Drip Dry by Ilsa Evans

I finally make eye contact with Alex and my stomach contracts. ‘I am glad to see him – I mean you.’
    â€˜Likewise, my dear,’ drawls Alex in his best impersonation of Clark Gable. ‘In fact I’m delighted to see the whole lot of you. It’s been too damn long.’
    â€˜Too right,’ agrees Maggie, finally turning away from me to face her brother. ‘Much too long.’
    â€˜Long enough for this one to grow up into a stunner.’ Alex throws a casual arm around his daughter’s shoulder as he says this and she grins happily at him. ‘And where’s Ben? I’m really looking forward to seeing him too.’
    â€˜Oh, I’m afraid he went to a friend’s after school. But he’ll be back by six.’ I focus on a point somewhere over his left shoulder because now I’m finding it difficult to meet his eyes again. So muchfor all my fantasies – I’m behaving like an idiotic adolescent.
    â€˜Great! Look, I might take both the kids out for tea, do you mind?’
    â€˜Not at all,’ I say, trying not to look like I’d love to join them. Which I would.
    â€˜Fantastic!’ says Samantha enthusiastically.
    â€˜What about you, Maggie?’ Alex asks his sister.
    â€˜Sorry. I’d love to but . . . hmm, it’s a busy night.’
    â€˜O- kay . Enough said.’ He grins amicably at her and then turns back to Sam. ‘But perhaps we can eat a bit early at my place instead. Then your aunt can stay for a while. How’s pizza sound?’
    â€˜We had pizza, like, yesterday. How about KFC?’
    I stare out the kitchen window so that I don’t look like I am particularly interested in the ensuing discussion regarding the vagaries of fast food, which ends with them deciding on pizza after all. While I watch, a flock of bubbles streams past the window followed by a hysterical mob of screaming fairies with wilting wings, each attempting to burst the bubbles with their wands. That looks like a recipe for disaster.
    â€˜Hmm, bit noisy, aren’t they?’
    â€˜You can say that again.’
    â€˜Mum! Is that Keith there?’ Sam is also staring out a window, her face aghast.
    â€˜I told you CJ invited him,’ I say defensively as I involuntarily glance at Alex. At the mere mention of Keith’s name, his face closed down ( now I know where Ben gets it from). I wonder briefly how much he knows about my second marriage. Suddenly Irealise that I’ve been standing in the kitchen for the last ten minutes and I haven’t offered them anything to drink.
    â€˜Keith. Oh, I see,’ says Maggie, looking at me. ‘ That’s why you went so funny before.’
    â€˜Quick, aren’t you?’ I comment sarcastically as I avoid Alex’s curious gaze.
    â€˜Christ,’ Samantha mutters crossly, ‘bloody Keith.’
    â€˜ Okay ! What would you all like?’ I peer in the fridge to check what’s available. ‘There’s light beer, heavy beer, some riesling . . . or I could dig up some spirits if you prefer?’
    â€˜Oh, a nice cold glass of riesling will do for me, thanks.’
    â€˜Me too.’
    â€˜I’ll have a shandy, thanks, Mum.’ Samantha is undoubtedly trying to impress her father. I’ve certainly never heard her request a shandy before, but I won’t let her down by mentioning this. I grab some wineglasses and a tumbler out of the cupboard and surreptitiously polish them with a corner of my vest. After pouring out the drinks, I hand them over just as an ear-splitting shriek comes from the backyard.
    â€˜Uh-oh.’ I peer out the window and spot the fallen fairy immediately. She is surrounded by several of her cohorts and is writhing around on the ground clasping her eye region with both hands in an extremely unfairylike manner. While I watch, Keith strides purposefully across the backyard, gathers up the stricken sylph and heads in the direction