New Term BLUES

Letting them go would be a challenge, though it seemed another was just round the corner

- Maria McAvoy

Sending one child off to university is hard. But when it came to her twins, Carly couldn’t help feeling things were slightly worse for her. After all, she was losing her first and last child. While part of her supported and cheered their independence, another part was terrified that they would be truly on their own for the first time.

Josh went first, to Guildford. Since his exam results came in, Carly had been buying bits and bobs. Vitamins. Dishwashing brushes. Dusters. This last one had earned her an exasperated eye-roll.

But she would be failing in her duty as his mother if she didn’t think of everything.

Josh’s room was like a prison cell – bare and austere. Carly wanted to hang some pictures and make up the bed for him with the cheery bedclothes she had brought, but he and his dad had piled his computer, his sound system, his guitar and all his books onto the bed so she couldn’t.

‘Bicarbonate of soda will get rid of that weird smell in the fridge,’ she confided in a whisper. ‘I’ll bring some when I visit. When should I come? Saturday? Friday?’

His housemates pretended not to hear. So did Josh.

Two days later, they drove Tom to Liverpool. Prepared this time, Carly had bought one of those little fridge fresheners, which she slipped into his fridge when no one was looking.