Page 5 of We All Live Here
Celie is ashen. She puts down the carton and bolts from the room.
“What?” Dan is saying. “What’s happening?”
“Celie!” she shouts. And then, turning to the phone: “I’ll call you back.”
The door to Celie’s room is bolted and loud music is playing. Lila tries the door, twice, then bangs on it, but gets only a muffledGo awayin return. She stands for a moment, unsure what to do, then eventually slides down the door and sits, her back to the wood, listening to the relentless thump of the beat.
As she sits, a slew of messages begins to come through from Dan. She does not have the constitution to read them just now but catches sight of:
you insist on making things more difficult than they
like I said neither of us want to cause the girls any
and they will learn to love the new b
She switches her phone to Do Not Disturb, and sits, trying to regulate her breathing.
Finally, the music lowers in volume. “I’m going to sit here until you talk to me, sweetie,” she says, loud enough for Celie to hear. Her voice echoes into the silence. “I’m not going anywhere. And you know I can be really annoying like that.”
Another long silence.
“I have a Thermos, a sleeping bag, and some mint cake. I could be here till Thursday if necessary.”
Finally she hears footsteps crossing the floor. She hears Celie unlockthe door and walk away again. Lila climbs heavily to her feet and opens it tentatively. Her teenage daughter is lying on her bed, her long black hair fanned dramatically around her head, her socked feet up the wall.
“I hate him.”
“You don’t hate him.He’s your dad,” she says, thinking:I do, though.
“He’s so pathetic. You know she posted her test result on Instagram?”
“What?”
Celie holds up her phone. And there it is, a photograph of the white plastic wand with a little blue line,OMGin looping text underneath it.
“So much for not telling anyone.” Lila hands back the phone, sits down on the bed, puts her hand on Celie’s leg. “I’m sorry, darling. I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with all this.” She swallows. “And I’m sorry I…I don’t always handle it very well.”
Celie wipes a tear furiously from under her eye, wiping again when she sees the smudge of mascara on her finger. “Not your fault.”
“Well, it certainly isn’t yours.”
Celie gives her a sideways look. “When did you know?”
Lila shakes her head. “I heard one of the mums talking to Marja about it at school today. That was why Dad called. I’m sorry you had to overhear it like that.”
Celie shakes her head. “I already knew.”
“What do you mean, you knew?”
“She has Pregnacare vitamins in their bathroom. She’s had them for months. Why would you have those if you weren’t having a baby?”
Lila feels another painful clench. So this was planned. She closes her eyes for a moment, grits her teeth, releases her jaw, then says: “Well, maybe you’ll love it once it gets here. Maybe it will be a wonderful addition and you’ll find that having an extended family is a really lovely thing. It’s going to be fine, Celie. In fact I’ll bet you love having another little brother or sister. Someone else to adore you. Just like we all do.”
There is a short silence.
“Oh, God, Mum, you’re such a rubbish actor.”
Lila looks at her. “Really?”
