Hellish Row

Things are not well in The Fish House.

In fact there is war.

The war is about Rights and Responsibilities. Two of the most stubborn
people on this earth are not speaking to one another. Yep that's right
- oldest son and me.

He thinks he can have all the rights with none of the responsibilities.
I think he can't. When I counter his continued failure to take his fair
domestic part in this household with the curbing of his rights there is
an explosive argument.

We both use the F word repeatedly. He stomps about and thumps the
ironing board which is of course folded up and standing in the hall.
It's the most action the ironing board has seen in a long time.

In order to be fair I also apply the sanctions to the middle son. When
I explain why middle son raises his eyebrows and shrugs. 8 teenagers
troop downstairs from his room and put their trainers on.

Ten minutes after the unholy row the house is empty. Both sons and all
their friends are not here. It's eerie. I think I see tumbleweed making
its way down the hall. I hoover the house and tidy some of it.
Boyfriend arrives and we listen to the silence.

Usually the house has two competing music sources, at least one
television on somewhere with nobody watching. The toaster going non
stop and the endless noise of teenagers going up and down to the loo
and the undercurrent always of their gormless laughter.

Boyfriend and I sit undisturbed in the sun in the garden. There are no
requests for fags, money or lifts anywhere. Youngest comes home briefly
to change out of wet clothes.

It's strange here.

Two days later and we are still not talking. A note is left to inform
me of his movements or he sends messages via the other kids. He sits
ostentatiously in next door's garden making a great deal of noise with
his mates. I wonder how long my neighbours will be able to endure the
invasion of the teens.

I don't know when and how this will end. Or if I can talk about all the
things it has made me think and feel.