Page 27 of Between Us

‘Also, who are you calling nobbers?’ Anita said, gesturing at her lilac maribou-trim skirt. Roisin was keen to see her wedding dress: she could only imagine a sort of Tim Burton film level of kitsch drama. A headdress.

‘Other nobbers, obviously,’ Joe said. ‘Nouveau, boozy nobbers who’ve rolled in from the city. Not classy big house appreciators, like us.’

They set off down to the lake, and Dev’s optimism wasn’t misplaced: the weak sun and light breeze did feel as if it was blowing fresh air through Roisin’s mind and body.

Anita thoughtfully seized on Gina and marched her out ahead, so the Matt issue wasn’t an issue. Dev fell lockstep between Joe and Matt, a rose between two thorns, and Meredith and Roisin found themselves at the rear. Actually, Roisin felt Meredith was sticking to her side purposely.

‘What do you think to this, then?’ Meredith said, after ten minutes or so.

‘This?’ Roisin cast a look back at the house. ‘Minibreak location?’

‘No, the weirdness.’

‘The weirdness of … us? That sounds like the title of the worst romcom ever.’

‘The weirdness of the mood since we’ve arrived. It’s as if everyone’s pretending. Not me and you, obviously.’

Roisin suspected Meredith meantapart from the roaring tension between you and Joe.

‘I know what you mean. I felt awful admitting it to myself, but Gina’s streaking was the first authentic moment of enjoyment I’ve had.’

‘Same here. Odd, isn’t it?’

‘Perhaps it’s timing. Few pressures coming to a head.’

‘Dev and Anita had a huge blow-up last month.’

‘Didthey?’ Roisin stopped dead, lowering her voice, even though everyone else was way in front. ‘I thought they were on Cloud Nine.’

‘I think they are, but Cloud Nine has a ring road traffic jam. I wanted your advice about it, actually. I might not get the chance again. I have a moral quandary.’

‘Go on.’

‘I was out on a works do last month at The Alchemist, and I see Dev and Anita in a corner. Before I can say hello, I see they’re arguing. To the extent that Anita gets up to storm out. I’m thinking, right, I will pretend not to have seen them, but unfortunately, Anita storms right past me. We make eye contact, I make a kind of gesture like this …’ Meredith stopped and performed a cross hands waving, lip zipping mime to Roisin which she gathered indicated:no worries, I saw nothing, we don’t have to speak.

‘OK.’

‘So please note, as far as I know, Dev still has no idea I know. Anita then messages me the day after and asks if we can meet for coffee, butplease don’t tell Dev. I’d really rather not, in those circumstances, but what can you do when it’s an SOS.’

‘Oof. Yes.’

‘We go for coffee, and she says the fight was about the fact she wants to come off her pill and try for a baby before the wedding in Italy. She’s got background factors that makes her think it might take a while. Dev is implacably opposed to her ending up unable to drink and morning sick at a fifty-grand wedding …’

‘Fifty grand!’ Roisin hissed.

‘Oh, and the rest; Anita was probably sparing me the full truth. Over our flat whites, Anita confides in me she’s not taking her pill, and is telling Dev she is.Is that bad, Meredith?Me – yes, Anita, that is bad.’

‘Woah.’

‘Mmmhhhm. I said to her, and what will you do if you do get pregnant, tell him you’re in the one per cent failure rate? Despite him knowing you wanted to try? She says no, he’ll work it out, but once there’s a baby he’ll be overjoyed and my lying won’t matter.’

Roisin looked at Meredith making a grit-teeth gesture. ‘This is not the way to embark on parenthood. With lies. Also, Dev not feeling betrayed is a fuck of a gamble.’

‘Yep. I told her it wasn’t OK. She should take her pill, have the wedding – she’s thirty-one, it’ll be fine. But knowingAnita to be somewhat capricious, I don’t think there’s much chance she’ll take it. The advice, or the pill.’

‘She’s such a party girl, she might actually regret being pregnant on her honeymoon, too. What did Dev say? “Anita’s very bad at anticipating how she’ll feel a short time in the future”?’

‘Oh yeah. Canyons.’

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