Page 94 of Thursdays at Orange Blossom House
‘Mum’s brain is never going to fix itself,’ Patricia continues. ‘And I’m never going to have more time to look after her than I do now. My siblings won’t help. And I don’t have power of attorney or anything that means I can make decisions independent of them. Or of Dad. So …’ She blinks rapidly. ‘I’m stuck. Which means I understand how you feel, Dorothy. I just don’t have any tips for how to become unstuck.’
Grace Maud looks at the two distressed younger women. Her dotage has come with experience, if not wisdom, and she thinks of all the times she had to negotiate people and their needs and wants that were different to her own. At least she can offer these two the benefit of her hindsight.
‘One would think that family members should be the easiest to negotiate with,’ she says. ‘Sometimes, however, the only and best thing you can do is let them realise in their own time that they’re being ridiculous.’
‘Does that usually work?’ Patricia asks.
‘Surprisingly, yes. Quite often. Usually because their behaviour is unreasonable and it never gets them anywhere good. The world has a funny way of sorting things out for you so that people get their comeuppance. Eventually.’
She turns and takes Dorothy’s hand. ‘So, darling Dorothy, I recommend that you let Frederick go through all of this and he’ll soon work out if it’s doomed. But what you shouldn’t do is let yourself become so upset about something you can’t change. It’s not good for you or,’ her eyebrow arches, ‘le bébé.’
The other two giggle at her impression of Sandrine.
‘So what other news do we have?’ Grace Maud says. ‘Patricia – what’s going on at school?’
Patricia blushes, and Grace Maud wonders why.
‘Oh, nothing major. My colleague Dennis told me that he’s leaving at the end of the year to travel to India.’
‘Who is this Dennis? Do we know him?’
‘He helped me look for my mother when she went walkabout that last time.’
Grace Maud nods, remembering Patricia telling them about it after class. She also remembers thinking that this Dennis must be interested in Patricia to help her like that. Grace Maud has nothing against men, but she believes that most of them are not altruistic. There’s usually another motivation for their actions, and if a man is willing to spend his time driving around a woman who is looking for her geriatric parent, it would suggest that he’s keen on her. This doesn’t nullify his kindness, of course – it merely adds a layer to the story.
‘So he’s a friend?’ Dorothy asks, her eyes shining.
‘Y-yes,’ Patricia says. ‘He is.’ She blushes again. ‘He asked me out once. Ages ago.’
Grace Maud and Dorothy exchange glances.
‘I said no. He’s too young.’
‘How young?’ Dorothy asks. ‘Young. Younger.’ Patricia shakes her head. ‘I don’t actually know.’
‘Presumably he knows your approximate age?’ Grace Maud says.
‘He would know I’m in my forties. Beyond the realm of having children.’ Patricia’s voice catches on the last word. ‘So I don’t think he could really be interested in me.’
‘You don’t?’ Grace Maud says incredulously. ‘When you’re intelligent and capable and – let’s face it, my dear – beautiful?’
Patricia looks shocked. ‘Beautiful?’ she says.
Grace Maud looks at Dorothy, who starts laughing.
‘You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,’ Dorothy says.
‘Maybe you haven’t realised because your hairdresser keeps doing a number on you,’ Grace Maud mutters.
Even though Patricia has been growing her hair out of the awful bob, it’s now in something resembling a shag cut that would better suit Jane Fonda in her Vietnam War years.
‘Grace Maud!’ Dorothy says with a giggle.
‘Well, it’s true. It’s almost as if she – I presume your hairdresser’s a she? – is jealous of you and trying to make you less appealing. Sometimes it works.’
Patricia is looking like the proverbial stunned mullet, so Grace Maud decides to move the conversation along.
‘So how do you feel about this Dennis going away?’
