autumn is about to lower one hell of a frost over the house and garden.
‘Well?’ says Caro. ‘Isn’t anybody going to answer my question?’
I’ve had enough of this and I’m in a foul mood anyway because of the whole dating disaster with Sol.
‘Caro,’ I say. ‘Dad’s bought us a really nice dinner. You’re being rude. I don’t know why you’re being rude but then again I never do. Can’t you just button it for one short evening?’
Caro gets up and shoves back her chair. Her smile has gone. She grabs a carton of rice and makes for the kitchen door.
‘Don’t you dare have a go at me,’ she spits. ‘It’s not me you need to be angry with. Maybe you need to ask your precious father here what he’s doing every day when you think he’s being a schoolteacher.’
I feel the colour drain from my face.
Dad slinks out of the room and goes up to his study.
‘What do you mean?’ I say. My legs havegone all shaky and I have a strong urge to run upstairs and scrub my hands until they are red raw.
‘I saw him!’ says Caro. Her voice is loaded with satisfaction. ‘Your precious dad. I saw him in the pub this afternoon at two o’clock. And I bet you that’s where he’s been every day this week.’
She slams out of the room so hard that the clock falls off the wall and smashes into shards of black and white at my feet.
I stand there for ages like a pale zombie.
My feet are rooted to the floor.
I can’t move because I’m frozen with fear.
Caro’s many things, but she’s not a liar.
And Dad?
He’s been lying to me all along.
Chapter Twenty
D ad doesn’t stay upstairs for long.
He comes downstairs dragging Caro by the wrist.
For once she’s lost that smug look. Her eyes are full of fear.
‘Sit down,’ he says. He pushes her into a chair.
I’m still standing frozen in the middle of the room.
‘You too, Zelah,’ he says.
I manage to get myself to a chair. I can’t look Dad in the eye.
‘Before you start on me,’ he says, ‘yes, it’strue. I haven’t been going to my new job. I’ve been sitting in the pub all day. I can’t deny it.’
I’m speechless with disappointment. All that time trying to keep Dad’s spirits lifted, the trip to buy new clothes, the phone calls to Heather and how proud she was of Dad getting a new teaching job.
‘Zelah,’ he says. ‘Say something. Anything. But don’t sit there in silence. I feel terrible enough about this as it is.’
Caro’s never silent for long, though.
‘God, how pathetic,’ she says. ‘Pretending to your own daughter that you’re going to work when all the time you’re holed up in the local boozer being a sad old lush.’
Dad turns his head towards Caro.
For the first time in years I see real anger in his eyes.
‘I opened up my home to you,’ he says. ‘I’ve taken you in and let you live here rent-freeand how have you paid me in return?’
I don’t think Dad actually expects an answer to this question but Caro being Caro is going to give him one anyway.
‘Been a charming and fun lodger, not like your own miserable screwed-up daughter?’ she says.
I glare at her.
‘Zelah’s worth a hundred of you,’ says Dad.
‘Zelah’s a freak,’ continues Caro, not to be outdone. ‘Come on, man. We both know it.’
My father stands up and looms over her, a tower of red rage in his checked shirt and with his watery pink-rimmed eyes.
‘Enough,’ he says. His voice is like reinforced steel.
‘I’d like you to leave our house, as of now,’ he continues.
Caro’s expression of superiority begins to fade away.
‘What? I can’t . . . you know I can’t,’ she stutters. ‘Where will I go?’
Dad flaps his hands at her as if he is dismissing her from his life forever. Which he probably is.
‘You should have thought of that,’ he says. ‘You’ll go back to the decent foster parents who, for some reason unknown to mankind, have taken it upon themselves to give you a good home.’
Caro opens up her
‘Well?’ says Caro. ‘Isn’t anybody going to answer my question?’
I’ve had enough of this and I’m in a foul mood anyway because of the whole dating disaster with Sol.
‘Caro,’ I say. ‘Dad’s bought us a really nice dinner. You’re being rude. I don’t know why you’re being rude but then again I never do. Can’t you just button it for one short evening?’
Caro gets up and shoves back her chair. Her smile has gone. She grabs a carton of rice and makes for the kitchen door.
‘Don’t you dare have a go at me,’ she spits. ‘It’s not me you need to be angry with. Maybe you need to ask your precious father here what he’s doing every day when you think he’s being a schoolteacher.’
I feel the colour drain from my face.
Dad slinks out of the room and goes up to his study.
‘What do you mean?’ I say. My legs havegone all shaky and I have a strong urge to run upstairs and scrub my hands until they are red raw.
‘I saw him!’ says Caro. Her voice is loaded with satisfaction. ‘Your precious dad. I saw him in the pub this afternoon at two o’clock. And I bet you that’s where he’s been every day this week.’
She slams out of the room so hard that the clock falls off the wall and smashes into shards of black and white at my feet.
I stand there for ages like a pale zombie.
My feet are rooted to the floor.
I can’t move because I’m frozen with fear.
Caro’s many things, but she’s not a liar.
And Dad?
He’s been lying to me all along.
Chapter Twenty
D ad doesn’t stay upstairs for long.
He comes downstairs dragging Caro by the wrist.
For once she’s lost that smug look. Her eyes are full of fear.
‘Sit down,’ he says. He pushes her into a chair.
I’m still standing frozen in the middle of the room.
‘You too, Zelah,’ he says.
I manage to get myself to a chair. I can’t look Dad in the eye.
‘Before you start on me,’ he says, ‘yes, it’strue. I haven’t been going to my new job. I’ve been sitting in the pub all day. I can’t deny it.’
I’m speechless with disappointment. All that time trying to keep Dad’s spirits lifted, the trip to buy new clothes, the phone calls to Heather and how proud she was of Dad getting a new teaching job.
‘Zelah,’ he says. ‘Say something. Anything. But don’t sit there in silence. I feel terrible enough about this as it is.’
Caro’s never silent for long, though.
‘God, how pathetic,’ she says. ‘Pretending to your own daughter that you’re going to work when all the time you’re holed up in the local boozer being a sad old lush.’
Dad turns his head towards Caro.
For the first time in years I see real anger in his eyes.
‘I opened up my home to you,’ he says. ‘I’ve taken you in and let you live here rent-freeand how have you paid me in return?’
I don’t think Dad actually expects an answer to this question but Caro being Caro is going to give him one anyway.
‘Been a charming and fun lodger, not like your own miserable screwed-up daughter?’ she says.
I glare at her.
‘Zelah’s worth a hundred of you,’ says Dad.
‘Zelah’s a freak,’ continues Caro, not to be outdone. ‘Come on, man. We both know it.’
My father stands up and looms over her, a tower of red rage in his checked shirt and with his watery pink-rimmed eyes.
‘Enough,’ he says. His voice is like reinforced steel.
‘I’d like you to leave our house, as of now,’ he continues.
Caro’s expression of superiority begins to fade away.
‘What? I can’t . . . you know I can’t,’ she stutters. ‘Where will I go?’
Dad flaps his hands at her as if he is dismissing her from his life forever. Which he probably is.
‘You should have thought of that,’ he says. ‘You’ll go back to the decent foster parents who, for some reason unknown to mankind, have taken it upon themselves to give you a good home.’
Caro opens up her
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