‘When are you coming back?’ He sounded furious.
‘I don’t know. Maybe never. I’m not sure.’
‘It’s those twins,’ he said with venom in his voice. ‘They’ve got into your head. You’ll regret it, you know. They’ll hurt you. Maybe they already have.’
Tammy thought about Conor’s hand slapping her ass last night. Ithadhurt, but not in a bad way.
‘Father,’ she said. ‘Leave me alone. You don’t own me, and I don’t owe you anything. What I do know is that you’renottaking me with you. Now, could you kindly get out of — what did you describe Liberty as — oh yes, the hellhole?’
When she hung up, she had an immense feeling of satisfaction.
‘Good job,’ Finn said. ‘We’re proud of you.’
‘Hey Finn,’ Conor said, ‘why don’t you head outside and get the fire going? I fancy some breakfast — nothing like sausage cooked over an open flame.’
‘Ooh, can I watch?’ Tammy asked. She was still worked up by what had nearly happened with her two Daddies, and there was something about watching a man make fire that got her primal juices flowing. She put on a silly caveman voice. ‘Me want watch strong man poke fire pit.’
Finn laughed. ‘You know, I always thought you might be part-Neanderthal.’
Outside, it was a crisp, Texan morning. The trailer park was nestled between soft hills, and the sun was just peeping out over the western peak. Finn arranged larger logs over smaller chippings, and soon the fire was burning bright.
‘Maybe I should go the whole hog and smoke the sausage,’ Finn said.
‘Sounds good,’ Conor replied. He was sitting in a camping chair, enjoying the morning.
There was a part — a big part — of Tammy that wanted to curl up in bed with the twins again, but after their rude interruption, it felt impossible to turn back time. So, she was content to let the day unfold.
‘You know, we probably should head back soonish,’ Finn said. He coughed. ‘Your dad’s been a jerk, but there’s stuff we all need to do back in Liberty.’
‘Can’t it wait a few days?’ Conor said.
‘I don’t know.’ Finn coughed again. ‘Well feck,’ he said, breathing deeply. ‘I feel like… oh shit.’
‘You alright?’ Conor asked.
But Tammy knew he wasn’t alright. This was an asthma attack. ‘Get away from the smoke!’ she yelled, springing up from her seat.
Finn moved away from the fire, coughing and wheezing now, each breath harder than the last. For a moment, it looked like he was going to fall, but he managed to find his feet after stumbling a few paces.
‘That’s better,’ he said, still fighting for breath, his words rushed and faint. ‘I’ll be… OK.’
But Tammy knew otherwise. She sighed, deeply. ‘No. I’ve been selfish. We need to get you back to Liberty.’
*
Lots of things can cause an asthma attack — particulate pollution, exercise, even the cold. But whatever the cause, the symptoms are much the same.
Coughing. Shortness of breath. Wheezing. A tight, painful chest. Racing heart.
In the back of the beat-up old car, Finn was still feeling rough, although he felt better than he had by the fire. He’d always thought of himself as a healthy guy — he watched what he ate, and exercised plenty, although not as much as his sports-obsessed brother. It didn’t seem fair.
‘I can’t believeyoudon’t have asthma,’ he said softly to Conor, who was driving them back to Liberty. He loved his brother but hated his driving. He drove too fast at the best of times, and when there was any kind of time pressure, he sped like a demon.
‘I’ll probably get it,’ Conor said, drumming his fingers on the wheel.
‘I don’t know.’ That was Tammy, sitting in the front. She’d normally be in the back, but she’d said that Finn needed the space. ‘Seeing as you’re genetically identical, I think it must be from environmental causes.’ There was worry in her voice. He hated to hear her concern, especially when he was the cause of those concerns.
‘I’m sorry about this,’ Finn wheezed. ‘I ruined our vacation.’