Only you | Friday Night Dinner

The Carpet Cleaner // Part Two

Violet, Adam and Jonny stared between Martin and the oil stained carpet in shock, all dreading the reaction Jackie would have if she saw the state of it.

"How the hell did you do that?!" Adam exclaimed.

"How do you think I did it? I dropped the shitting can, didn't I?" Martin responded, clearly panicking.

"Oh, you idiot!" Adam scoffed.

"Your mother cannot see this!"

The sound of Jackie's muffled voice on the phone to Val could be heard, Martin sighing as he looked at the carpet panicked.

"Well that buys you a little time at least." Violet said, gesturing to the door where Jackie's voice could be heard. "She will eventually see it though."

"She will."

"She will."

The boys agreed, Martin putting his head in his hands as a response before taking a deep breath.

"Look up how to fix this." Violet groaned, Jonny following her order as Adam flopped onto the bed, enjoying his father's panic.

Once Jonny had got up a website, he started reading it aloud, Violet trying to read next to him.

"Right, cloth. Yes." Martin said, rushing around, coming back from the bathroom with a cloth.

"Yes." Martin repeated, his temper flaring as Jonny struggled to read the font.

"Rub the carpet hard." Jonny guessed.

"Okay." Martin nodded, snapping into action, "Is this hard enough?"

"Maybe harder?" Adam suggested from the bed.

"Oh, no, sorry. Do not rub the carpet hard as this may cause lasting damage." Jonny corrected, shooting Violet a nervous look as Martin jumped up from the floor.

"What?!"

"They write it so small!" Jonny defended.

"You shitting clot!" Martin snapped, holding the oil coated cloth over Jonny's nose and mouth as Adam egged him on.

"Martin!" Violet exclaimed, helping Jonny push the man off of him, the boy spluttering slightly as he caught his breath.

"What are we gonna bloody do? We'll have to get a man." Martin fretted.

"A man?" Adam repeated.

"Yes, a man to clean up this crap. Where am I gonna find a man?"

"Local paper?" Adam suggested.

"Man. Man. Man." Martin repeated over and over as he scanned the newspaper Adam had picked up for him.

"How are you gonna get the man into the house without Mum seeing?" Jonny frowned

"Yeah. She does have things called eyes." Violet added.

"You stupid tits! We'll sneak him in through the garage. Then we'll take your mother out."

"Out?" Jonny echoed.

"Yes! Or would you rather stay and watch your father having his bollocks chopped off?"

"Do you really want us to answer that?" Adam stated sarcastically.

"A man!" Martin exclaimed, a look of relief brushing over his features as he found someone.

"'Arthur Murray. Cleaning carpets for 40 years.'"Adam read out, taking the newspaper Martin handed him as Jonny and Violet gave each other looks of approval that Martin actually found someone.