Fragment #10 - Overhearing

“Lynne?”
“Hmm?”
“What was he like growing up?”
“Who?”
“Ed.”
“Who?”
“You do know who your brother is?”
“Oh, well, I dunno.”
“You don’t know?”
“No.”
“You don’t know Ed?”
“Yes I know Ed, John, I just don’t know what he was like growing up.”
“Post traumatic stress?”
“No no, I’m only his half sister, never met the guy till I was nineteen.”
“Can’t say I’m not disappointed”
“I did get told this one thing though…”
“Well?”
“When he found out that Santa wasn’t real.”
“How old was he?”
“About six”
“That’s normal innit?”
“Not this one”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense.”
“Okay, okay! Ed’s six years old, and he decides he wants to see Santa.”
“Every kid does… I did.”
“He wanted to see Santa, but he didn’t want to wait up too late in case he got into trouble… yea I know, sounds strange about Ed! Well he thought it would be a good idea to try and catch jolly Saint Nick. Nobody knows how or where a six-year-old got his hands on Ketamine, but he put it into the mince pies and sherry. Next day when the family went down stairs they found Dad - passed out next to the tree, so sedated that he’d pissed himself. Christmas was cancelled from that day onward in the Stevens household.”
“What a little shit!”
“John, Lynne… You do know that I am here! In the fucking room!”
“Sorry Ed.”
“Sorry Ed”
“Wankers…”