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‘A woman with no one to call on in an emergency like this is probably in need of a friend.’
And yes, he understood that this reluctance to open up and partake in the healthy exchange of information that friendships thrive on only increased his isolation. His resulting shame at having no social life or much life at all to speak of perpetuated the problem indefinitely.
‘Tanya is unable to come today. She’s very disappointed to miss out on whatever fabulously creative insults you come up with, but I’ve promised to record them for her, so don’t hold back just because I’m your favourite.’ ‘Shut up and die.’ ‘How about I put the kettle on, instead?’
‘The fresh air will do you both some good.’ ‘I hate fresh air!’ Marvin shouted from the living room. ‘And I don’t want any good.’
‘Who is she?’ Gramps scowled. Usually, he struggled to get himself out of the car, but he was like one of those Weeping Angels from Doctor Who. The second Beckett had turned his back, the older man had somehow managed to clamber out and hobble after him. ‘Her face is grey. Has she got a parasite?’
‘Four sugars?’ Beckett asked him. ‘And?’ Gramps huffed. ‘I’ve taken coffee like this since rationing ended. Are you going to start policing this now, along with everything else I find remotely pleasurable?’
‘Is Mary okay?’ She wasn’t amongst the dozen or so people now milling around or taking their places at the table. ‘She’s gone to feed Bob,’ Sofia said. ‘Obviously it’s totally fine for her to do it wherever, but she preferred somewhere quieter.’ ‘She said enough people here have seen her never reasons, she didn’t want to risk flashing them her blistering nipples, too,’ Sofia’s boy, Micah, said, with enough relish for everyone to stop talking and turn to look. ‘She should show them to my grandson,’ Marvin said, taking a loud slurp of coffee and smacking his lips. ‘He’d know what to do with a
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‘Can someone bring me a second slice?’ Gramps called. ‘To eat in. I don’t do takeaway. And another coffee. Four sugars and full-fat milk.’ ‘Fine. Okay. Fine. Sorry for interrupting.’ Beckett sat down again. ‘But he doesn’t take sugar. And only a small piece of cake.’ ‘Are you fat-shaming your grandpa?’
‘It’s Chriiiiistmaaaas!’ both the women shouted, shaking the bells vigorously above their heads. To be fair, at least four people in the room joined in. Including Mary. ‘Have I had another stroke? Is this hell?’ Gramps looked so affronted, even Beckett had to smile. ‘Because if not, somebody kill me now.’
Who knew that a change in scenery, twenty minutes of forward motion, getting lost in the moment instead of wrestling with the past or panicking about the future, could shift something inside that felt somehow deeply significant?
‘Are we going back to the café with the lunatic women?’ Gramps asked, once they were back in the car. ‘We’re going home,’ Beckett said. ‘And that’s really not a nice thing to call someone.’ ‘If they don’t want to be insulted, then they shouldn’t behave like imbeciles.’ ‘Also not an okay word.’ ‘Why are the woman and the baby here? Have we kidnapped them?’ ‘We invited them over for the morning.’ ‘What, to our house?’ Gramps sounded incredulous, and then he did something Beckett hadn’t heard in, well, hardly ever. Gramps started to laugh. Not the reluctant chuckle Beckett had occasionally heard
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‘It’s impossible to know how we’ll truly respond when everything falls apart, until it does.’
‘Have you enjoyed yourself?’ she asked. Beckett braced himself for the answer. ‘He had a whale of a time!’ Bill said, pausing as he strolled past. Gramps huffed. ‘Maybe a small fish of a time. A minnow. Or a sea slug.’
time in Sofia’s office. ‘Are you okay?’ Sofia peered at me. ‘Is Bob letting you get any sleep? You look ready to drop.’ ‘She looks like she has a terminal disease,’ Gramps announced, in case anyone needed clarity on the matter.
Would you have even married me, if you’d known?’ ‘If you thought for one second that I might not have, then it’s even worse you didn’t tell me.’
