Chapter 11
“I thought you lived in London.”
“Do now.”Luke put his mug in the sink and turned on the tap.Over his shoulder he said,“But I grew up on a farm in southeast Wales.”
“So that’s where you got your last name from?”Craig asked,once Luke had shut off the water.
“Uh huh.”Luke yawned.“Now I’m off to bed.”
“Want some company?”Craig stood and smiled nervously.
Luke thought it wise to nip things in the bud.Placing his hands on Craig’s shoulders,he looked up into the boy’s green eyes.“Look,Craig.You’re a great kid—”
“I’m not a kid,I’m sixteen.”
“Yes,and too young for me.As I said,you’re great,and if we were closer to the same age,then…”Luke left the sentence unfinished.In truth he wasn’t attracted to Craig’s sort,thin,bony and gangly.Like Roger,you mean,a small voice told him.“I’m sure,in a few yearsthe right man will come along.If you both work at it,the pair of you could make a go of it.”
“So,do you fancy Uncle Andy,then?”
Luke closed his eyes.Craig certainly was persistent.
“You do.”Craig giggled.
Opening his eyes again,Luke said,“I think he’s a very good person.I would like to get to know him better,if he’ll let me.”Luke dropped his hands from Craig’s shoulders and turned away.He’d said too much.
“Please,Luke.”He felt a hand on his arm.Turning back,he saw a serious expression on Craig’s face.“You know about Uncle Andy,how he got injured.”
“Uh,no,not really.I imagine it happened in Afghanistan.”
“Yeah.But,it really bothers him,you know.He thinks he’s ugly,that he’s—”
“Oh,I see.”
“But he’s not.He’s great.When my dad did what he did…”
Earlier,when they’d cleaned up after supper,Craig had told him something of his home life and how bad it was.Luke ached for the kid.Luke’s own coming out had been a non-issue.His dad didn’t understand,but both his parents told him that they still loved him.
“I just don’t want Uncle Andy hurt;he’s,well,he’s special.”
Luke raised his arms again,this time pulling Craig into a hug.“He is special.”
“Thanks.”Craig said into Luke’s hair.“Maybe you could tell him that he’s not ugly,that you like him and—”
“We’ll see.”Luke could feel Craig’s erection through the two layers of fabric.He’d needed to borrow a pair of Craig’s pyjamas,and they were a little long on him.
“Okay,definitely time for bed.”Luke disengaged.“By myself.”
“Aww.”Craig smiled.
Luke was pretty sure they now understood each other.Feeling happy at achieving this,he kissedCraig on the cheek before leaving the kitchen and heading upstairs.
****
Getting up late always put Andy behind.And if that wasn’t bad enough,he had a headache.Given all this,of course,the pigs had to play up.Weaning the six-week-olds from the sow was always a chore.Andy managed to get the piglets out of the pen,moving a board in place to stop them from heading in the wrong direction,but one slipped back to its mother before he could close the gate.Deciding it would be easier to deal with the others first,he walked them to theother end of the shed to a fattening pen,heat lamp already switched on.
Going back to the sow,Andy opened the gate and advanced on the errant piglet.“Come‘ere,ya little sod.”He picked up the twenty kilogramme squealing bundle and carried it down the aisleto join its littermates.“You fucking evil bugger.”The piglet had managed to piss on him before he was able to set it down in the new pen.
As he straightened,the hair on the back of his neck prickled.Ever since the ambush,he’d been paranoid about being watched.Sure enough,Luke was standing at the entrance to the pig unit,casually leaning on the doorframe.
“Morning.They’re a lively lot,aren’t they?”Luke asked with a winning smile.
Andy turned away,ashamed.Luke had seen him the previous night after his nightmare,now here he was,covered in pig piss.“Yeah.”He knew he was gruff,but he couldn’t help it.
“Do you need a hand?”Luke’s voice had come closer.
Andy stiffened.“I can manage.Besides,you wouldn’t want to get peed on.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,”Luke joked.
Andy chose to ignore the remark.“I’ll be finished in a bit,then I’ll cook us some breakfast.”
“Uh,all right then.”After a pause he added,“Sorry.”
Andy sensed—rather than heard—Luke depart.Picking up his pitchfork,he began angrily forking out soiled straw bedding into a wheelbarrow,all the while hating himself for his rudeness.He knew he hadn’t made a good impression.The previous evening,after an over-excited Craig had come rushing in to tell him of Luke’s surprise arrival,Andy knew he’dbeen sullen and uncommunicative.But what did it matter?He’d probably never see the man again.To his surprise the thought caused something inside of him to ache.
Setting aside the pitchfork and turning on the hose,he thought about the reason Luke had givenfor coming.He didn’t buy the story about how he was just passing and was returning his jacket.If that were so,he’d not have been wearing it,he’d have his own coat and Andy’s would be in a bag or something.
He didn’t like mysteries.He wanted to believe Luke’s coming was because he felt sorry for him.But that couldn’t be true.No one would drive all the way from Manchester,in the snow,just for that.And beside,Luke wasn’t that kind of person.Obviously the lad had had to do some detective work in order to find him.He didn’t recall giving out his address when they had last met.Why did a good-looking,hell,beautiful,young man like Luke drive all that way to see him?
Shaking his head,Andy turned off the hose and coiled it up.Pushing the wheelbarrow out of the barn,he manhandled it over the snow-covered,frozen mud and dumped the contents on the dung pile.
****
“No wonder you’re so thin.”Andy stood in his kitchen,frying pan in hand.“I’ve seen moremeat on a butcher’s pencil,”he said,giving Luke a good look over.He turned to face the Aga,hoping Luke hadn’t noticed how admiring his glance was.But the boy really was too thin.No wonder he always felt the cold.Fucking fruit smoothy for Christ’s sake!He put the pan down on the hotplate and moved to the fridge.The smell of his specially cured bacon would have the lad changing his mind.It never failed.
****
“Have I missed breakfast?”Craig came into the kitchen,rubbing at his eyes,his hair sticking out in all directions.
Andy,who was sitting at the kitchen table,looked up from his copy of the Farmer’s Weeklyand focusd on the wall clock above the sideboard.“What do you think?It’s after ten.I’m not running a bloody bed and breakfast here.”
“Morning,Luke.Did you sleep okay?”Craig asked,ignoring his uncle’s mood and passing the man whom Andy had been doing his best to ignore for the last hour.
“Very well,thanks.Must be the country air.”
Andy grunted.
Moving behind Andy,Craig wrapped his arms around him and squeezed.“Uncle Andy been talking your ear off as usual,I bet.”
Luke smiled,but didn’t comment.
“Take no notice.Uncle Andy’s just a big cuddly Teddy bear when you get to know him.”
Luke smirked,but still stayed silent.
Andy harrumphed,“You want a bacon sandwich?”
“Yeah,lovely.”
Addressing Luke for the first time in a while,Andy asked,“You sure you don’t want one?That yoghurt thing you had wasn’t enough to keep a sparrow alive.”
“Well,uh,I shouldn’t.”
“That’s decided then.Two of your best bacon and tomato sandwiches,”Craig said,giving Andy a final squeeze before letting go.“Uncle Andy’s a brilliant cook.Has he told you how he used to make roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for ten men under gunfire with only two Billy cans and a couple of twigs to rub together?”
“Don’t be cheeky.”Andy swatted at Craig,who effortlessly avoided his hand,laughing at his joke.It even made Luke laugh.“I wasn’t in the catering corps.”Under his breath he added,“Though I probably would have done a damn sight better than they did.”