asked Grace.
‘ Oh, OK.' Demi got out a mobile from a pocket and pressed
a few keys. 'She's not in,' she said after a few moments.
‘Leave a message,' said Grace firmly. 'Tell her
it's very important that she rings you back as soon as possible. Now ring
Edward.’
Demi tried to hand Grace
the phone. 'You do it. I can't bear that cow of a wife of his.'
‘ Haven't you got his mobile number?' asked
Grace.
‘ But I don't want to speak to him!' said Demi, rather
unreasonably, Ellie thought. 'You do it.' After she had produced a ringing
tone, she thrust the phone at Grace, who didn't want to speak to Edward either,
for all sorts of reasons, mostly because the sound of his voice still affected her, but also because she'd never been
any good at arguing with him. There was a tense silence.
‘ Hello?' said Grace eventually. 'Can I speak to
Edward please, it's Grace.’
Demi and Ellie watched as
Grace pushed bread crumbs into little piles, bracing herself,
obviously waiting for Edward to be brought
to the phone. 'Edward? It's me. I've got Demi here.’
There was a pause while Edward responded to
this.
‘She just arrived. She wants to stay for a bit.'
Another pause. 'We've left a message for her
to ring back, but she hasn't.' Then Grace sighed, and handed the phone
to Demi. 'He wants to talk to you.'
‘Dad!' Demi's voice had an edge of hysteria to
it. 'I'm not going home! I hate it there!
Mum hates me! Her bloke hates me! And as for those poxy children of his, why
can't they stay with their own mother, where they're wanted?’
Ellie and Grace both
looked at their plates. Ellie started following Grace's example and drew a palm tree in crumbs.
They both felt they were intruding somewhat, hearing Demi and her father have
an almighty row.
‘I don't care about fucking A levels!' Demi
shouted.
Grace winced. She knew Demi would not have used
language like that if her father had been more than an electronic presence. But she was crying when she handed the phone
back to Grace. 'He's such a bastard!'
‘ Listen,
Edward,' Grace plunged in, not waiting to hear Edward's side of the
story, which she knew anyway. 'Demi's quite upset about a lot of things. I know
college is important, but she says she hasn't been going in anyway. At least she's safe here, and not sleeping
in some student squat. Do you know
she's been spending time in London with no one having a clue where she
is?’
While Edward responded to this, at length and with feeling, Grace mouthed 'Sorry!' at Demi for
betraying her secret, but indicated by more mime and mouthing that she
felt it would help Demi's case if Edward knew the whole story.
Grace didn't
say anything for a long time. Eventually she just lowered the phone and pressed
a button.
‘Did you get
cut off?' asked Demi.
‘ Well, we certainly weren't communicating,' said
Grace, sounding tired.
‘ You mean you put the phone down on him?' asked Ellie.
'Respect, Grace!’
Grace was puzzled,
realising Edward had failed for once to terrify her. Perhaps it was
something to do with Ellie's supportive presence. Whatever the reason, it felt
good, if a little strange. 'I would never have done that when I was married to him, but I just suddenly
thought, I don't have to be shouted at
or told off about things which aren't remotely my fault or my
responsibility, any more.' She smiled at
Demi. 'I'm really looking forward to you living here! Why don't we go
and choose you a room?'
‘ Then we can
go to my - old house' - Ellie found a lump
in her throat and swallowed it away - 'and see how much stuff we can get
in the back of my car.'
‘We're going to steal furniture?' said Demi,
obviously much cheered by the prospect.
‘Not steal it,' said Ellie. 'Take it away. I
paid for it. Not that we'll get much in the car.'
‘We could go in my car,' said Grace. 'It's a
bit bigger than yours—' She stopped speaking as the phone rang. 'Oh no! That'll
be your mother, Demi.'
‘No, it won't. She doesn't know I'm here.
‘ Oh, OK.' Demi got out a mobile from a pocket and pressed
a few keys. 'She's not in,' she said after a few moments.
‘Leave a message,' said Grace firmly. 'Tell her
it's very important that she rings you back as soon as possible. Now ring
Edward.’
Demi tried to hand Grace
the phone. 'You do it. I can't bear that cow of a wife of his.'
‘ Haven't you got his mobile number?' asked
Grace.
‘ But I don't want to speak to him!' said Demi, rather
unreasonably, Ellie thought. 'You do it.' After she had produced a ringing
tone, she thrust the phone at Grace, who didn't want to speak to Edward either,
for all sorts of reasons, mostly because the sound of his voice still affected her, but also because she'd never been
any good at arguing with him. There was a tense silence.
‘ Hello?' said Grace eventually. 'Can I speak to
Edward please, it's Grace.’
Demi and Ellie watched as
Grace pushed bread crumbs into little piles, bracing herself,
obviously waiting for Edward to be brought
to the phone. 'Edward? It's me. I've got Demi here.’
There was a pause while Edward responded to
this.
‘She just arrived. She wants to stay for a bit.'
Another pause. 'We've left a message for her
to ring back, but she hasn't.' Then Grace sighed, and handed the phone
to Demi. 'He wants to talk to you.'
‘Dad!' Demi's voice had an edge of hysteria to
it. 'I'm not going home! I hate it there!
Mum hates me! Her bloke hates me! And as for those poxy children of his, why
can't they stay with their own mother, where they're wanted?’
Ellie and Grace both
looked at their plates. Ellie started following Grace's example and drew a palm tree in crumbs.
They both felt they were intruding somewhat, hearing Demi and her father have
an almighty row.
‘I don't care about fucking A levels!' Demi
shouted.
Grace winced. She knew Demi would not have used
language like that if her father had been more than an electronic presence. But she was crying when she handed the phone
back to Grace. 'He's such a bastard!'
‘ Listen,
Edward,' Grace plunged in, not waiting to hear Edward's side of the
story, which she knew anyway. 'Demi's quite upset about a lot of things. I know
college is important, but she says she hasn't been going in anyway. At least she's safe here, and not sleeping
in some student squat. Do you know
she's been spending time in London with no one having a clue where she
is?’
While Edward responded to this, at length and with feeling, Grace mouthed 'Sorry!' at Demi for
betraying her secret, but indicated by more mime and mouthing that she
felt it would help Demi's case if Edward knew the whole story.
Grace didn't
say anything for a long time. Eventually she just lowered the phone and pressed
a button.
‘Did you get
cut off?' asked Demi.
‘ Well, we certainly weren't communicating,' said
Grace, sounding tired.
‘ You mean you put the phone down on him?' asked Ellie.
'Respect, Grace!’
Grace was puzzled,
realising Edward had failed for once to terrify her. Perhaps it was
something to do with Ellie's supportive presence. Whatever the reason, it felt
good, if a little strange. 'I would never have done that when I was married to him, but I just suddenly
thought, I don't have to be shouted at
or told off about things which aren't remotely my fault or my
responsibility, any more.' She smiled at
Demi. 'I'm really looking forward to you living here! Why don't we go
and choose you a room?'
‘ Then we can
go to my - old house' - Ellie found a lump
in her throat and swallowed it away - 'and see how much stuff we can get
in the back of my car.'
‘We're going to steal furniture?' said Demi,
obviously much cheered by the prospect.
‘Not steal it,' said Ellie. 'Take it away. I
paid for it. Not that we'll get much in the car.'
‘We could go in my car,' said Grace. 'It's a
bit bigger than yours—' She stopped speaking as the phone rang. 'Oh no! That'll
be your mother, Demi.'
‘No, it won't. She doesn't know I'm here.
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