44 The Donor
Initially, Aunty Val doesn’t say anything. For a moment, Thom wonders if she remembers what she has just said, how she has just ripped his feet from his legs so he can barely stand. She gives a short exhale, pulls out a chair and seats herself. Thom watches her, clasping her hands together in front of her, staring straight ahead. Thom finally takes the seat opposite her.
“You know why he jumped?” Thom asks sternly. Aunty Val blinks for several seconds, her lips taut and dry. It is so silent Thom can hear her swallowing; it is the loud and elongated sound of fluid squeezing through a tight pipe.
“Yes”, she whispers, not wanting to reveal the secret she has been keeping from him for months. Thom feels livid and guilty, because although he should be mad for Daniel’s sake, he
