Twenty four hours later and John was still going on about it. "Do you realise that your actions have compromised the whole family, Cleo? Not only have you been in contact with Callum yet again, but your mother ended up having intimate contact with a total stranger."
"Well I wouldn't exactly describe it as …. " I began, but John was in full flow.
"We don't know where that bloke could have been. He could be teeming with all sorts of bacteria. It's a potential death sentence for every member of this family, Cleo! I don't know what to do for the best, to be honest. Perhaps we should all go into a two week quarantine."
"Christ, John! No way are we doing that. You're over-reacting again. I was in that bathroom scrubbing for a good half an hour yesterday," I said.
"I can't believe you put us all in this position, Cleo."
"I've said I'm sorry, Dad. But ….. as I've told you a billion times, we socially distanced. We JUST had a run together."
"But it's the deceit too, Cleo."
"What do you expect? Would you have allowed me to go if I'd asked you? God Mum, why did you have to tell him? I asked you not to."
Actually wondering that myself.
"Like I told you Cleo, there's been enough lying and sneaking about already. We need to all be more open with each other from now on. Don't we, John?"
"Yes. We do, Daisy. I'm glad we're all finally learning that."
"Now, please can we drop it?" I asked. "I have a bruise on my arse the size of a toddler's head. I can barely sit down today."
They both grimaced, then left the room in opposite directions.
John had retreated to his shed and Cleo to her room. I put a movie on for the twins as a reward for actually completing one of Mr Braithwaite's rock-solid maths worksheets and settled down to thinking up some ideas for the new project and emailing them out (while sitting on a very soft cushion). I managed to set up a video conference for Friday. Antonio replied within seconds. I didn't hear a peep out of Olivia all afternoon.
It was just before dinner that Cleo came crashing into the kitchen, flinging the door open with such force that I thought it was going to come off its hinges. "Well, I hope you're satisfied!" she shouted. "Callum's finished with me!"
"Oh! Sorry about that, love. Believe me, that gives me no satisfaction at all."
"You expect me to believe that! You've been trying to split us up for weeks!" Then the tears started.
"What's all the racket?" John shouted from the garden.
"You'd better come in," I said.
"It's your fault!" she sobbed.
"Look what you've done now, John!"
"THE BOTH OF YOU!" she yelled.
"I don't think you can blame me for ....." I began, attempting to put my arm around her.
She shrugged me off. "I hate you both! You've ruined my life!"
"Now I think that's a bit unfair," John said. "We're only trying to protect you."
"By being totally mental?"
"I've told you before, darling ...... if Callum can't accept your family ...." I started to explain.
"This family is like a cross between the Osbornes and the Addams Family!" was her parting shot, before she stomped upstairs and slammed her bedroom door shut.
Ouch!
I looked at John and shook my head, drained of all my energy. Marcus appeared in the doorway. "How long's dinner gonna be? We're starving!"
"Here," I said, handing him a tube of Pringles. Then I retreated to the bathroom with a Terry's Chocolate Orange.😩
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