Face to Face

Part 24

He'd told Jackson he was going to the shop, and that's exactly where he'd gone, he'd picked up a few things that Paddy needed, but then, instead of going home he went looking for his mother.

Carl King had answered the door. Looking down his nose at him like he was something that had crawled from under a stone. The ill feeling was mutual of course, but he had somehow managed to keep a civil tongue in his head. He hadn't come looking for trouble, just to get a message across.

Carl had shown him into the living room and as he'd looked for his car keys mother and son had stared silently at each other, neither one wanting to speak until they were alone. As Carl disappeared out through the front door, happy to leave the frosty atmosphere behind him, Chas had smiled nervously at Aaron, "We need to talk..."

"No. You need to listen. Keep away from Jackson."

"Aaron!"

"What were you trying to do? Warn him off?"

"No of course not! I like him, and it's obvious he likes you." She did like him; she knew Jackson genuinely cared for her son. She hadn't meant to give him the third degree, it had all come out wrong, tact never was her strong point.

"Then leave us alone. I don't want you saying or doing something to change that." Aaron made for the door; he'd said what he wanted to say.

"Aaron please, don't go. Jackson said something; I need to know if it's true..."

"You calling him a liar?" Aaron snarled.

"No of course not." Chas insisted not missing just how quick Aaron had been to leap to Jackson's defence. It seemed her son had fallen hard and fast. "I'm just hoping he's somehow got the wrong end of the stick, about your dad?"

"Well you hoped wrong! Anyway it's a bit late to worry about that now."

A now guilt filled Chas said, "If I'd known I'd..."

"You'd have what? Come get me? Yeah maybe. Then gone and dumped me somewhere else!"

"No..."

"Yes! You haven't got what it takes to be a mother." Aaron knew he shouldn't have said that but now he'd started with the home truths he couldn't seem to stop, "You're too selfish!"

Chas felt the hot sting of tears. Yes, she was far from perfect but it hurt being reminded of the fact by her son.

"You're never satisfied with what you've got, you always want more but end up settling for less..."

"This is about Paddy isn't it?" Chas furiously blinked away the tears; she couldn't help not loving Paddy. "You've never forgiven me for dumping him for Carl!"

"You had it made with Paddy. He's a good man, he loved you..."

"But I didn't love him!" She'd tried she really had but the spark just wasn't there.

"No but you could love a tosser like Carl King! Someone who cheated on you the first chance he got! It doesn't matter now though. Paddy's better off without you, he deserves better than the village bike..."

The sound of the slap reverberated around the room. Horrified at what she'd just done Chas stood open mouthed and shaking.

Aaron stared icily back at her. "That's what me dad used to do. When he heard something he didn't like."

He hadn't meant to call her that! But he was angry at her, had been ever since she dumped Paddy. She was right he hadn't forgiven her. He never would. She'd wreaked everything. He hadn't been sure about Paddy at first, but he'd soon got to like him. He liked how he loved and respected his mum, how he'd looked out for him. He'd had a real home again and just as he was starting to believe it was for good this time, she up and left again.

Paddy was hurting, they both were and he'd done a runner. But Paddy had set aside his own heartache and chased him down. So then it was just the two of them and in the end that was all it needed to make Smithy Cottage home.

Giving his mother a scathing look Aaron then turned around and walked out the door. Half way up the road he heard her calling his name. He knew she was crying, he could hear it in her voice. Well let her cry, he'd cried over her enough times.

His cheek was stinging; he could just imagine the angry redness staining it. He kept his head bowed, not wanting anyone to see. But he was going to have to explain it to Jackson! He'd seemed to think things would settle down soon, that all the upset of the last few weeks would soon be behind them, but here he was stirring things up again.

As Aaron crossed the road outside of Paddy's. Jackson walked out through the front door.

"You ready to go? I thought I'd drop you off, take these invoices to the office then see Paddy when I ...what the hell happened to you?"

Aaron shrugged, "I was asking for it!"

"What?" Jackson steered the obviously shaken teen inside. He was a little taken aback himself, Aaron had only gone to the shop. How could he have managed to get into trouble there?

Standing in the hallway just behind the now closed front door Aaron began to explain, "We were arguing and..." blowing out a shaky breath Aaron continued shame faced, "... I called her the village bike!"

Jackson's eyes widened as he considered who the 'her' could be, Aaron had to mean the woman who owned the shop. She was a mouthy insensitive piece and he'd heard some talk about her just the other day. "Viv?"

"No."

"Who then? " Jackson demanded, who else would he have got into an argument with? Oh shit! "No! Not your mum?"

Aaron nodded sheepishly.

Jackson shook his head in disbelief, "Why can't you two put as much effort into getting along as you do into pissing each other off?"

"I was out of order I know."

"You both were! This argument, please tell me it wasn't about me?"

"No, it was about Paddy."

"Paddy!" Well Jackson could well believe that. Aaron was very protective of him where his mother was concerned. He'd told him how she'd moved in uninvited just after his suicide attempt. He'd had to ask her to leave because Paddy was enjoying her company too much.

It was clear she'd broken both their hearts when she chose Carl over Paddy. She'd torn Aaron's world apart and he just couldn't forgive her. "Don't you think you've punished her enough?"

"What?"

"You're keeping her at what you think is a safe distance, letting her stray over the line when it suits you and knocking her back when it doesn't. You keep pushing her away but she keeps coming back for more, doesn't that tell you something?"

"Yeah, that she's slow on the uptake!" Aaron spat derisively, why was Jackson on her side all of a sudden?

Jackson shook his head again, Aaron was as stubborn as they come, "This is one fight you'll probably never win but if you do, you could just regret it!"

TBC