A Quiet Kind of Thunder(42)

‘Belinda!’ Mum says sharply, and Bell’s eyes go wide. She only gets ‘Belinda-d’ when she’s done something really bad.

‘It’s OK,’ Rhys says. ‘She’s right; they don’t.’ He clears his throat. ‘Your home is really lovely.’

‘Well, thank you,’ Mum says. ‘Are you hungry?’ She turns to start to go into the kitchen, angling her face away from him in the process. ‘I’ve made a beef stew, so I hope you are!’

Rhys looks at me and I sign a quick translation.

‘Sounds delicious!’ he says, and we share a smile that is just for us. I take his hand and we head into the kitchen together.

By the end of the meal, I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one falling in love with Rhys. Keir was won over as soon as he found out that Rhys likes video games, and we lost both of them for ten minutes while they compared stats on various games I’d never heard of. Bell learned how to fingerspell her name and sign Can I have some ice cream, please? and Rhys, in turn, learned the names of all the fish in the tank.

Mum, as ever, is harder to read.

‘Did you like him?’ I press. ‘Tell me that.’ Rhys has gone home, Bell is in bed and Keir is watching the football in the living room. Mum and I are sitting together in the kitchen, eating the remains of an apple tart straight out of the tray it was cooked in.

She smiles. ‘Of course I liked him, Steffi. He’s lovely. Very polite, very sweet. And I can tell he cares about you very much.’

‘Oh,’ I say. To be honest, I’m surprised she’s being so positive. ‘Well, good.’

‘You are going to be . . . sensible about this, aren’t you, love?’ Mum says.

I look at her suspiciously, parsing her words for trouble. ‘Sensible how?’

‘I know how exciting it is, being in love for the first time,’ she begins.

‘Oh God,’ I interrupt. ‘Let’s not. Please.’ I cast around the room for a distraction. ‘How’s Bell getting on at school?’

‘And Rhys is a very handsome, sweet young man,’ she continues.

‘Oh God.’

‘But you’re still very young. Try not to get carried away.’

‘OK, great, thanks. Got it. How’s work?’

‘Make sure you use protection.’

‘Mum!’

‘And remember there’s no shame in waiting if you’re not sure you’re ready. Waiting is good. I know how your generation is about sex—’

‘Oh, do you? How’s that, then?’

‘– But the first time is going to be a big deal for you. Even on a purely physical level.’

‘Mum!’ I’m in agony. ‘Stop.’

‘Make sure you get some practice in,’ she adds. Oh God, is that a smirk on her face? Is she enjoying this? ‘Your Aunt Louise gave me a vibrator for my sixteenth birthday – did I ever tell you that? Told me the same thing. And she was right.’

‘Are you trying to traumatize me?’ I’m trying to keep the level of shock and disgust in my voice down, but the matter-of-fact way she’s said ‘vibrator’ has cracked me up.

Mum, her face uncharacteristically open and flushed, grins at me. She seems pleased to have made me laugh. ‘Should I have got you one for your sixteenth?’

That does it. I’m laughing so hard I choke on a piece of pastry and have to spit it out into the sink.

‘Yes,’ I manage. ‘You should have. You failed the motherhood test.’

‘I’m so ashamed,’ Mum says, deadpan. She digs her spoon back into the tray. ‘Well, you’ve picked a nice boyfriend. So I can’t have done that badly.’

I smile at her. ‘He is a nice one, isn’t he?’

She nods. ‘Very nice.’

I sit back down and pick up my spoon again. I don’t think I’ve ever liked my mother quite this much.

rhysespieces: what are you doing this saturday?

stefstef: working!

rhysespieces: when till when?

stefstef: 10-4

rhysespieces: cool! want to come meet my friends? ?

stefstef: !! really?

rhysespieces: yeah!

rhysespieces: only if you want to?

stefstef: of course!

rhysespieces: it’s my group of friends from my old school rhysespieces: just hanging out at owen’s house. pizza. he’s got a pool table.

stefstef: cool ?

rhysespieces: are you in?

stefstef: yeah!

rhysespieces: great! i’ll pick you up after your shift?

stefstef: are they deaf?

rhysespieces: yes, steffi, they are deaf.

stefstef: was that a bad question? are you offended?

rhysespieces: haha no!

stefstef: i’m nervous

rhysespieces: don’t be. they all want to meet you rhysespieces: and you speak BSL! nothing to worry about ?

stefstef: will meg be there?

rhysespieces: no – different crowd

stefstef: oh, ok

rhysespieces: they’re good guys. you’ll like them.

stefstef: will you prep me before?

rhysespieces: i’ll prep you anytime ;) stefstef: rhhhhhhhhhhhhhys

rhysespieces: yes. i will prep you.

stefstef: i’m going to be nervous about this all week.