Page 18 of We All Live Here
“Yes,” says Mum. “Sixteen years will do that to you.”
“I mean I would have loved to come back before but things were kind of tricky with work and—”
“Barb?” says Mum.
“Barb?” He furrows his brow. “Oh, no. Me and Barb weren’t much of a thing. She went back to Ohio in, what, 2007?”
“Brianna? Wasn’t she the next one?”
“No. Brianna and I—Well, that ended badly.”
“Don’t tell me. She went back to the titty bar. Jane?”
“Jane I stay in touch with!” he says, almost with relief. “She’s back over here, as you know. I think the west coast didn’t agree with her.”
“The west coast,” Mum repeats.
“The lifestyle.”
Mum nods to herself.
“Titty bar!” says Violet, delightedly, and repeats it twice, glancing round the adults as if hoping for a response.
“Anyway! Here I am! Just so happy to see you all again and hoping to get to know these two gorgeous girls a little while I’m here.”
“While you’re where?” says Bill, handing a mug to Jensen who takes it swiftly, apparently grateful to have something to focus on.
“Here,” says Gene. “In the UK.”
“Specifically where in the UK?” says Bill. He is being so weird.
“Well, London. Say, could I grab a coffee while you’re up there?”
“I’ll do it,” says Mum, immediately, relieving Bill, who looks like he would rather be anywhere but there, but also seems oddly reluctant to leave. Then she adds: “You’ll have to remind me how you take it.”
“Oh, black, please, sweetheart. Gave up cream since the docs said Ihad to look after the old ticker. I don’t suppose I could prevail upon you for some potato chips or something? I haven’t eaten since I stepped off the plane.”
Mum stiffens slightly, then reaches up to the cupboard for the biscuit tin. She puts it down on the table in front of him without opening it. “We don’t have potato chips.”
They sit in silence. Jensen the gardener is drinking his tea as quickly as he can, even though it is clearly boiling hot. Celie watches him sip, wince, and sip again. Upstairs Truant continues a furious, muffled barking, locked in Mum’s room. She wonders briefly if the American man will demand that the dog is put down.
“Truant is a good dog,” she finds herself saying. “He doesn’t normally bite. It’s probably because nobody ever comes in by the back gate.”
“Oh, he meant no harm. I never hold a grudge against an old dog.” He looks briefly up at Bill. “Well, mostly.”
“It might be wise to get it checked out professionally, though,” says Bill. “The risk of bacteria.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m sure Jensen here has done a great job.” Gene pats his leg.
“I meant the dog,” says Bill, and finally leaves the room.
•••
Celie texts Meenafrom the bathroom and tells her she can’t come. Family emergency. It’s not an emergency but there’s a really weird atmosphere in the house and Celie is curious about it.
Mum never talks about the rest of her family. On the few occasions they have ever been brought up in conversation, her face does that closed-off thing that it now does when Dad turns up to collect them. As if a million thoughts are running through her head and she won’t allow a single one to show through.
No, this is more than how Mum is with Dad, these days. This is like acold, tired thing, like Mum is absently picking an old scab and not even noticing when it starts bleeding.
