Chapter Twenty-Five

"What do you think you are doing bringing mum here?" asks Eddi, who now stands in the kitchen with Liam after practically dragging him through the door while leaving Luc at the mercy of her drunken mother.

"She asked to come Ed, what was I supposed to do?"

"Say no! Couldn't you have stopped her?"

"Come on Ed, you know it's not as easy as that. It's hard to tell her what to do when she's in that state."

"Can't you take her back? This isn't the best time."

"Why? Are we interrupting something? I don't know why you're back with him anyway, not after all he's put you through."

"It's not like that Liam, you don't understand."

"That's about right. I don't understand half the things you do!"

…..

Meanwhile in the living room…

Luc is standing rather uncomfortably with his hands in his pockets behind the sofa, while their mother is swaying unsteadily a few feet away, glugging back more whiskey after every sentence or two.

"You hic w-want some?" she asks shoving the bottle in his direction.

"I think you've drunken enough for both of us," and he moves to the defensive by crossing his arms over his chest as he looks down on the intruder.

"Ah, y-you don't kn-hic-ow what you're mis-missing," and she knocks back another mouthful.

"Well you're certainly not missing a chronic case of liver disease."

"Lo-losen up, have hic s-some. You're l-looking a bit hic bit stiff," she says while running a hand down his torso causing Luc to stiffen further and take a step back.

"I'm particularly attached to my liver and I'd like to keep it that way thank you."

"You're no f-fun," and the bottle goes straight to her lips once more.

….

In the kitchen…

"Why are you still with him Eddi?"

"He needs my help."

"And where were you when I needed your help ay? Where were you when mum needed your help? Nowhere, that's where! But you are willing to be with a man who you have known what, about a year? And for half of that time you hated the man! We're blood Eddi. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"What do you take me for Liam? Of course I care!"

"Funny way of showing it."

"But I had to escape, she was killing me, I had no choice. If I wanted the chance to fulfil my potential I needed to leave."

"And where has that got you Eddi? And what about my dreams, my wishes? Did you even stop to consider them? No!"

"If I had stayed I wouldn't be standing here now, but instead laying in a grave somewhere."

"I would have helped you!"

"Like Luc helped me? It's something I needed to do on my own in the end. I got myself into the mess I needed to get myself out of it."

"And right back into Luc's arms!"

"Doesn't that tell you something? Luc is what I needed, is what I need. I don't want to lose him again and, not now I've just found him."

Their heated conversation is broken as Luc peaks around the corner, sheer fear tormenting his features.

"Eddi, can you get your mother under control. She has consumed the whiskey and has now moved on to consuming me!"