“Curry, I know,” Kendra interrupted, “but we all have to do things we don’t like sometimes – it’s called ‘being an adult’. Plus, if you eat something you don’t like five times, you actually train your brain into liking it, did you know that?”
I shook my head as she lifted the lid off a biryani. “Like a lot of kids,” she continued, “you’ve just got immature taste buds. Not your fault, as such, considering what your mother fed you your whole life, but it’s time to start educating yourself a bit, Alex. Time to embrace the rich variety of world cuisine. You can’t just eat chicken dippers for all eternity.”
I didn’t see why not.
She broke off a bit of poppadom, dipped it in some mango chutney and looked at me. “Let’s have the bad news then,” she said, putting it in her mouth.
“I got a job.”
She actually stopped chewing for a brief moment, then raised her eyebrows and swallowed. “Where?”
“Wonderland.”
She made a sort of slightly disgusted face. “That place on the front? That amusement arcade?”
“It’s more than just a—”
“What are you going to be doing? It’s all automated, isn’t it? Just a bunch of losers wasting their benefits money playing games they can’t ever win.” She laughed hard at this “joke”.
I looked down at the floor.
“I suppose they need people to clean, do they?”
“Maybe,” I muttered.
“Huh,” she said, getting some plates from the cupboard. “Just make sure your vaccinations are up to date, that’s all I’m saying.”
Dad came through. “Ah, Alex, I know you don’t like curry, but—”
“We’re having curry,” I said.
He looked mildly apologetic. “Kendra’s treat.”
Some treat. “Thanks, Kendra,” I said.
“You’re welcome,” she chirped, taking the plates and takeaway containers over to the table. “Come and sit down then. Alex has some news, Tom!”
Dad smiled. “Yeah?”
“He’s got a job!” Kendra said.
Dad’s smile grew wider. “Yeah? That’s great—”
“At Wonderland,” Kendra added. “Tell your dad all about it, Alex.”
I shrugged. “I mean, that’s basically it.”
Kendra started spooning rice on to all our plates. “I told him I hoped his vaccinations are up to date!” And she laughed again.
Dad laughed too. “It’s not that bad. All seaside towns have places like Wonderland.”
“It’s the sort of place,” Kendra said, “that towns like Newsands don’t need.” She looked at me. “Balti, jalfrezi or bhuna?”
“What’s most mild?” I asked.
“They’re all medium. Which isn’t, before you moan, hot. It’s about the delicate spice mix, that’s what you need to understand. There’s a bit of heat, but not too much. Trust me.”
“Can I have a bit of balti then?” I said.
“You may,” Kendra replied, spooning some on my plate and handing it to me.
She busied herself fixing the food on to her and Dad’s plates, while I took a tentative mouthful of rice and a tiny bit of curry. Holy Christ! It was hot as hell. And there was nothing for me to drink on the table. I shot up and filled a mug with water from the tap, drinking it down.
“Spare us the theatrics,” Kendra muttered.
I finished the mug off and gasped air, then refilled it again and returned to the table.
“Do you want some water, Tom?” Kendra said, just as I sat down.
“Sure,” Dad said, “I’ll—”
“Alex?” she smiled. “Since you were up anyway, water for the table might have been nice?”
“Oh. Sorry,” I said. I got up again and filled a water jug, bringing two tumblers over with it.
“Thanks,” Kendra said. “Next time, some ice and lemon could also work well.”
I shifted my chair back again.
“Whoa!” Dad frowned, stopping me. “What did you do to your head?”
I flinched away from him. “Nothing. Just hit it.”
“How?”
“Walked into a door.”
Kendra shook her head and shovelled a forkful of curry into her mouth. “Mm! It’s so good, that new place – this is absolutely delicious.”
“Yeah, it’s good,” Dad agreed, still looking at me.
“So fresh too!” Kendra tore off a piece of naan and mopped up some sauce.
“Did someone hit you?” Dad asked me.
“No, Dad, it’s fine. I literally walked into a door.”
Dad opened his mouth, about to call me out on what he thought was my bullshit (but was actually my life) when his mobile started ringing. “Hold that thought,” he said, getting up from the table and answering his phone.
I watched as Dad headed out through the back door, which meant it was probably Mum on the other end, talking about the divorce. I flicked my eyes back to Kendra, who was now helping herself to a spoonful of jalfrezi. “I’m not feeling very hungry, to be honest,” I told her.
“Well, there’s nothing else if you don’t eat this, Alex,” Kendra said. “I’ve thrown out the chicken dippers.”
I stared at her. She had thrown out the chicken dippers?!
“Processed food is basically poison,” she explained. “I know your mum was just trying to keep you happy by giving you what you wanted, but sometimes being a parent means you have to play the bad guy. I’m not your mate, I’m your stepmum.”
My description of what she was would have been somewhat ruder and had more expletives in it. “I’ve kind of got somewhere I need to be,” I told her.
“’Kind of’ or you have?” Kendra said.
“I’m meant to be seeing some…”
Kendra raised an eyebrow.
“Friends?”
Her eyes widened. “Friends?”
I swallowed. “So, um, yes, I’ll probably just go and do that then.”
I nodded my goodbyes.
Kendra just shrugged and spooned some more curry on to her plate.
“Tell him about the letters.”
Efia was lying back in the hammock that was stretched between the two larger trees at the bottom of Ben’s garden. His house may have been quite small, but the garden was big, with a vegetable patch, pond, and a lot of lawn. I only know that because when I arrived, it had still been light. I hadn’t even noticed it get dark, but our little encampment was now lit up by some tea lights inside empty pasta sauce jars, which was actually a lot more magical and beautiful than I’ve maybe made it sound. Ben was squatting on an orange spacehopper that belonged to his little brother, and I was on a white plastic patio chair. Ben’s dog, a cute West Highland Terrier called Artoo Dogtoo, lay asleep by my feet, completely unaffected by our laughter and general chatter, which, since we were on our third vodka and Cokes (which on an empty stomach wasn’t ideal), was pretty loud. Anyway, in between all the general hooting and guffawing, they were giving me the lowdown on everything I needed to know about Wonderland.