24
The moving truck disappears around the corner leaving Alex and Ben in front of the old villa that has been converted to apartments and in which they now have one half of the second floor. Ben folds the delivery receipt and tucks it in his wallet.
“Think Matt and Claire would notice if we just stayed out here?” he asks.
“Tempting,” Alex says, holding the door open. Every muscle and joint aches and all he wants to do is crawl into bed and go to sleep. The problem is the new bed they’ve bought hasn’t arrived yet and they need to clear a space for it in the bedroom. He doesn’t feel any guilt at all at taking the lift for one floor.
In the lift, he slumps against Ben and tries to muffle his yawn against the top of his head. The last two days have been spent in equal parts packing the last of their combined belongings and avoiding thinking about his mother. He’s not sure which has been the more exhausting but he’s sure he is no hurry to move again.
As the lift stops it occurs to him he has no idea where the box of wrapped Christmas presents is and asks Ben if he knows.
“I have a better question for you,” Ben says as they walk toward their new home.
“Mmmmmm?”
“Where did the box of, uh, toys finally end up?”
Alex’s eyes widen; if Matt or Claire open that he’s never going to hear the end of it. Ignoring Ben’s laughter, he hurries into the apartment, searching as he goes.
Claire is putting wine glasses in a cupboard on the kitchen wall. The doors have inset leadlight panels and when she’s finished arranging the glasses, she wipes the glass inlays with a soft cloth. Matt is hanging a wooden spice and herb rack on the inside of the pantry door. The kitchen is warm and smells of garlic and butter.
“Threw some garlic bread on to heat,” Matt says over his shoulder as he begins working in the last screw of the rack.
Alex thanks him and goes in search of the boxes. Locates the box of gifts first behind his framed movie posters and puts the it and the posters in the corner of the living room and goes to the bedroom to check for the missing toys. He finally retrieves the box from the spare room and manages to shunt it into the closet in their new bedroom just as Claire calls him to come and have something to eat and drink.
It’s still warm enough to eat on the balcony and Matt carries out the garlic bread and some finger foods while Alex trails behind with a bottle of wine and four plastic tumblers.
“Good choice, brat,” Claire says accepting her drink. “If you’d messed up the cupboard I just sorted, I’d have been forced to hurt you.”
Ben points out various landmarks visible from where they are and Alex tells them about the nearby Farmer’s market which gets Matt’s immediate attention.
“You guys are still coming to the restaurant tomorrow night for dinner, right?” he asks.
“Yeah,” Alex says, nodding. He takes a deep breath before continuing. “You heard from Mom?”
“Yep,” Matt says, “told her the same thing I told you. Until you and Ben are welcome in the house, I won’t be visiting.”
“Matt, don’t do that,” Alex says, dragging his hand through his hair. “They’re our parents.”
“And when they start acting like it, I’ll start treating them like it,” Matt says. He holds his tumbler out for Ben to top up. “I’ve has enough of her shit and I’m about out of patience with yours too, buddy.”
“More wine, Claire?” Ben asks, ducking between the brothers to fill her tumbler.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alex asks, hazel eyes flashing.
“Oh, don’t get your panties in a wad. You know damned well what I mean. Stop playing the fucking martyr and stand up to her.”
Speechless, Alex stares open mouthed at his brother.
“Look I’m sorry,” Matt says, tone softening. “I don’t mean to get on your case about this today, but sooner or later you are going to have to tell her to fuck off. May as well be sooner.”
Ben bumps his shoulder to Alex’s. Smiles when Alex turns to look at him, misery and fatigue etched into his face.
“He’s not wrong, baby. Sooner or later you have to.”
Alex sighs and holds his cup out for a refill. He’s knows they’re right, but he doesn’t want to think about it right now. Right now, he just wants to enjoy setting up their new home and maybe explore that toy box some more later and then next week go down to see Polly and Allie. He doesn’t want to think about his mother.
The door buzzer sounds; the new bed has arrived.