The Caller. Alex Barclay

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СКАЧАТЬ Denis Cullen who the 10–13 benefit’s for next month. Well – it’s for his daughter. She’s got cancer, she’s only thirteen years old.’

      ‘Shit,’ said Joe. ‘I didn’t know that. I thought he’d just been through a divorce or something.’

      ‘Nah, they’re a real close family. He’s a good guy. When he’s not here, he’s at the hospital with his wife and daughter the whole time.’

      ‘When’s the benefit?’

      ‘A couple weeks at the Bay Ridge Manor. There’s a poster up on the board. It’s black tie.’

      ‘Black tie? What’s up with that?’

      Danny shrugged. ‘It’s terrible – it’s because they’re not sure, you know, if she’s going to pull through and you know, make her prom, her wedding … so it’s kind of a fancy affair for that.’

      ‘Jesus Christ, you think you have problems …’

      ‘I know.’

      Anna Lucchesi lay in bed as wide awake as she had been when she got in. She wanted so badly to sleep, but one part of her was listening out for Joe to come home, the other for Shaun. Over the past few months, she had been kept awake by a strange humming sound somewhere off in the distance, maybe out across the water. Tonight, at least it was quieter, just the sound of cars going by below on the Belt Parkway, a soothing sound that usually lulled her to sleep. She pulled the sheet tightly around her, up over her shoulder and high under her chin. Just as she settled, she heard the screech of a car pulling up outside the house. A door opened, then closed, then silence. No footsteps. Nothing. She leaned up on her elbow and listened. She looked at the clock. It was 4 a.m. After a minute, she heard faint electronic beeps from outside. Then a short five-note melody. Then more beeps. Shaun’s cell phone. She got up and walked over to the window when she pulled back the blinds, she saw a body lying on the street outside the gate. Her heart leaped. She looked closer and recognized Shaun’s sneakers. Her legs went weak. She grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand and dialled Joe’s number as she ran down the stairs.

      ‘Joe, Joe, get home now,’ she screamed. ‘Something’s happened to Shaun. He’s lying outside the house on the street.’ She hung up. Shaun was on his back with his eyes closed, his arms stretched out by his side.

      ‘Shaun,’ said Anna. ‘Shaun.’

      She crouched down beside him and put an ear to his chest. He was taking in deep guttural breaths and breathing out a rancid mix of garlic, cigarettes and alcohol.

      ‘Shaun,’ she hissed. ‘Wake up.’

      He frowned and rolled his head from side to side. Anna looked around to see if anyone was watching her in her pyjama bottoms and cami kneeling beside her drunk teenage son. Shaun’s eyes flickered open and he slowly turned to her, his head loose on his neck, his eyes wildly trying to focus, first on her, then randomly on either side of her.

      ‘Mom?’ he said finally.

      ‘Yes,’ she snapped.

      ‘Dad?’ he said.

      She reached down and grabbed his arm. ‘Get up. Into this house.’

      He wrenched his arm away. ‘Get off of me.’

      ‘Just get inside,’ said Anna. ‘It’s four o’clock in the morning.’

      He laughed.

      ‘It’s not funny.’

      ‘It is,’ he said. ‘C’mon, it is funny getting the time whenever you come home. Every kid gets the time when they come home. Like we care. Like it matters.’ He lifted his head off the concrete. ‘Am I on the sidewalk? Jesus Christ.’ He laughed again. ‘How the hell did I get here?’

      ‘Oh my God – how did you get here? You don’t know how you got here?’

      ‘Jesus Christ,’ he said, rolling onto his side, then dragging himself up onto his elbow. ‘I have no idea.’

      ‘OK. I’m going inside and you can follow me in. Now.’

      ‘Ugh.’

      ‘And your father is on his way.’

      ‘What? I thought he had a—’

      ‘Yes he does,’ said Anna. She reached the front door. ‘So God help you.’

      Shaun stayed where he was, then dragged himself to the top step of the house. Eventually Anna opened the door and came out.

      ‘Get up now, Shaun.’ She walked back into the hall. ‘I’m closing the door.’

      ‘I never asked you to open it.’

      She slammed the door and turned on the porch light.

      ‘Aw man,’ he said. ‘Come. On.’ He leaned a hand back on the step and pushed himself up, knocking against a plant pot. ‘Turn off the goddamn searchlight. I’m right here.’ He banged on the door. Anna opened it. He walked in and sat on the first chair he found.

      ‘Don’t get comfortable there,’ said Anna.

      She heard the beeps again, outside the house. She pulled open the door and grabbed his cell phone.

      ‘Give me that,’ he said.

      She held it up. ‘When you go up and get into bed. Where were you tonight?’

      ‘Out.’

      ‘Tell me where you were. Or I will not give this back.’

      Shaun laughed. ‘What? Give me my phone.’ He glared at her.

      ‘Don’t try anything with me,’ said Anna. ‘No more. I’m tired of this.’

      ‘I’m the one who’s tired of all this,’ said Shaun, standing up, ‘this fucking house. It’s so depressing. I hate being here. I can’t bear it. You go to anyone else’s house and you have fun. You come here and it’s all, like, ugh.’

      Anna reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a bottle of beer. She shook her head slowly. ‘What are you?’ she said. ‘A wino now? Walking around the streets with bottles of alcohol?’

      ‘I didn’t want it to go to waste,’ said Shaun.

      ‘It’s disgusting,’ said Anna. ‘When did you turn into this … this person?’

      ‘What person?’ said Shaun.

      ‘Stop it,’ she shouted. ‘Stop being so aggressive with me.’ Tears came out of nowhere. Shaun swayed in front of her, blinking slowly. She turned quickly and walked into the kitchen, wiping her eyes. She sat down at the table and took some deep breaths. She remembered the advice she once heard that it was never too late to start your day over. She looked at the hands of the clock at 4.20 a.m. and wondered which day she would be re-starting. In the hallway, Shaun’s cell phone beeped again. Anna boiled the kettle and made a mug of Sleepytime tea. Within minutes, she could feel its СКАЧАТЬ