, but...But Murphy was a common name! Black hair was common too! What was the big deal? How likely was it that this boy she'd bumped into a few days ago was her...what, half-brother? Hah!

She shook her head. "No way. I've never even..."

"Never what? You said he left without warning? Sam is probably the reason!"

"But..." she mumbled, voice growing shaky. She blinked. "How...How old is Sam?"

"About the same age, I guess?"

So for eleven years before he'd left, he'd been cheating on Mum with somebody else?

"I'll always love you guys."

Hah. Her precious memories of her father might as well have shattered like so much glass. She sniffed. And then the tears came pouring out in earnest. "But...He's my dad!" she said in a drawn out, whiny voice, as if Layton could somehow alter the course of reality if she sounded pathetic enough.

He looked startled. "I'm...I'm really sorry, May. Should I...Um...Should I not have said anything?"

She was too upset to say anything and just shook her head.

When Mum had thrown most of her books out, she'd pleaded that Dad had given her those, that Mum could not throw them out. They were Dad's gift. They were too precious. That had just made Mum madder. She wondered now if perhaps Mum had known why he'd left. She didn't permit mementos of him – May had had to fight hard to have that photograph up there. It was the only one she had.

"Here, it's all right," Layton said, awkwardly pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry." he murmured, patting her back gently. She was more surprised than anything else. Surprised enough for the tears to stop for a moment.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd been hugged like this. Then the tears started up again, twice as hard as before, and she all but wailed into his chest.

That was how Mum found them, ten minutes or so later. She'd been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't even heard the front door.

"Oh, I'm sorry, should I come back later?" a sardonic voice asked.

They sprang apart. "M-Mum!" May cried, hastily brushing away her tears.

Layton smoothed down his hair, looking anywhere but at May or her mum. "Hel-Hello, ma'am."

Mum stood leaning against the doorframe, arms folded across her chest. Her hair was pulled into its usual practical, neat bun, and her makeup might have started out flawless but as the day had worn on, her true, tired face had started to become revealed. She took a good look at May, the amused expression on her face fading once she noted the puffy-eyes and the obsessive way her daughter kept wiping at them. "...May, what's the matter?" She frowned at Layton. "Did something happen?"

Layton looked to May. She shrugged. "Might as well ask," she mumbled.

"Ask what?" Mum asked.

"...Do you know where Dad is, Mum?"

Her expression was instantly guarded. Her gaze shifted to the photograph and then to Layton again, and it lingered on him and May thought the look was a little hostile. "Why are you asking me that?" she asked. "And aren't you going to introduce me to your...boyfriend?"

"He's not...!" May squeaked, face going red.

Layton stepped forward, hand outstretched. "Nice to meet you, ma'am. I'm Layton Darcy. May and I study English Lit together."