Growing Up Chase
by Rebel Yell
Part Four (Age 11)
"Robert Chase, I swear you grow an inch between every time I see you."
" Hi, Mrs. Hughes. Is Lizzie in?"
" Come on inside, Robbie. She has some cleaning to finish up, but then she can go do…whatever it is you've planned."
" Danny and I are going to teach her to surf."
" Be careful out there, Robbie, remember Lizzie isn't as gifted a swimmer as you or Danny."
" I know, Mrs. Hughes. I'll watch for her, promise."
" I know you will. How're your parents? I haven't seen your mum, except in interviews and photo shoots, in ages."
" Mum's busy. She's working lots more again, now that I'm old enough to be left behind. She said photographers didn't think sexy when she showed up with me in tow." Robbie shrugged, not too concerned about that. He didn't think his mum was sexy either - but then he reckoned no one thought that about their own mum.
" Woman her age shouldn't be doing shoots like…well, it's good to hear she's finding work again."
" She's making loads. More than Dad. He's in London for a conference this week. He works even more than Mum. He said they're developing some new sort of therapy for uhm…beryllium poisoning, I think. He uses big words, and sometimes I'm not sure what they mean."
" Most boys your age wouldn't even know what beryllium is. Would you like a glass of milk, some biscuits? Sarah made them last night."
" Did she burn them again? Lizzie brought some of Sarah's chocolate chip cookies to school last week, and they were burnt."
" No, she didn't burn them this time." Annie Hughes laughed a little, mostly at his enthusiastic nod at her response. Robbie was the easiest boy in the world to please - a bit of conversation and some biscuits and you had his heart. She placed four on the plate, and poured a glass of milk, before setting both plate and glass in front of him.
" If it's all right, Mrs. Hughes, maybe I should just have two?"
" Are you feeling all right, Robbie? Usually you're after the chocolate chip cookies like a bull out of gate."
" I'm not supposed to have any sweets."
" Are you in trouble for something?" She prepared to withdraw the plate entirely, not wanting to help him circumvent a parental punishment.
" Oh no. It's just that I have a photo shoot on Friday after school, and Mum says I'll get fat if I eat sweets. She won't allow any in the house. But two cookies…it won't hurt too much will it? I'm going surfing."
" Robbie, you hate having your picture taken."
" Mum likes it. She says I'm gorgeous - or I will be when I'm grown. But I can't get fat. So I have to stay active and eat right."
" Well, your father is a doctor. What's he think about your weight? You look thin to me."
" Dad's…not around."
" Well, yes, you said he's in London. Doesn't he have an opinion, though?"
" Mum says he doesn't have the right to an opinion anymore. Since he's left us."
"Left you?"
" Mum got the papers yesterday. She says it means he doesn't love us anymore."
" Oh, Robbie, your mum is just upset. Your parents are divorcing - your dad still loves you, just not your mum." To be honest, nearly everyone who knew Robbie's parents had seen this divorce coming for at least a couple years. Neither Victoria nor Rowan were happy, and both had started working even longer hours to avoid home.
" Mum says we're a package deal. He's too busy to have a kid any way. Uncle Alex said mum and dad shouldn't ever have had me. Seeing as neither of them wanted me and all."
" Oh dear Lord. Robert…"
" Mrs. Hughes? Is something wrong?" He looked up from his slow savoring of the second cookie, and she reached out a hand to run through his slightly shaggy blond hair. He smiled at her, leaning into the petting a little.
" You're a sweet boy, Robbie. You shouldn't pay any mind to what your Uncle Alex says."
" Uncle Alex was shouting at Dad, not me." Robbie shrugged easily, as if the shouting were the worst part of it. "It's okay, Mrs. Hughes. Mum told me years ago I wasn't wanted when they had me. It doesn't mean she doesn't love me. She just didn't know how much she really did want a son, until she had me. Sometimes she gets sad about her career, she's lost loads of work over the years because of me, but she said she wouldn't trade me for all the photo-shoots ever done. It's just my Dad who doesn't…his career is very important. He could cure important things."
" And ruin the most important thing."
" He wouldn't ruin anything! He's real smart and he works really hard."
" I'm sure his work is all very well done, Robbie. But don't you think he should spend more time with you and your mum?"
" I wish he'd been better to Mum - she misses him loads. I understand he's busy but Mum's still hurt when he doesn't show up when he promised. Maybe it'll get better now. He's not promising any more. He can't not show up, if he doesn't say he'll be round."
" Mr. Hughes was just asking me if you were going to be around this weekend -- I think he's looking for another lad to watch the cricket tests." Annie volunteered. It was only a small lie, her husband was usually asking after Robbie in one way or another, and Robbie did tend to watch the tests even when Lizzie would rather be doing something else.
" I promised Lizzie we'd practice surfing again at weekend. Do you think Mr. Hughes would mind if I only watched part of the tests? It must be lonely, watching by himself. Unless Katie and Sarah like cricket, do they?"
" No, not so much. They like football, like Lizzie does, but aren't much for cricket. I think Mr. Hughes enjoys having you 'round, Robbie. Gives him another lad round the place. And he won't mind a bit that you've promised to take Lizzie surfing too."
" Rob! Are we meeting Danny down the beach?"
" He's a bit late, his mum's making him learn to do laundry for some reason. He said to get started, he'll be round in a bit." Robbie replied, downing the very last of his milk and standing as Lizzie pounded into the room, already dressed for a trip to the beach.
" Mum, we're going to the beach for the afternoon. Rob's teaching me to surf. Come on, Robbie, I'm ready."
"Bye, Mrs. Hughes. Thanks for the sweets!" Rob called back over his shoulder, as he was physically pulled from the house by his best friend.
