Carnage: Book #1 The Story Of Us (Volume 1)(101)

“Hey,” I hear Sean say next me, I look up at him. “Calm, the f*ck, down. We’ve got this okay, we’re Sean and Georgia, remember, they won’t break us again,” he nods as he speaks to me.

My eyes wander back to my parents; they sit on the two seater as Len passes them both what looks like whiskey. I can’t wait any longer. I have to speak before I explode.

“Did you do it?” I ask my Mum. I don’t shout, I keep my voice at a reasonable level and I think I sound pretty calm, my Dad looks at my Mum and then at me, my Mum stares into her lap.

“What’s going on George?” He looks back at my Mum. “Bern?”

“Did. You. Do. It?” I ask louder this time and emphasise every word. My Dad is still looking at my Mum.

“Bern, what the f*ck is goin’ on?”

“Shall I tell him?” I ask, finally her eyes swing up to mine.

She knocks back all of her drink and takes a deep breath. “I did what I thought was right.” I fly out of my seat but Sean and Bailey pull me back. “How could you, how f*ckin’ could you?” I scream at her.

“That’s enough Georgia, will someone please tell me what the f*ck is going on here?” my Dad roars.

I bring my gaze to meet his. “Did you know were you a part of it?’

“No,” my Mum shouts.

“Part of what George? I ain’t got a Scooby what you’re on about love.”

“Did you keep Sean’s calls and letters hidden from me? Did you pack them all in a box and send them back to him with a note, supposedly from me, saying do not contact me again? Did you tell everyone that I had been to Marley’s and tried to smash my way in? Did you, or was it just your lying, deceitful, spiteful wife?”

My Dad didn’t know he has no idea what I’m talking about; he looks to my Mum. “Bern?”

My Mum holds her head in her hand and shakes it; she looks up at me and Sean. “It wasn’t like that, at first I wanted you to get back with him, I wanted you back together but you were so broken George, you needed time, I couldn’t let you talk to him, you wasn’t strong enough and you refused in the beginning anyway.”

Lennon goes into the kitchen and comes back with a bottle of Wild Turkey bourbon and tops up everyone’s glasses, Bailey has his hand on my knee, Sean has a hold of my hand, and we’re all on the edge of our seats. I take Sean’s glass from him and take a swig of his drink. Len sits back down and my Mum continued.

“I’m your Mum George, my job is to keep you safe” she looks at me wide eyed, and then turns to Sean.“You’d only sent a few letters at that stage.” She swallows hard and closes her eyes for a long moment. “After a few days, I was going to let him talk to you, I thought once the band were back on tour and you could only talk on the phone, that it would be safe, the distance would keep you safe”

She gestures to Sean as she speaks. “Then one day when George was at school, doing one of her last exams, this girl knocks on the door; I had no idea who she was… Anyway, she wants to talk to you George, she said that she needed you to know that Sean had been two timing you with her for years, that he’d only stayed with you because he was scared of being kicked out of the band and that as soon as they made the big time, he was going to break up with you and start a new life with her.”

She swallows and licks her lips, I can see in my peripheral vision that Sean is shaking his head next to me.

“Na, na, na, what girl, who was she?”

“Sean,” my Mum sighs out his name. “You had just broken my daughters heart into a million pieces, I didn’t, I just believed what she told me, I didn’t check up on her story, I just believed it, you weren’t my favourite person at the time.” She sips on her drink. “I didn’t tell anyone else about her because I didn’t want to cause any problems with the band so I just decided to keep quiet, Georgia seemed to be getting better so I had all post addressed to her, diverted to a Post Office box. I thought after a while it would stop coming, or at least slow down but it didn’t. In the end, I packed it all in a box and sent it back to Sean with a note saying, please don’t contact me again, I’m moving on with my life, you should too,” She shrugs as she says this and I want to punch her, I want to cause my own mother physical harm.