Page 66 of Between Us

Terence washarmless, her mum always said, in that way British people used harmless to mean often annoying but not actively malicious. He was also, and this was a crucial virtue that many lacked, able to rub along with her mum. This, despite Terence’s wife Julie always agitating for another pay rise due to his outstanding contribution, as if Terence was an underappreciated VP to the CEO of a City trading firm with massive turnover.

‘Ahhh, good to see you,’ he said, hulking the crate down and appraising her. ‘You never look any different to when you were a sulky teenager doing your A-levels. Still the same hair, the jumper, the boots. Remember when you went at your clumpy shoes with Tippex, like a lunatic?’

Terence had never encountered a youthful fashion trend that didn’t baffle him.

‘Daisies on my Doc Martens,’ Roisin clarified to Matt.

‘Plus those hieroglyphics.’

‘CND symbols and yin-yang symbol,’ Roisin said, to an amused Matt.

‘And names of boys!’

‘MH in a heart, because the hot lad in my year was called Mike Hennessey,’ Roisin explained, glad she was no longer as embarrassable as she had been at seventeen.

‘Oh,thatbastard,’ Matt said, and she laughed.

They settled at a corner table, under the sepia photo of the village’s tragic explorer of Mount Everest. He had often stared down in withering judgement upon Roisin’s youthful hangovers.

‘This place is an absolute belter. I love it,’ Matt said, gazing around. ‘It must be popular?’

Roisin looked at him as he sipped his lager, levelly, and was surprised to detect zero sarcasm. She’d perhaps spent too long around Joe.

‘Not really,’ she said, quietly so as to not be overheard. ‘This village has the Bib Gourmand food pub, the trendy Espresso Martinis pub, and The Mallory.’

‘That’s exactly it’s charm though, right? It’s what it is, proper boozer of its era. It’s not trying to be what it thinks will impress well-heeled clientele. No off-black walls, wanker’s art of Wonder Woman as Joan of Arc, menus on brown paper on clipboards. Cocktails with a dehydrated fruit slice and half a shrub sticking out of it.’

Roisin smiled. ‘Yeah, it’s definitely not that.’

After they’d finished their drinks, she grabbed her bag from her room and tried to make a hasty farewell to her mother and Terence. Unfortunately and inevitably, Lorraine suddenly needed to walk her daughter out to her car.

‘Can I really not persuade you to do a few more shifts? Everyone loves you,’ Lorraine pouted. ‘Dennis said it was likea show you loved returning! Like theFriendsreunion. Honestly, I’m on my arse here.’

‘Showis about right,’ Roisin muttered.

‘You really struggling?’ Matt said.

‘I’ll see what I can do,’ Roisin interrupted. ‘Bye, Mum, see you soon!’

Her mum shaded her eyes against the afternoon sun and said, ‘She’s awful to me, Matt, what can I tell you? Give my love to Joe, won’t you. When’s he back, Tuesday? SO nice to meet you, Matt.’

Roisin tensed as her mother leaned in for a peck on the cheek with her and then Matt.

As she pulled out of the car park, Matt said, ‘Tell me to piss off by all means, but … you’ve not told your mum? About you and Joe?’

Near six feet of him was folded into her passenger seat so it wouldn’t have been easy to tell him to piss off, not that she wanted to.

‘No, because he flew straight to California after the fight. We’ve not agreed on how and when to announce the news.’

Matt said nothing and a silence developed. Because he was usually good at putting people at ease, Roisin sussed it was an unvoiced thought.

‘You think I shouldn’t wait?’ Roisin said.

‘I think … be clear in your own mind what you want. Or Joe will be clear in his mind what you want.’

‘Thanks, but I’ve reached a level of cynicism wherenothing’s going to work on me.’ Roisin indicated at a junction and pulled out. ‘Which is just as well, ’cos nothing’s what he’s giving me.’

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