Free Blueberry Wishes by Kelly McKain

glanced up at him, then had another good stare at his pudding. “Yeah, heard it before,” he muttered.
    â€œSeriously. I mean it this time,” Luke insisted. “I’ve got somewhere nearby to stay, and another mate might have a job for me at a venue in Exeter, so I’m planning to stick around for as long as you’re here…if that’s okay?”
    All three of us were looking at Marco then. He just shrugged and said, “Whatever.”
    Luke sighed. “I know it’s hard to believe in me, son,” he said. “But it’s different this time. I’ll prove that to you. You’ll see.”
    Marco didn’t say anything at all to that. I glanced at Sienna, because it seemed like someone ought to be saying something , but she was concentrating very hard on her plate, being careful not to react. I was so glad when Marco ended the awkward silence by changing the subject.
    After supper, I offered to help clear up, and Marco dragged his dad into the living room to play him some new song he couldn’t believe he hadn’t heard yet. (“Call yourself a muso?” he’d sneered.) As I cleared the table, I heard Marco talking about another new band.
    â€œOh yeah, they played at the club a few weeks back,” said Luke.
    â€œWow, that’s… I wish I’d seen them,” Marco stuttered, clearly impressed. “Hey, I bet you haven’t heard of these guys yet, though. They’ve just started trending but I’ve known about them for months…” And he put on another song.
    â€œCHOON!” cried Luke, which I didn’t know dads were allowed to say, but maybe Luke didn’t count as a proper dad anyway.
    â€œLuke’s really nice,” I said to Sienna as I stacked the plates up beside the sink. I glanced at her, still looking for a reaction to the news that he was staying. I wondered if she’d known that already, or whether it had been just as much of a surprise to her as to Marco.
    â€œYeah,” she said, pulling on a pair of washing-up gloves and filling the sink, revealing nothing.
    â€œIt’s nice that he’s sticking around,” I ventured.
    â€œI’ll believe it when I see it,” Sienna mumbled. There. That was the reaction I’d been scared of. Huge great alarm bells started going off in my head.
    â€œOh, don’t worry. Marco won’t fall for it either,” she assured me, seeing the look on my face. “It’s just the way Luke is. He’s all or nothing. And at the time, he really means it, about changing, and sticking around. But he’ll go again. Marco knows that.”
    â€œShouldn’t you, like, say something?” I said. Yikes, I was only supposed to think that.
    Sienna stopped the taps, glanced towards the door, then turned to me. She sighed. “Look, I can’t keep them from each other,” she said, in a low voice. “I wouldn’t want to – they’re father and son. And of course I really hope Luke keeps his promises this time.”
    She smiled at me and I managed a small smile back, while thinking, So do I .
    â€œAnd it’s great that Marco’s got you,” she added. “I was so pleased to hear you two had sorted things out. He’s been so happy since you’ve been back together.”
    I couldn’t help grinning then. “Me too,” I said. I managed to shut my big mouth before it added, I’m crazy about him. Whatever happens with Luke, I’ll never let him down.
    â€œOh, I’ve got something for you,” Sienna said when we’d finished the washing-up. She peeled off her pink rubber gloves and vanished down the hallway. A few minutes later, she came back with a gorgeous purple scarf with tassel ends. “I loved it so much that I couldn’t resist getting it, but it’s not my colour,” she explained. “It makes me look like I’ve got the norovirus.” She held it up