"I don't want Chinese, Mum makes better," Lawrence whined, frowning as William fished out another set of leaflets. "And I can't eat that Indian stuff, it makes me hurl."
"Will you just try? Mum can't cook, she's not, she's -"
"She's broken," Lawrence said quietly.
"No she's not, don't say that," William snapped.
Lawrence would never say it out loud, but William was so like their mum. He was so clever, like her but really quiet too. He liked his brother, he did, loved him really as long as no one knew about it. He spotted a letter on the kitchen bench and leaned over a little to read it.
"Oi, stop it!" William said, trying to grab it.
For all his books, William wasn't that good at sport, so Lawrence was quicker to snatch it and ran into the dining room, reading it over the table while fending William's arms off.
"She's leaving," he said, feeling just as shocked as he had when Mum has sat them down and explained that Dad had gone to live with someone else for a while.
"What?"
"Kate, she's leaving, it says so here." He pointed to a word he couldn't quite work out, letting William take the letter and read it quickly.
"She's resigned," William whispered, dropping the paper to the table.
That was the word, he knew he'd heard it somewhere.
"So what does that mean?"
William always knew these sorts of things, and he looked at his big brother, waiting for the verdict.
"That's why Mum is upset. She's going, not coming back."
"What? She can't!" Lawrence said, standing up, his fists balled at his sides.
"I didn't think you were that bothered?" William said, rummaging through the drawer again.
"Well, it's weird, Mum being with Miss McKenzie, but she's nice, always nice to me anyway. She let me win at Scrabble the other day, I know she did, and well Mum smiles all the time now, she's happy."
"I know," William agreed, "but there's nothing we can do, it's none of our business. I'm ordering pizza - what do you fancy?"
Lawrence didn't reply but started hatching a plan. He'd make Kate see, he'd make her see she couldn't leave. He certainly didn't want her to go, if only for his mum's sake.
"I'm going upstairs," he mumbled as William picked up the phone, nodding as they passed each other.
He closed his bedroom door carefully, making sure his mum wouldn't hear him. He'd managed to climb up the drainpipe before but he'd never attempted it the other way. He grabbed his jacket and opened the window, leaning out to check that there was nobody watching. He knew where Kate's house was, for as soon as they'd all found about about her, his mum had made sure to have her address on the board in the kitchen in case anything ever happened. He was sure he would come back home with Kate, so he simply climbed out, clinging onto the drainpipe for dear life.
It was quite a bit further to Kate's house than he'd imagined, but he made it to her front door finally, where he rang the bell and waited for what felt like an age for her to answer.
"Lawrence, what are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to you," he pleaded, putting on the face he knew his mum couldn't resist.
"Come in, you'll catch your death. I'm going to ring your Mum, she'll be worried sick," Kate called back down the hallway while he took his jacket off.
"NO!" he yelled, grabbing the phone from her hand before she could connect. "Please, just wait, I want to talk to you."
"Lawrence, she'll be going spare. Why couldn't you have a word with me at school?" Kate asked, sitting down at her table.
"Because you're not going to be there anymore," he said, sitting opposite her.
He wasn't good at this, not like William. His brother always knew what to say and how to say it. He was just stupid Lawrence.
"I, don't go. Don't leave."
"Lawrence -" Kate started, looking as upset as his mum had when Kate had left the night before.
"No, please just listen - Mum's happy, really happy, William sees it too. He said so and you're the reason, you're why she smiles and laughs and gets on well with Granny, well, until like, you know. And I'm sorry for calling William a pussy and a poofter, that was wrong of me, and I don't want people to be mean to you either, but Mum said she was big and she could handle it, only she can't, not without you!" he said in a rush, not realising until Kate reached out and cupped his cheek that he was crying. "Please don't leave us."
"Lawrence, I -" She paused and he watched as she considered her words. "Your Mum loves you, deeply, but she doesn't love me. I don't know why I'm telling you this, but I love her so much but she doesn't love me back, and that's okay Lawrence, it really is, but I can't, I just -"
The doorbell rang and Lawrence growled at whoever it was disturbing them. Kate chuckled a little as she walked past him, wiping her own tears.
"Stay here okay? The last thing I need is to be accused of child abduction."
"Yeah, alright."
He nearly fell out of the chair as he spied his Granny come through the door. He loved his grandmother, he really did, but if she hurt Kate again he'd say something to her, he had to - he wanted his mum back, the one he'd come to adore over the last few months.
He crept closer down the corridor, grimacing when he saw that his granny was facing his way, so he slid down the wall, listening in on the conversation. He smiled when she described his Mum, glad that Granny still loved her. They'd been pretty awful to each other in the kitchen earlier, even though he hadn't understood it all, but if Granny could still love Mum, then Kate could still love his mum too. He wanted to stand up and join in, tell them that it was okay, that she still loved them both, even though she was broken.
His phone buzzed and he glanced down to see William's face on the screen.
He hung up without answering. He needed to make sure Kate was going to go back to Mum first, she needed to come back. He loved his dad too, but it was confusing. First he was there, then he wasn't and he loved Mum and then he didn't. Kate was simple, easy to understand. She loved his mum, it was obvious without her saying it, and she even seemed to enjoy playing Xbox. It was simple - he wasn't leaving without her.
"Don't leave her."
He could have jumped up and hugged Granny, but settled for a fist pump as he stayed sat in the hallway still. He could almost feel Kate giving up through the wall.
"Look, Celia, she's not, she won't -"
"I know my daughter love, and she does," Granny said simply. "I'll wait in the car."
He scrambled to get back in the kitchen before his granny could see. He'd be in so much trouble if he got caught.
"Lawrence, come here please."
He walked cautiously back into the living room to see Kate standing by the sofa. "Come here," she said in her Miss McKenzie voice.
"I'm sorry," he apologised quietly.
"Don't be sorry," she said, her tone changing completely. "Come here."
He found himself being tugged into Kate's arms and he hugged her right back. He knew now, he knew she would go back to his mum and it would all be okay.
"Thank you for coming to see me Lawrence. I'll talk to your gran and you can come back with us."
"No way, she'll have a fit!" he said, feeling slightly panicked. "She'll tell Mum."
"No she won't, because she did exactly the same thing as you did, now come on, get your coat."
He walked to the car, hiding behind Kate slightly as his Granny caught sight of him. Expecting to be shouted at when he got in the car, he was stunned when she turned around and patted his knee.
"Great minds think alike, love."
The drive back home was quiet, but not awkwardly so. Not like when they went up to Gillian's farm. He was pretty sure that was mostly Dad's fault though, but this was nice, calm almost and Granny made sure to stop just before the driveway so he could get out and climb back into his room.
"Where've you been?" William demanded, dragging him through the window and into his room.
"Kate's house," he said proudly. "She's here, Granny bought her over. She apologised and everything, Granny did, and now she's at the front door with Kate."
William looked unconvinced, but Lawrence grabbed his sleeve and dragged him to the top of the stairs.
"Told you so," he said quietly as the doorbell rang.
They waited for a moment, but there was no shouting or crying, nothing, until their mum walked past the bottom of the stairs with Kate's hand firmly in hers.
"Yes!" he yelled, holding up his hand for a high five off his big brother.
"Idiot," William said, without the spite. "Well done, Lawrence." Lawrence stood in shock at the top of the stairs as William walked back to his room. "I left you some pizza in your room," he called over his shoulder.
Today was the best day ever. Tomorrow he'd make sure that Mum was smiling again and if he went downstairs to watch the game later, he'd let her know it was okay for Kate to stay, even though he didn't need to think about that, but if his mum was smiling, then he was happy.
