Page 103 of The Bad Mother's Diary

A funny day today. Alex Dalton’s solicitor called.

His name is Jeremy Samuels. He’s one of those forthright, shouty men who make you hold the phone a little bit away from your ear.

‘Alex said I should put my foot down with you,’ he shouted. ‘He said you were being very silly and saying you wanted to use some local fellow. But he’s decided it’s me you should be using, and he will foot the bill. Who is this local fellow, anyway?’

I told him it was Ted Grunty.

He said, ‘Good Lord! The chap who forged all those signatures?’

Then he said, ‘I’ll have a word with Ted. He’ll understand. All’s fair in love and law. Then we’ll go about getting you a settlement. Alex says you’re a lovely girl – you deserve a decent amount.’

A lovely girl!

Did Alex really say that about me?

Amazing!

Saturday October 10th

Althea and I met at the pottery café again today.

We probably should have learned our lesson from last time. Wolfgang and breakable things don’t mix.

Within three minutes, he’d smashed a plate with baby handprints on it and a soup mug that said ‘I love you Daddy’.

When everyone turned to stare, Althea snapped, ‘He’s just expressing himself. Why can’t you give him freedom to be himself too? I’ll pay for the fucking breakages.’

Althea never worries about money. Wolfgang’s dad is a famous keyboard player and earns loads in royalties. Which means Althea earns loads in maintenance.

They have a very open-minded relationship, are still legally married and still sleep together sometimes.

I told Althea about the Jeremy Samuels’s phone call.

She said, ‘Fucking hell. That’s a big deal. Why would Alex Dalton go and do something like that?’

I told her I didn’t know, but that Alex had said something about feeling responsible. Because he’d seen Nick flirting and bar-hopping.

Althea said, ‘Bollocks. It’s because he fancies you.’

I said, ‘Alex Dalton? I don’t think so.’

But then Althea said that Alex was always watching me.

I told her that glaring and watching weren’t the same thing.

Monday October 12th

10am

Supermarket shopping.

Daisy hates my cooking these days. She loves ready-made vegetable pouch meals, but I just feel like she should be eating something homemade.

Have found a website showing lots of delicious baby recipes, and am determined to cook something she likes.

11am

Sometimes I miss London.

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