Proper Job

by Roger Noons

a mug of drinking chocolate

‘Mum, quick, turn the television on.’

    ‘Always in a hurry, Jon,’ she said, fumbling for the remote. ‘Which station is it?’

    ‘BBC One, the News.’

    ‘It’ll be all politics, that American President’s here isn’t he?’

    Standing behind Nora who was leaning forward from her armchair, mother and son stared at the screen.

‘Good afternoon, you have joined me here at The Bridge, London’s newest theatre, where tonight a new play by Jonathan Livsey will be premiered. Fallen Tower will feature Hugh Grant and Julie Walters. It’s Jonathan’s fourth play, but his first to be performed in the Capital’s Theatreland. He’s here with me. Congratulations Jon.

    ‘Thank you.’

    ‘I gather the first six weeks are sold out?’

    ‘It’s eight now.’

‘Is that you?’ Nora asked looking over her shoulder.

    Grinning, Jon nodded.

    They were silent until the interviewer handed back to the studio, when his mother said. ‘Did you know you were going to be on?’

    ‘Yes.’

    ‘Well, you might have worn a suit. Jeans and that funny shirt thing, looked like you’d got dressed in the dark.’

    He laughed. ‘Pretty good though, hey?’

    ‘I don’t know why you couldn’t have got a proper job. You could have joined your Dad and when he retired, you could have taken over the window cleaning business. There’s always plenty of work and you wouldn’t have to keep going into London.’

About the author 

Roger is a regular Cafe Lit-er. His Slimline Tales was published earlier this year by Chapeltown Books.