Page 51 of Knowing You
‘It’s Kath. Open up, sweetheart.’
I stand statue still. However, at that moment, my phone rings. I grab it out of my dressing gown pocket and in a hurry drop it onto the floor. I bend over. It’s Casey. I switch it off.
‘Violet? I can hear you.’
I drag myself over to the door and open it. I stand back as Kath walks in, followed by Nora and Pauline carrying a wicker basket.
‘What’s all this?’ I ask.
‘We’re staging an intervention,’ says Nora.
Under any other circumstances, I would have laughed. Pauline puts the basket on the low coffee table and opens it.
‘Look, thanks, whatever this is, but—’
Kath raises her palms. ‘I’m sorry, Violet, but we’re not prepared to simply stand by and watch you cut yourself off from people who care. You not coming last night was the last straw.’
‘I’m fine; have never felt better.’
‘You don’t look it,’ said Pauline bluntly.
I shake my head. ‘All those months you let me go around looking like a scarecrow. I finally get my act together and that’s when you decide to intervene? I don’t get it.’ I look at Nora. ‘Especially you, who is such a big fan of so many fashion-conscious celebrities and love following them on social media. Why can’t you at least recognise that I’m simply trying to improve myself like… like your favourite Kardashians?’
‘But they’ve got curves, Violet. Boobs and bums, like you used to. And they’re celebrities, a spectacle, not real people I care about. I hate to get personal, but you’re wasting away.’
‘And I’m sorry you’ve wasted a journey,’ I say stiffly. ‘But there is no cause for alarm.’
‘Aren’t you even going to ask us to stay for a cup of tea?’ says Kath and sits down on the sofa. She calls over Flossie, who looks happy that her day is turning out to be more exciting than of late.
‘Look,’ says Pauline and lifts up the lid of the basket. ‘We do want to support you, Violet. There’s only healthy stuff in here. Carrot sticks, wholemeal sandwiches, hummus dip and fruit. Let’s have lunch together. Talk about that brilliant bookVox.’
‘You should have rung. I appreciate it, honestly, but I’m not feeling well.’ Bella warned me once that envious friends might lace food like sandwiches with full-fat butter.
‘You won’t even let us stay to talk for a few minutes?’ said Kath. ‘Even the women in that book are allowed one hundred words.’
‘But what you’ve got to say won’t be that concise, will it?’
‘It could be,’ says Pauline. ‘I like a challenge.’ She fishes in her handbag for a notebook and gives everyone a sheet of paper. The three of them squeeze onto the sofa with faces as perplexed as mine.
‘Look – this is silly,’ I say. ‘Surely you’re not suggesting – there’s no need.’
‘I think there is,’ says Pauline. ‘And where’s the harm? We’ll tell you our concerns in as few a words as we can manage.’ She hands me a sheet. ‘You can tell us why we’re making a fuss over nothing.’
I shake my head. ‘This is ridiculous. Please. Just leave.’
‘We’re bloggers now, Violet,’ says Kath in a light tone. ‘We work best writing things down.’
‘And it sounds like fun,’ interrupts Nora.
The room falls silent. With a sigh I pick up a pen and paper. I sit down on the floor and start writing.
‘Me first,’ says Nora twenty minutes later. She stands up and clears her throat. I admire the burgundy trousers and orange checked top that, against all the odds, go well with her red hair. She reads out from her piece of paper.
‘Violet. I’ve always admired your unique sense of style. People laugh at my fur coat but I’m not bothered. And you used to be like that, dressing as you pleased without a care. At first I thought it was fun, your interest in fashion and hair – but now it’s taken a serious turn. Your great figure used to go in and out. Now it’s straight up and down. As for those gorgeous curls… Lenny has left the door open for a real man to stride in and win your heart. And he will. You don’t need to change one iota.’
She sits down on the sofa. Ever the romantic, what Nora doesn’t get is that my new image is to empower me as a woman. It’s not all about trying to hook a man.
Kath puts on her glasses. ‘What a difference you’ve made to my life, Violet. Helping me day-to-day. Laughing with me. Ferrying me around to appointments. You’re an angel I miss sharing cake with. A truly genuine person. That rare beast is difficult to find these days. During my years of nursing I’ve seen the damage, caused through many illnesses, by a lack of weight. Anaemia. Weak bones. Infertility. That’s where you are heading unless you realise this lifestyle is too extreme. The clothes, the hair, the make-up – that’s all good fun. But please don’t mess with your body.’ She takes her glasses off.
