also ought to be closed. Why are they open? Who has opened them? She knows full well of course, but she is rehearsing her outrage.
The second horror is … leaves. Bringing with them a third aberration, which is dirt. The leaves are on the hallway floor, and she follows them like a Hansel and Gretel trail, til they lead her to the open service door at the back of the kitchen. Clearly, the twins and that woman are ferrying plants through the apartment and up the back stairs to the roof. This is precisely what Glenn predicted. Utter chaos. Easily five or six leaves cluttering up her space.
Well, mainly the boys’ space. Well, mainly the back steps where she never ventures. Nevertheless, it’s utterly unconscionable. Words will be had. Firm words. Making sure everybody concerned understands who the damn boss is here.
As she retraces the trail of leaves, picking them up one by one, another annoying thing occurs. She hears the faint sound of an electric guitar. Where is it coming from? Is it Teddy? As she walks towards the direction of the sound, she realizes it’s coming from Thomas’s office. Oh Lord, she thinks, now I have a husband who is retreating into adolescence. Nothing in Glenn wants to go in and share in his excitement about his new acquisition. Everything in her wants to flee, there’s just too much light and air and music here.
She can’t leave though, because her friend Betty is due to come for coffee. Betty is Sharpe’s widow, and since Glenn didn’t go to the funeral, this is the first opportunity she’s had to offer her condolences. It’s the right and proper thing to do, so Glenn can’t escape it. It’s a duty, and Glenn is big on that. She tuts and walks away wondering why on earth she has to deal with so much chaos. It’s so very tiresome.
Up on the roof, surrounded by masses of light and air and chaos, Red, Three and Teddy sit side by side on deck chairs. There is quite a lot of garden mess in one corner, and all three
are wearing wellies. As is Rosie, who is parading up and down behind them. Their eyes are firmly shut, and they are laughing at her. She is pretending to be an old fashioned German therapist, ‘Imageen ze garden. Feeeel ze garden. Vot do you see in it? Answer zis now, boy,’ she pats Three on the head.
He answers hopefully, ‘A swing?’
Red joins in, ‘A little house?’
Now Teddy seizes his opportunity, ‘I say “cocktail bar”, I say “hot tub”, I say “two person hammock”. Call me horny.’
‘Hmm,’ says Rosie. ‘I’d rather call you hopeful or even possibly deluded?’ He laughs easily at her teasing. She is well intentioned and he knows that it’s impossible to take offence at anything she says.
Red is still wracking his brain, ‘Any chance of a kinda water gully log-flume?’
‘Yeah,’ Three pipes up, ‘or like, a huge fountain?’
‘I still say hot tub, y’know, for all our babes to sit in,’ Teddy tries again.
‘Babes, eh?’ Rosie asks. Teddy doesn’t open his eyes, but he grins and flicks his hair in mock confidence.
Later on, Teddy wanders in to the kitchen, and while Iva is busying herself washing up, he drifts from fridge to larder to cupboard, taking out all the ingredients to make himself a
super duper Scooby-Doo snack sandwich. He gets out pastrami and tomatoes and gherkins and Swiss cheese and rye bread and butter.
As he is constructing his giant treat, Thomas ambles in. Neither speaks, they don’t need to. Thomas is humming ‘Fever’ in the style of Peggy Lee as he weighs up what Teddy is doing. He goes foraging in the cupboards and fridge himself, to see if he fancies anything. Quite a bit of time is spent with his hands in his pockets just eyeing up possible ingredients. Eventually, he commits to lettuce, cooked bacon slices, and some Monterey Jack cheese. He brings his armful of bounty over to the worktop where Teddy is building his sandwich, and slowly but surely, Thomas starts his own stacking, stealing some of
The second horror is … leaves. Bringing with them a third aberration, which is dirt. The leaves are on the hallway floor, and she follows them like a Hansel and Gretel trail, til they lead her to the open service door at the back of the kitchen. Clearly, the twins and that woman are ferrying plants through the apartment and up the back stairs to the roof. This is precisely what Glenn predicted. Utter chaos. Easily five or six leaves cluttering up her space.
Well, mainly the boys’ space. Well, mainly the back steps where she never ventures. Nevertheless, it’s utterly unconscionable. Words will be had. Firm words. Making sure everybody concerned understands who the damn boss is here.
As she retraces the trail of leaves, picking them up one by one, another annoying thing occurs. She hears the faint sound of an electric guitar. Where is it coming from? Is it Teddy? As she walks towards the direction of the sound, she realizes it’s coming from Thomas’s office. Oh Lord, she thinks, now I have a husband who is retreating into adolescence. Nothing in Glenn wants to go in and share in his excitement about his new acquisition. Everything in her wants to flee, there’s just too much light and air and music here.
She can’t leave though, because her friend Betty is due to come for coffee. Betty is Sharpe’s widow, and since Glenn didn’t go to the funeral, this is the first opportunity she’s had to offer her condolences. It’s the right and proper thing to do, so Glenn can’t escape it. It’s a duty, and Glenn is big on that. She tuts and walks away wondering why on earth she has to deal with so much chaos. It’s so very tiresome.
Up on the roof, surrounded by masses of light and air and chaos, Red, Three and Teddy sit side by side on deck chairs. There is quite a lot of garden mess in one corner, and all three
are wearing wellies. As is Rosie, who is parading up and down behind them. Their eyes are firmly shut, and they are laughing at her. She is pretending to be an old fashioned German therapist, ‘Imageen ze garden. Feeeel ze garden. Vot do you see in it? Answer zis now, boy,’ she pats Three on the head.
He answers hopefully, ‘A swing?’
Red joins in, ‘A little house?’
Now Teddy seizes his opportunity, ‘I say “cocktail bar”, I say “hot tub”, I say “two person hammock”. Call me horny.’
‘Hmm,’ says Rosie. ‘I’d rather call you hopeful or even possibly deluded?’ He laughs easily at her teasing. She is well intentioned and he knows that it’s impossible to take offence at anything she says.
Red is still wracking his brain, ‘Any chance of a kinda water gully log-flume?’
‘Yeah,’ Three pipes up, ‘or like, a huge fountain?’
‘I still say hot tub, y’know, for all our babes to sit in,’ Teddy tries again.
‘Babes, eh?’ Rosie asks. Teddy doesn’t open his eyes, but he grins and flicks his hair in mock confidence.
Later on, Teddy wanders in to the kitchen, and while Iva is busying herself washing up, he drifts from fridge to larder to cupboard, taking out all the ingredients to make himself a
super duper Scooby-Doo snack sandwich. He gets out pastrami and tomatoes and gherkins and Swiss cheese and rye bread and butter.
As he is constructing his giant treat, Thomas ambles in. Neither speaks, they don’t need to. Thomas is humming ‘Fever’ in the style of Peggy Lee as he weighs up what Teddy is doing. He goes foraging in the cupboards and fridge himself, to see if he fancies anything. Quite a bit of time is spent with his hands in his pockets just eyeing up possible ingredients. Eventually, he commits to lettuce, cooked bacon slices, and some Monterey Jack cheese. He brings his armful of bounty over to the worktop where Teddy is building his sandwich, and slowly but surely, Thomas starts his own stacking, stealing some of
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