Claiming His Family

And gradually the light-hearted glimmer in Luke’s eyes dimmed and Erin’s smile became more strained.

If Joey noticed their apprehension he didn’t let on. This afternoon was too important to him. For the first time he could remember he had both his parents together. He was living his dream and it was almost as if he were willing Erin and Luke to be on their best behaviour so they couldn’t spoil his happiness.

And Erin and Luke were managing tolerably well. On the surface. Things deteriorated when they reached the kangaroos.

Kangaroos were so bizarre, Erin thought, with their soft, pretty faces, their tiny front paws and then their absurdly long back legs. Bizarre, but very cute. She pointed out a sweet little baby in its mother’s pouch.

Joey was entranced. He clung to the wire with his face pressed against it as he watched the baby kangaroo’s little black eyes, pointed nose and ears peeping out from a furry pocket on its mother’s abdomen.

‘Did you know that baby kangaroos are called joeys?’ Luke asked him.

Joey pulled back from the wire to stare up at them with excited delight. ‘Is that why you guys called me Joey, ’cause I’m your baby?’

‘Well…not exactly,’ Erin began and then she winced. Why had she chosen this moment to become pedantic?

Joey waited expectantly for further explanation.

‘Your name’s short for Joseph,’ she said. ‘You were named after your grandfather.’

‘After Grandpa Reilly?’

‘No, your other grandfather.’ Erin glanced towards Luke and a nervous tremble rippled through her as she watched a muscle twitch near his jaw. ‘His name was Joseph too,’ she said. ‘He was Joseph Manning—just like you.’

‘The first Joseph Manning was my dad,’ Luke explained. ‘We called you Joseph Peter. Joseph after my father and Peter after Peter Reilly, your mother’s father.’