Page 110 of Good Sisters

‘Well, now, Dolores, I’ll head back on Saturday morning, I need to be there for Louise,’ Dad said. ‘I wouldn’t miss this for the world.’

‘But we’ve dinner booked, Georgie.’

Louise cleared her throat.

Uh-oh. Dolores had no idea who she was up against.

‘Does she have a death wish?’ Gavin muttered.

Sophie dabbed her mouth with her napkin and whispered, ‘Here we go.’

Louise leaned across the table, her nose almost in Dolores’s face. ‘Did I not make myself clear? My father will be in my apartment at five p.m. next Saturday to meet my daughter’s biological father. This is a huge deal in her young life. I don’t give a flying fuck about your dinner plans. And, by the way, his name is George, not that ridiculously affected name you’re spouting.’

Dolores’s face was bright red. ‘Well I never,’ she spluttered. ‘I thought I was invited here for a friendly brunch. Not to be attacked.’

‘No one attacked you, Dolores. I’m simply making it clear that my father has an important family commitment next Saturday.’

‘Georgie?’ Dolores looked to Dad for help.

‘It’s George,’ I said.

‘Well,George, have you nothing to say?’ Dolores scowled at him.

Dad looked desperately uncomfortable as he tried to find the right words. ‘I know Louise came across strong there, butshe’s a bit wound up about Marco coming over. Clara meeting her dad for the first time is a very big deal. Clara is a special girl and we all have to support her.’

‘Strong? She was extremely rude.’ Dolores was not taking it.

I decided to step in before the whole thing blew up. After all, we were supposed to be putting out the hand of friendship to Dolores so we could see more of Dad. ‘Dolores, this is an emotional time for all of us, especially Louise and Clara. We all dote on Clara. It is very important to all of us that Dad is there. We also all miss Mum very much, so please understand that this new relationship is difficult for us.’

‘Well said, Julie.’ Sophie backed me up. ‘We’re very happy that Dad has a companion, but it’ll take a while for us to get used to the idea of another woman in his life. Please be patient.’

Dolores fiddled with the large bow on her shirt. ‘I understand that, but I will not tolerate people being rude to me.’

‘Louise has a direct manner,’ Dad said. ‘You need to get used to her.’

‘I say it as I see it,’ Louise said.

‘You could work on your delivery,’ Dad said, raising his eyebrows at her.

Thankfully, their food arrived, causing a welcome distraction from the tension. We ate, while Sophie and I kept the conversation light, veering away from any potential minefields. By the time the hour was up we were at least being civil to each other and Dolores was calling Dad ‘George’, much to our relief.

26. Louise

I sat on the floor beside Clara’s bed and waited. She sobbed her heart out, her breathing ragged as she tapped her fingers together over and over again.

I knew saying anything or trying to touch her would only make it worse. I was an expert on meltdowns. The room had to be quiet, the lighting low, and I had to stay still and silent until she’d worn herself out.

I wondered for the millionth time if introducing her to Marco was the right thing to do. When I’d first told her, she’d seemed happy. She’d been fine until now. They’d had a good few short conversations on FaceTime – I’d kept them to five minutes. They’d also texted a bit and Clara seemed to be connecting well with him, but I knew it was too good to be true. It was a big deal and a breakdown had to come. Marco was arriving tomorrow and, suddenly, the reality of it all was overwhelming her.

After about fifteen minutes her sobs began to subside. She hiccuped and her fingers stopped tapping. I stood up and looked down at her red, swollen eyes.

‘Will I get you some water?’ I asked gently.

She nodded.

I came back with a glass and some Calpol. ‘Do you have a bad headache?’

‘Really bad, Mummy.’

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