Only you | Friday Night Dinner

The Piano // Part Two

"Oh, God. The house is on fire. The house is on fire!" Jackie yelled in a dull fledged panic, pushing through Martin into the house, looking around frantically.

"Check the rooms." She ordered the other four, rushing into the kitchen.

Adam and Violet ran upstairs, opening every door just to make sure there was no fire, shaking their heads at each other before sprinting back downstairs and into the kitchen.

"A friend of yours apparently had a fire and came round to borrow it." Mr Greencock informed the family as Adam and Violet came barrelling into the kitchen.

"Friend?" Adam repeated, shooting Violet a quick glance.

Both had clearly missed a big chunk of the explanation, but from the looked on Jackie, Martin and Jonny's faces there hadn't been a fire at all.

"Which friend?" Martin asked.

"I'm afraid I didn't get a very good look at him. Being blind." Mr Greencock responded with a smile, making the five groan in frustration.

"Oh, my God. What was his name?" Jonny snapped.

"Jim something."

"Jim?" Violet gasped.

"Jim's had a fire?" Jackie exclaimed, quickly rooting around for her phone to call the man.

-

After Jackie had called Jim, the man had come over with Wilson, still covered in soot.

He sat one one sofa, Jonny, Martin and Adam sat on the other as Jim explained what had happened.

Violet was happily sat on the floor with Wilson whilst Jackie made Jim a cup of tea.

"It just went up in flames. Woosh! Poof!" Jim said, shaking his head, still in shock.

"Your bath caught fire?" Jonny asked Jim, trying to make sure he understood what the man was saying.

"Bath?" Violet questioned from her spot on the floor, having not really been paying attention to Jim's story, instead focusing on Wilson, making sure he was okay after the fire.

"That's right." Jim nodded.

"How?" Adam asked, eyes darting around the room.

"I dropped a candle in it."

"You mean your bathtub caught fire?" Martin asked, raising his eyebrows at Jim.

"Yes, yes, Martin."

"What the hell's it made of?" Martin scoffed.

"Elm."

"Elm?" Violet echoed.

"Elm." Jim repeated.

"That's why we hurried here for your fire extinguisher, didn't we, Wilson?" Jim went to pet Wilson but flinched away, despite the fact that the dog was sitting happily with Violet.

"But it was too late. My bath had been burnt to crisps."

"A crisp." Jonny corrected.

"Yes, please." Jim nodded before helping himself to a crisp from a bowl Jackie had left on the side for him.

"Still nothing from Val." Jackie sighed, walking into the living room.

"Really?" Jonny asked his mum, discreetly gesturing towards the girl on the floor, too absorbed with Wilson to have heard what Jackie said.

Jackie made a face as she remembered Violet didn't know what the rest of the family did as she handed Jim his tea.

"Here, Jim. You all right now?"