Page 79 of Don't You Forget About Me

‘Yeah, I’ve told Mum it was really stupid to have Geoffrey be the messenger. I get the impression that wasn’t the plan at first and then he took over.’

‘Hah, well I never!’

‘I think his offer of the job gave him the whip hand.’

‘Ugh, can youimaginehow awful it would be if I took that? Lording it over me, telling me off … he wants power over me like he has over Mum.’

‘Yes. I’ve told Mum, it’d be a recipe for disaster.’

I know a hefty dollop of me is in Esther’s Recipe For Disaster, so say nothing.

‘Can I ask you to consider something that you won’t have considered?’ Esther says. ‘Mum needs us.’

‘I know that.’

‘I mean, she really needs us, Gog. I think it’s a potentially abusive if not actually abusive relationship and if she’s ever going to find it in her to stand up to him, she can’t do that while she’s feuding with her daughters over him.’

‘You don’t think he …?’

‘Hits her? God, no. Or I’d be staging an intervention. But there are other types of abuse.’

‘What are you saying I should do differently?’

‘Keep Geoffrey sweet enough and things creaking along. There are bigger things at stake. He is who he is but he’s our stepfather and we can’t do anything about that. Wecansupport Mum, and help her towards realising he doesn’t get to push her around, simply because the credit cards are in his name.’

I’ve arrived at work now and check my trendily throwback-slash-plastic cheap Casio watch, under the grubby cuff of pink fluff.

‘I dunno. I know you’re smart about these things, Est, but I don’t think me pretending not to loathe him is going to make much difference.’

‘Not true. He’s very susceptible to flattery. And you can be very dazzling when you try, even when it’s insincere.’

I guffaw. ‘Geoff’s got a better opinion of me than this! He doesn’t think I can fake charm at all.’

‘Look, I’m a head person and you’re a heart person and I love you for being a heart person a lot of the time, but I’m asking you to be more head on this.’

‘You’re asking me to give Geoffrey head?’

‘GEORGINA! Urrrrgh.’

‘Why can’t he treat himself to a nice big coronary? We’ll just have to serve him lots of extra brandy butter at Christmas and encourage him to buy a midlife crisis Harley.’

‘Midlife suggests Geoffrey is going to live to 134.’

‘God, please no. Embalmed in his own spite.’

‘In the meantime, will you answer your phone to Mum? She’s giving me loads of grief.’

This prospect gives me a hard pain in my throat.

‘I can’t face it for now. Geoffrey was vile about Dad as well,’ I gabble. I’m can’t get into this with Esther but I need her to understand the depth of my anger.

‘Oh, what did he say?’

‘… That he was useless.’ I can’t think of a substitute for ‘adulterer’ off the top of my head, another word which has the same impact without the information. ‘… That he let us down and Geoffrey’s better than him.’

‘Hmm, well. He shouldn’t have, but he’ll have heard Mum’s—’

‘Don’t say it. There’s no excuse for that man to run our dad down to me.’

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