Matt Whyman - The Savages

At the table, Titus Savage spotted his son picking his teeth with one finger.

‘Manners,’ he reminded the boy quietly. ‘We’re not animals.’

As he spoke, the rest of the family continued with their dessert. Everyone seemed subdued and even exhausted, which was in complete contrast to when they sat down to eat. It was the boy, Ivan, who had been first to finish. Like any twelve-year-old with nothing left on his plate, he began to fidget and sigh to himself.

‘Can I get down now?’ he asked hopefully. ‘My computer’s waiting for me to make the next move at chess. I will beat it this time.’

His father responded by inviting him to look around.

‘When everyone is ready,’ he said. ‘This is a special occasion, after all.’

At the opposite end of the table from Titus sat an angel. At least that’s how Titus viewed his wife, Angelica. Without her, family life would fall apart. She kept the house immaculate, and her cooking today had been simply divine. Titus caught her eye as she spooned the last of the dessert into her mouth. It was a trifle she had prepared, using a home-made recipe for the jelly. Like every course of the meal they had enjoyed, the taste was unusual but compelling. For a moment, Angelica looked embarrassed. It was as if she felt she should not have been caught losing herself to the taste quite so openly. Still, Titus seemed to relish her expression. He sat back, clasped his hands across a surprisingly lean stomach given the amount of food he’d just consumed, and considered his children. While Ivan had already finished, his sister continued to take small, almost reluctant mouthfuls. Titus recognised that the family had put away a feast. Even so, he was surprised to see her looking quite so indifferent to clearing her plate.

‘Something on your mind, Sasha?’ Titus reached for his water glass to freshen his palate. ‘This is your favourite, no?’

‘I’m good,’ she said, without looking up.

Both kids had inherited his crow-black hair. Sasha kept her locks pinned neatly with a series of clips, while Ivan’s high hair line suggested it would one day whiten, thin and recede just as Titus had experienced as a younger man. Nowadays, he shaved his dome on a daily basis. Titus found it commanded respect, especially in the workplace. Right now, however, his attention was locked on his eldest child. Sasha ran her spoon around the inside of the bowl but was clearly just toying with it. He glanced at his wife, seeking some explanation for their daughter’s behaviour. Angelica just shrugged as if to suggest that she was none the wiser.

‘Are you feeling poorly, honey?’ Angelica had spent much of the day preparing this meal. As ever, it had all been planned meticulously, from sourcing the ingredients to the cooking and the ceremonial serving. For Titus to see their firstborn show such a lack of enthusiasm was frankly a little insulting. ‘There’s nothing wrong with it, is there?’

Sasha set her spoon down in the bowl.

‘I’m fine. The food is great. I’m just not that hungry right now.’

For a moment, Titus and Angelica shared the same puzzled and concerned expression. It was an awkward moment that was also felt by Ivan.

‘Hey, I have a joke,’ he announced, and waited until everyone was looking at him. ‘OK, why didn’t the chicken make it across the road?’

Titus turned to his son.

‘Go on. Why not?’

‘Because it was crushed under the wheels of a bus!’

The silence that greeted the punchline seemed to come as a surprise to the boy.

‘That’s really terrible,’ said Sasha, shaking her head. ‘Quite sick, actually.’

‘So, now you’re an expert in comedy?’ Ivan glared at his sister, stung by the criticism. ‘There’s not one funny bone in your body.’

‘Nobody is laughing,’ she said, and gestured at the others.

‘But it’s a great joke!’

‘More like a cry for help.’

‘That’s enough.’ Titus showed them both his palms. ‘This is no place for an argument. Ivan, perhaps you should keep your jokes to yourself. Sasha, it’s unlike you to be so harsh. What’s the matter?’

‘Dad, really. Just leave it.’

Ivan narrowed his gaze at his sister. A thin smile crossed his lips.

‘Sasha’s got a boyfriend,’ he said, and sat back to watch her squirm. ‘She’s in love. It’s killed her appetite.’

‘He’s not really a boyfriend as such,’ Sasha said quickly, before scowling at her brother. ‘Jack and I are just good friends.’

‘Friends who hold hands at break time! And he’s in the year above, which is basically cradle-snatching.’

‘Ivan, maybe you shouldn’t keep your computer waiting.’

The way their father said this, so calmly and measured, left Sasha thinking she might be in for an interrogation. Her parents weren’t overly strict, but they were very, very protective.

‘Could you look in on Grandpa on the way?’ Angelica placed a hand on Ivan’s wrist as he rose to leave. ‘I put his main course through the blender, so he shouldn’t have had a problem with it. Just go quietly. The baby is sleeping.’

Ivan sighed to himself, nodded once and then shot a victorious look at his sister. Sasha chose not to clash with him again. Their mother might have just tried to diffuse the situation by changing the subject, but it was clear that wasn’t going to work with her dad. Even a mention of the youngest family member had failed to draw his attention. Titus adored his little daughter, Kat, who at fifteen months wasn’t exactly a baby any more, but that was just how they liked to treat her. Kat looked totally different to her siblings, with blonde ringlets and an expression of pure innocence. If Sasha was about to disappoint her father, as she feared might be the case, no doubt Kat would live up to his expectations in due course.

‘Jack is really nice,’ she said eventually. ‘It’s nothing serious.’

‘Well, that’s good to hear,’ said Angelica. ‘Isn’t it, Titus?’

The prompt served to soften his frown. To hear that Sasha had a boyfriend was a new experience for Titus. It only seemed like yesterday that she was dressing up as a fairy princess just as so many little girls liked to do. This was a whole new challenge to him as a parent, but then it wouldn’t defeat him. Family came first, no matter what.

‘Maybe you’d like to invite…’ Titus trailed off and looked to his wife for a prompt.

‘Jack,’ Angelica reminded him. ‘She said his name was Jack.’

Titus nodded, clearly struggling with it all.

‘It would be great if Jack could join us for supper one day.’

‘Dad!’ Sasha looked aghast. ‘Too soon?’

‘She’s right,’ said Angelica. ‘I’m sure we’ll meet him in good time.’

‘Maybe,’ Sasha mumbled, staring at the napkin in her lap.

Angelica glanced at Titus, and then switched her gaze right back to their daughter.

‘But, you know, when you’re ready,’ she told her, ‘Jack would be welcome to come for a bite to eat.’

Sasha began to wring her napkin through her fingers.

‘Is that too much as well?’ her father enquired. ‘Help us out here, honey?’

A moment passed before Sasha replied. When she did, knowing what kind of response would follow, it clearly took her a great deal of courage.

‘You might as well know now. Jack is… well, not like us.’