Fraser's Line by Monica Carly Page B

state of limbo at the moment. I’m waiting to be called back to the States, and I’m a little on edge until that happens. The waiting is hard, so I’m glad to be involved in a problem quite removed from my own, and I believe that because I can be objective, without any personal or emotional involvement, I can be some help to you, and that would actually be helping me too.’
    ‘I will think about what you’ve said. I promise.’
    ‘There’s one thing I want to ask you. Have you wrapped up your wife’s affairs?’
‘It’s funny you should say that. Joanna asked me if Edie had left a will, and although I’m pretty sure she didn’t, I haven’t looked through anything. I did get rid of all her clothes, but she kept her paperwork in a locked bureau, and I haven’t had the heart, up to now, to go through it.’
    ‘That’s something you will have to do, one of these days, and if you don’t mind me being there, I could come, when you feel you can do it. I needn’t look at anything, but if it would give you a little more strength, I would be happy to do that.’
    ‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘You really are very kind. I rather think that might help a lot.’
    By now they were almost back to where they had left the cars.
    ‘You have made me feel much better,’ he said. ‘I’ll think about what you’ve said, and let you know. I realise what I should do, and what I must do where all the personal papers and so on are concerned. I’m going to see Mother on Saturday. After that I will be in touch.’
‘Promise?’ she asked, as he held the car door open for her to get in.
    ‘Scout’s Honour. ‘Oh, there was something else Joanna said.’
    She rolled her car window down and waited.
    He leaned down to speak to her. ‘Do you know, her latest boyfriend is a Pakistani!’
    ‘And that’s bad?’ asked Angela.
    ‘Well, it’s obviously most unsuitable. She said I’d disapprove, and then she told me that.’
    ‘And do you disapprove?’
    ‘Well,’ said Fraser, ‘the thing is …’
    ‘Yes?’ prompted Angela.
    ‘The thing is…’ Fraser, was searching for words.
    Angela waited.
    ‘The thing is, I hate Indian food!’ he exclaimed vehemently.
Chapter 11
    She must try and be more organised this time. What a pity that when Fraser had come last week she had run out of energy. Marjorie regretted that growing old meant everything became a great effort. She had planned to tell him all sorts of things – things she should have dealt with a long time ago – but when it came to it she had simply not been able to do it.
    Dear Fraser still seemed vulnerable. Here he was, a grown man and a grandfather, but she often saw the small boy who had come face to face with tragedy when he was very young, and who had had his world shattered. How could she have put all the facts before him then? He had already learned one of life’s hardest truths – that it is the people we love the most who have the power to inflict the deepest pain. He had dealt with it by closing down the part of his mind that held the painful memories. He had pushed away the unwelcome facts, and tried to carry on as if nothing had happened. She had let him, because it seemed too cruel to do anything else. And yet she longed to say, ‘Do you remember when you and daddy planted those seeds? Do you remember how we all went on a picnic?’ Rightly or wrongly she had not done so, with the result that the subject of his father had become increasingly difficult to bring up.
    And now she had left it almost too late. When he came this time she would tackle it straight away. She would show him the letters and the old photographs, and the certificates, and she would try to tell him as much as she knew.
    But would she be able to remember everything when she needed to? That was another problem. Her deteriorating mind kept playing stupid tricks on her. How strange it was that she could close her eyes and see scenes from those early happy days, as clearly as if they had