Page 30 of The Runaway Wives

‘We don’t. You’re a star,’ Babs grabbed the shaker whilst Dee put the ice in the freezer. ‘Now how about I make us all a “Babs Special”?’

‘What’s one of those?’ Andi asked Dee.

‘I dread to think,’ Dee told her. ‘If it’s too strong for you, go to the loo and tip it down the sink, she won’t know.’ She winked.

Andi’s face broke into a big grin. ‘I’m guessing you’ve had to do that a few times?’

‘Oh yes, and there are times I should have done but didn’t and regretted it the next day.’ She indicated the sofa. ‘Sit yourself down. And please help yourself to any of the snacks.’

‘This is so kind of you both,’ Andi said. ‘I’ve been worrying about Edna, I should have checked on her, I knew she was living on her own. I dread to think what would have happened if you two hadn’t realised something was wrong. The other cottages in this block are holiday lets.’

‘She’s going to be fine,’ Dee reassured her. ‘She looked chirpy. Martin was coming out as we went in, he did seem like he might be a bit overbearing.’ She told Andi all about the encounter. ‘I don’t know if he’s being a bit overprotective, but Edna is convinced he wants her out of the house to sell it.’

‘Have you ever met him?’ Babs asked.

Andi looked thoughtful. ‘He grew up in the village so we went to school together, not that I’ve actually seen him for years. He lives in Yorkshire now so I guess he probably worries about Edna falling and really hurting herself. Although…’

Dee and Babs exchanged glances.

‘From what I remember of him he can be a bit ruthless, charges ahead if he thinks something is for the best and doesn’t always stop to think how it affects others. Edna’s said that she’s not seen much of Martin since Bert died, so he’s hardly the doting son. I know he lives miles away, but even so there’s a phone and Facetime.’

‘So, you don’t trust him either?’ Babs asked.

Andi shook her head slowly. ‘I’m not sure he’d take Edna’s wishes into consideration. He sort of takes over. Edna and Bert wanted a child for a long time, and when Martin came along, I think they spoiled him a bit.’

‘Well at least she’s got Mabel to stay with; she’ll be fine.’ Dee patted Andi’s hand. ‘And she wouldn’t want you worrying over her.’

‘Here, get this down you. It’ll cheer you up.’ Babs handed them both a tall glass full of a bright red liquid, topped with cherries. ‘No sad faces allowed here.’

Andi took a sip and almost choked. ‘Goodness! What’s in this?’

Babs tapped her nose and sat down beside them, holding her own glass. ‘Knock it back,’ she ordered, taking a big gulp of her drink without as much as a splutter.

Andi raised her eyebrows to Dee who took a small sip out of her own glass. It was strong!

‘You two seem such good friends. Have you known each other long?’ Andi asked, following Dee’s example and taking a small sip.

‘Years! We were childhood friends,’ Babs told her. ‘And Dee here never used to be so quiet, you know. She was loads of fun before she got with Nige. Oh, the stories I could tell you.’

Dee felt herself stiffen at the insinuation that she was boring now. Babs was right though, Nigel had stifled her. Well the old Dee was still in there. She wasn’t having Andi think she was a bore, no way. She took a long gulp of her drink. ‘Yes, me and Babs go back a long way. Culprits in crime, right back to our schooldays.’ She took another gulp. The cocktail didn’t taste so strong now. ‘Babs sneaked some itching powder into class one day and sprinkled it inside the teacher’s coat. We couldn’t stop laughing when he kept scratching all lesson.’ She grimaced. ‘The trouble is I didn’t wash my hands properly and when I rubbed my eyes some itching powder got in them. It stung like hell and everyone thought I was crying!’

‘What about when we went on the double date?’ Babs had almost finished her cocktail already. ‘This was before we met our other halves,’ she told Andi. ‘Platform soles were all the rage then and we both turned up in them but I’d only bought mine that day and couldn’t walk properly in them. I tripped up and fell onto the table, knocking the drinks everywhere.’

Andi roared with laughter. ‘I can beat that! I signed up to a dating app and went out on a date with this guy called Donni. He was good-looking and he knew it. He spent the whole date talking about himself and I was so bored I kept knocking back the drinks, then I spewed up all over him. The memory mortifies me even now.’ She looked at Dee. ‘You don’t seem the sort to have done something like that.’

‘Ha, you’re joking! She walked around all day once with her dress tucked into her knickers.’ Babs chuckled. ‘And did you hear about yesterday when we were trying to get into Edna’s?’

The alcohol spurred Dee on to tell the story about her shorts falling down and exposing her knickers to Kenny.

‘OMG, I’m literally going to wet myself here,’ Andi howled.

‘Oh, there’s more. We went on holiday to Turkey once and a couple of waiters had the hots for us but they were a bit slimy. So we went around arm in arm all holiday, pretending we were a couple.’ Babs grinned. ‘Anyone for another one?’

‘My turn now. I’ll do a “Dee Special”.’ Dee struggled to her feet. She was already feeling a little light-headed but who cared, they were having fun. And fun was something she hadn’t had for a long time.

21

BABS

---