She hadn’t expected that. In fact, Col hadn’t intended to say it. But, all the same, it was just the right thing.
Ella’s mouth hung open for a second, then suddenly she was laughing. Not the I’m-having-a-wonderful-time kind of laughing. But more your insulted kind of laughter, because she was stuck for words. ‘You have some nerve!’ she managed to say.
Col held out his hand to Dominic. ‘Does that count as a smile? Do you owe me 10p?’
Dominic giggled. ‘10p? You deserve 20p for that. Round one to you, Col.’
Miserella’s eyes narrowed. She made a grab for her brother, but he darted behind Col. ‘What was your bet? Tell me, you little horror!’
Dominic began jumping out on either side of Col chanting, ‘Make me! Make me!’
No wonder she was annoyed, but they didn’t tell her. And that only made her even more miserable.
‘Our secret,’ Dominic mouthed at her.
While they waited for dinner Dominic insisted Col go up to see his PlayStation. Col had expected it to be a better one, more expensive, but he didn’t show that to Dominic. He was too proud of it. ‘I paid for this myself you know. I’ve got a paper round, and Mum and Dad give me money for any odd jobs I do around the house. Dad said if I saved up so much, he would give me the rest.’
Col was surprised at that. ‘He made you save up for it yourself?’ He would have thought with the money the Sampsons had, his dad would have given him anything he wanted. But it didn’t seem to bother Dominic.
‘Oh yes. My dad says you appreciate things better if you’ve got to work for them.’ He hugged his PlayStation and laughed. ‘And I definitely appreciate this.’
He even made Col laugh.
He began dancing about with excitement, as if he needed the toilet. ‘Want to play? I’ve got lots of games.’
They played until Mrs Sampson shouted on them for dinner. Col had to promise to come back up again before he went home.
‘Him and that PlayStation, Col,’ Mr Sampson said when they came downstairs. He ruffled Dominic’s hair at that, but Dominic shook him away. He didn’t want Col to see him treated like a ‘wee boy’.
All in all, Col had a better time than he expected. He laughed quite a lot and, annoying as he was, Dominic was funny. Keeping the company going with a series of knock-knock jokes which Dominic found far funnier than anyone else. It was very clear that he was the apple, in fact, the whole orchard of his parents’ eyes. They teased him, laughed with him. Dominic, the smallest in the room, filled the house with his vitality.
And all the time Col was thinking: if it hadn’t been for him, they would be mourning for him, now, missing him, grieving for him. If it hadn’t been for him.
He remembered Mrs Holden’s words, ‘You might have saved the life of a great doctor … ’ and he asked Dominic, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’
No hesitation. ‘Och, that’s easy. I want to work in a chip shop. Imagine making fish and chips for a living!’
Ella groaned. ‘You have no ambition, Dominic.’
Col only laughed. ‘It’s good to know I saved your life for something worthwhile.’
That made them all laugh, although Dominic wasn’t quite sure what he was laughing at. All of them, except Ella.
She continued to watch Col, distrustfully, throughout the meal.
‘You haven’t put arsenic in my soup or anything?’ he whispered to her.
‘If only I’d thought of it,’ she whispered back.
The soup was nothing to write home about. It was watery and dark and looked more like something you washed your dishes in. And it had bits of fried bread floating in it too.
‘They’re called croûtons, cretin,’ Miserella told him smugly as he pushed them around his bowl.
Nothing like as good as the thick, meaty broths his mam made. She’d be pleased when he told her that later.
When the meal was finished, Mr Sampson got to his feet. For one awful moment Col thought he was going to make a speech.
But he didn’t. Not really. He lifted his glass to Col, and thanked him once again for saving Dominic.
‘And remember, Col. If there’s ever anything you need – anything – just ask. We’ll always be here for you, the way you were there for our son.’
Dominic groaned. ‘Aw, Dad. Don’t go on. This is so embarrassing.’
Mr Sampson laughed. ‘I know. Point taken. Shut up, Dad. I’m just going to announce one more thing, and then I’ll shut up for the night. I promise.’ He looked at Col with almost as much fondness as he had looked at Dominic. ‘Because of what you did we put you forward for an award, and next month we’ve all been invited to London to attend the ceremony. Col, you’re going to receive The Young People’s Act of Courage Award.’