up, watch porn sometimes.’
Jeanie’s eyes widened. ‘Porn?’
‘Don’t look so shocked. You should try it, it’s hilarious.’
She tried to imagine her and George, but failed.
‘So will you meet Ray again?’
‘I . . . seeing him seems both stupid and essential, and not seeing him the same.’
Rita stood up. ‘Come on, this discussion is getting uncomfortably circular, you need to walk them both off.’
11
‘Hi, darling, what’s up?’ Jeanie took her daughter’s call as she balanced on a ladder, stacking the shelves above the shop’s chill cabinet with surplus stock. It had been a frantic week in the shop following her birthday, Jola convinced that the sudden hot weather was making everyone self-conscious about their exposed bodies. Goji juice, anti-cellulite supplements, prunes, alfalfa, bran and salad vegetables had all been in high demand.
‘Can you come over as soon as you’ve finished work?’
Her daughter sounded unusually clipped and tense. She wondered if Alex was playing up again.
‘Is something the matter? Is Ellie OK?’
‘Can’t talk now.’
‘OK, see you later. Oh, Chanty, shall I bring Dad?’
‘No.’ She sounded almost panicky. ‘No, come on your own.’
She snapped her phone shut, checking her watch. It was only ten minutes till closing.
‘Afternoon, Jean.’ A plump, middle-aged woman in a large sun hat was peering up at her.
‘Hi, Margot, what can I do for you?’ She groaned inwardly as she came down the ladder, knowing she would be expected to listen for hours to a litany of Margot’s ailments, from stiff knees to itchy patches to bloating. She must have tried every supplement under the sun over the years, but never for enough time to see any benefit, and now she’d be wanting to discuss the latest miracle cure she’d read about in the press.
Margot was fanning her face with the local newspaper. ‘Well . . . I spotted this new research.’ She was off.
‘I’m afraid I don’t have much time today, Margot, I’ve got to close up in a minute and I have to do the till.’
Margot looked crestfallen and glanced rather pointedly at the clock on the wall behind the counter.
‘My granddaughter . . . I have to go round. Can you come back tomorrow?’
Margot made a play of considering this.
‘I suppose so . . . no, no, you get off, dear, I know what it’s like with the wee ones.’
Chanty and Alex were edgy.
‘Where’s Ellie?’ It was only six-thirty.
‘We put her to bed a bit early, we didn’t want her hearing this,’ Chanty replied ominously.
The three of them stood about awkwardly in the sitting room.
‘What’s going on?’ Jeanie’s heart was racing.
She saw her daughter’s mouth twist. ‘Mum, this is difficult . . .’ She glanced at her husband, but Alex was just staring into space, propped, as always, against the mantelpiece, standing on one leg and rubbing one bare foot along the arch of the other.
‘It’s about Ellie . . . she’s been talking about a man . . .’
No, thought Jeanie, looking immediately at Alex, who refused to meet her eye. She waited.
‘She says this man, she calls him ‘Way’, holds her on his knee. . . touches her.’
Jeanie thought she would explode. She sat down hard on the sofa. ‘I don’t believe this,’ she stated coldly.
She saw shock register on her daughter’s features. ‘Mum?’
‘It’s lies,’ Jeanie said flatly.
‘Mum . . . it’s Ellie who said it. Are you saying you don’t believe your own granddaughter?’
‘Did she tell you this herself?’ she asked quietly.
‘No, she told Alex.’
‘Right.’ She took a couple of deep breaths because she knew she was on the verge of saying things that would never be forgotten.
‘Obviously we’re worried sick. Alex said that you and this man, Ray, have been meeting in the park.’
‘Have
you
heard it from Ellie?’ Jeanie interrupted.
She could see Chanty got it at once, and she watched her daughter’s face harden.
‘I’m
Jeanie’s eyes widened. ‘Porn?’
‘Don’t look so shocked. You should try it, it’s hilarious.’
She tried to imagine her and George, but failed.
‘So will you meet Ray again?’
‘I . . . seeing him seems both stupid and essential, and not seeing him the same.’
Rita stood up. ‘Come on, this discussion is getting uncomfortably circular, you need to walk them both off.’
11
‘Hi, darling, what’s up?’ Jeanie took her daughter’s call as she balanced on a ladder, stacking the shelves above the shop’s chill cabinet with surplus stock. It had been a frantic week in the shop following her birthday, Jola convinced that the sudden hot weather was making everyone self-conscious about their exposed bodies. Goji juice, anti-cellulite supplements, prunes, alfalfa, bran and salad vegetables had all been in high demand.
‘Can you come over as soon as you’ve finished work?’
Her daughter sounded unusually clipped and tense. She wondered if Alex was playing up again.
‘Is something the matter? Is Ellie OK?’
‘Can’t talk now.’
‘OK, see you later. Oh, Chanty, shall I bring Dad?’
‘No.’ She sounded almost panicky. ‘No, come on your own.’
She snapped her phone shut, checking her watch. It was only ten minutes till closing.
‘Afternoon, Jean.’ A plump, middle-aged woman in a large sun hat was peering up at her.
‘Hi, Margot, what can I do for you?’ She groaned inwardly as she came down the ladder, knowing she would be expected to listen for hours to a litany of Margot’s ailments, from stiff knees to itchy patches to bloating. She must have tried every supplement under the sun over the years, but never for enough time to see any benefit, and now she’d be wanting to discuss the latest miracle cure she’d read about in the press.
Margot was fanning her face with the local newspaper. ‘Well . . . I spotted this new research.’ She was off.
‘I’m afraid I don’t have much time today, Margot, I’ve got to close up in a minute and I have to do the till.’
Margot looked crestfallen and glanced rather pointedly at the clock on the wall behind the counter.
‘My granddaughter . . . I have to go round. Can you come back tomorrow?’
Margot made a play of considering this.
‘I suppose so . . . no, no, you get off, dear, I know what it’s like with the wee ones.’
Chanty and Alex were edgy.
‘Where’s Ellie?’ It was only six-thirty.
‘We put her to bed a bit early, we didn’t want her hearing this,’ Chanty replied ominously.
The three of them stood about awkwardly in the sitting room.
‘What’s going on?’ Jeanie’s heart was racing.
She saw her daughter’s mouth twist. ‘Mum, this is difficult . . .’ She glanced at her husband, but Alex was just staring into space, propped, as always, against the mantelpiece, standing on one leg and rubbing one bare foot along the arch of the other.
‘It’s about Ellie . . . she’s been talking about a man . . .’
No, thought Jeanie, looking immediately at Alex, who refused to meet her eye. She waited.
‘She says this man, she calls him ‘Way’, holds her on his knee. . . touches her.’
Jeanie thought she would explode. She sat down hard on the sofa. ‘I don’t believe this,’ she stated coldly.
She saw shock register on her daughter’s features. ‘Mum?’
‘It’s lies,’ Jeanie said flatly.
‘Mum . . . it’s Ellie who said it. Are you saying you don’t believe your own granddaughter?’
‘Did she tell you this herself?’ she asked quietly.
‘No, she told Alex.’
‘Right.’ She took a couple of deep breaths because she knew she was on the verge of saying things that would never be forgotten.
‘Obviously we’re worried sick. Alex said that you and this man, Ray, have been meeting in the park.’
‘Have
you
heard it from Ellie?’ Jeanie interrupted.
She could see Chanty got it at once, and she watched her daughter’s face harden.
‘I’m
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