The Story of Tom Brennan by J.C. Burke Page B

Chrissy.'
    'Hi, Rory.'
    'You guys know each other?'
    'Yeah.' She smiled and softly said, 'How's your grandad, Tom?'
    'Um?' I felt my jaw suddenly tighten. 'Fine.'
    She took her turn in the shower, while I stood there, the black curtain descending down on me.

SEVEN
    The weekends seemed to drag the most.
    Saturday, Dad drove Gran up to Aralen to see Fin while Brendan and Mum went to visit Daniel on their own. It suited me 'cause Kylie was at Brianna's and that meant I could leave the cave and have the house to myself.
    I played a bit of PS2 but just couldn't get into it. I switched the TV on and off but there was nothing to watch. I went through the fridge 500 times in case there was something I felt like eating. But mostly what I did was pick up and put down the phone.
    Finally I flopped onto the couch with the receiver in my hand. I hadn't answered Matt's emails. Too much to say and yet nothing to say. Maybe I wasn't an email sort of bloke.
    I pressed the phone. The dial tone buzzed in my ear. I switched it off and pressed the earpiece against my forehead as I tried to think straight. But the thoughts were colliding in my brain like shocks of electricity, too fast for me to really figure what they were, just that they made me feel lousy and confused. My fingers kneaded the skin on my forehead. I wanted to make a decision but I couldn't. 'Just do it, you loser,' I finally heard myself announce.
    Matt's number rang and rang. I was about to hang up when a breathless voice answered.
    'H-hello?'
    I swallowed quickly. 'Mrs O'Rourke?'
    'Yes.'
    'Um, it's . . .'
    'Is that you, Tom?'
    'Yeah.'
    'Oh, it's so lovely to hear your voice.' It sounded pathetic but I felt like bursting into tears. I didn't. 'How are you, Tom? How's it going? We've been thinking of you.'
    'Oh, it's okay. Thanks.'
    'Matt's walking in the door now. Matt! It's Tom!' she called. 'We just dropped Louise at school. She's got the Year Eight camp-out tonight at Watto's Creek.'
    'Yeah?' My heart began to ache.
    'It seems just yesterday I dropped you and Matt off there. You two were so excited.' Mrs O'Rourke sighed. 'Anyway, you want to speak to Matt, not me. I don't want to waste your money. Give my love to Mum and Dad. Hang on, darl.'
    'Hey, Tommy!'
    'Matt.'
    'Thought you'd forgotten me.'
    'Nah.'
    'Thought maybe your gran had pigeon service.'
    'Wouldn't surprise me.'
    'Yeah.'
    Silence.
    'Did you get my messages?'
    'Yeah, just, you know, busy and stuff.'
    'Did you like the joke about the guy who wanted to be a monk.'
    'Err?' I couldn't tell him I hardly read his emails. 'Yeah.'
    'Did you tell Brendan?'
    'He pissed himself,' I lied.
    'So how's it going, Tommy?'
    'Oh, you know, fucked.'
    'It must be a bit like . . .'
    I cut in, 'Footy trials on Tuesday.'
    'You'll shit in, mate. A Brennan not playing for St John's, though. You'll feel that, mate. In fact we'll all . . .'
    'You had your footy trials?'
    'Last Tuesday.'
    'Right.'
    'Miller's half-back. Whitaker's five-eight.'
    'You – captain?'
    'Yep.'
    'Good man.'
    'Owen's going to be second coach.' Matt paused. 'He's still a bit spun and all. They reckon that might help him.'
    I pressed my lips together.
    'Tom?'
    'It's sweet,' I mumbled. I could sense Matt shuffling about in the chair. I didn't want to do this anymore. It was too hard. 'Well, um . . .'
    'Peter Macken's coaching.'
    Peter Macken was Luke's old man. Suddenly I saw him in my head, sobbing in the courtroom as the judge read out Daniel's sentence. The tears rolled down Dad's cheeks too. So clearly I remember thinking how different the pain was for these two fathers and that I couldn't believe this was happening.
    'Have you seen . . . Dan?' Matt asked.
    'Not lately.'
    'There's another fund-raiser for Fin tonight.'
    'Really?'
    'At the Billi council hall.'
    I swallowed. Saturday night, they'd all be there.
    'Tom?'
    'Yeah, mate. It's, um, it's good. I saw Fin last weekend.'
    'How was he?'
    'Same.'
    'There was an article about Fin in the Billi Weekly .' I heard Matt's