Page 96 of From Notting Hill with Love…Actually
“Mum?”
Twenty-Seven
We stood in the empty cinema staring at each other.
“Scarlett?” she said again. “Is it really you?”
I nodded helplessly.
“I…I can’t believe it. My little baby.”
Suddenly it was all too much and I burst into tears.
“Scarlett, are you still in here?” I heard Ursula call. “Oh, there you are.” She came rushing toward me. “We wondered where you’d…what on earth is wrong?”
Ursula looked between Rose and me.
“Ursula, this…” I hesitated, it sounded all wrong. “This is…my…my mother.”
“Your…but Sean told us you couldn’t find…oh my! You mean you two have just…like just now in the cinema?”
I nodded.
“But that’s incredible.”
“Isn’t it,” my mother answered for both of us. Actually, I couldn’t even think of her in that way just yet. So I decided to think of her as Rose for now—like her name badge stated. Rose looked as bewildered and disorientated as I was feeling.
“You two must have so much to talk about. Perhaps I should—”
“No, no don’t do that, Ursula,” I said, panicking. Now I was face to face with my mother, I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to say to her.
“But…” Ursula said in embarrassment.
“Scarlett, my shift finishes in about half an hour,” Rose said gently. “Maybe we could go somewhere…just for a coffee or something?”
I nodded again. I still couldn’t bring myself to speak to her properly.
“There’s a little café just up the road from here, called Kelly’s. Do you know it?”
I shook my head.
“I do,” Ursula said. “I’ll make sure she gets there OK.”
“I guess I’ll see you in a bit?” Rose said, trying to force a smile.
Again I just nodded. Ursula had to forcibly turn me around and walk me out of the cinema, as my legs, and in fact my whole body, had become incapable of functioning on their own.
“Don’t ask!” she instructed an astonished Oscar as we emerged on to the street. “I’ll tell you in a minute. Come on, we’re going this way.”
She grabbed my hand, pulled me along the street, and into the first pub we came to.
“But this isn’t a café,” I said weakly, looking around me.
“No, I know, but you need a stiff drink before you go and meet your mother properly.”
“Her what?” Oscar asked in astonishment. “But I thought…”
“So did Scarlett until about ten minutes ago. Come on, let’s get a drink first—I’ll go up to the bar, you find us some seats, Oscar.”
