Silent Treatment by Jackie Williams

compliments about your daughter doesn’t make you right either. If you can’t say anything nice about the young man, then don’t say anything at all. After all, he’s not going to be back for at least three years. If he comes home then and they still want to see each other at least by then she’ll be over eighteen and there won’t be a thing you can do about it.”
    Carrie heard her father muttering as he walked out of the bedroom. She heard the cl ick as the door closed quietly and a few seconds later she felt her mattress dip as her mother sat on the side of her bed again.
    “Carrie love. Can you hear me?” Gentle , loving fingers ran down the side of Carrie’s face.
    Carrie couldn’t deceive her mother twice in one summer and gave a tiny, miserable nod. She opened her swollen eyes to look at her.
    “I’m sorry mum.” Her voice was just a hoarse whisper. “I didn’t mean to spoil everything you’d done for tonight.”
    Helen leaned over and kissed her daughter’s forehead.
    “Don’t be silly , Carrie. I should have realized you’d be far too tired to party all night. The food has all gone in the freezer anyway so don’t worry about it. And don’t take any notice of your father either. He’d say those sorts of things about any young man who was interested in you. He’s just being over protective. He doesn’t mean all that stuff about Daniel. ”
    Carrie’s heart contracted at the sound of his name and she gave a great gasp of pain. A tear leaked out of one corner of her eye and she sobbed almost uncontrollably. Her mother just waited it out and listened when she could speak again.
    “I wasn’t going to try and stop him going or anything. I just wanted to say goo dbye properly. I love him mum, but I didn’t get to tell him. I didn’t tell him how I feel at all and it’s going to be three years until I can! It’s so long. What if he meets someone while he’s over there? There’s bound to be hundreds of fabulously fit women out there to tempt him. We haven’t spent any time together over the summer and I’m going to miss him so much. It won’t be the same without him around.”
    Her mother laughed quietly as she pulled Carrie’s hair away from her face.
    “No, it won’t. It’ll feel much more roomy for a start.”
    Carrie gave a hint of a smile through her tears.
    “You should have been around when the whole team got together, then you’d know what crowded really felt like. They’re all massive.”
    Helen smiled in relief.
    “Well, I’m glad you can joke about it. But on a more serious note, if you really do love him then you should wait for him. These three years are going to fly by. You’re going to be so busy with your ‘A’ levels and then maybe university that you wouldn’t have much chance to see each other anyway. It’s probably best he’s thousands of miles away, rather than just a few hundred. At least you know you can’t see him.”
    Carrie sniffed loudly and her mother passed her a tissue.
    “I know, I ought to feel happy that he has this fabulous placement with his best friend, and that this move may make his fortune, but I just don’t. Do you know that Paul has asked Lisa to go out there with him? He’s only known her a few weeks but he can’t bear to be apart from her. As soon as he can afford to rent a place for them both she’s going. I’ve known Daniel for years but he didn’t ask me to go. He didn’t even ask me to wait for him.” She sulked miserably before she added. “Maybe I won’t have to worry about other women after all. Maybe he really is gay and I should be worrying about all those super fit guys out there.” More tears suddenly leaked out.
    Helen was silent for a few seconds. Then she shook her head firmly.
    “I don’t think he’s like that Carrie. I didn’t get that sort of feeling about him at all. Not that my opinion means much but I think it’s just that you’re so much younger than Lisa. You know how he feels about having a