Page 97 of From Notting Hill with Love…Actually
Oscar looked around him, then wandered over to the other side of the pub where he spied a small table in the corner with three empty seats. “Over here,” he said, beckoning me across. When I didn’t move, he returned to my side and gently guided me in the right direction.
We sat down at the table and waited for Ursula.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Oscar asked after a minute or two of us sitting in silence.
I looked at him sitting there in his bright green shirt and purple jeans. No one but Oscar or a Wimbledon umpire could get away with that color combination, I thought in admiration. A man at the next table cast an appreciative glance in Oscar’s direction—so he was obviously doing something right. “I would, Oscar—but I don’t really know what to say.”
Ursula arrived with the drinks. “Usual for you, Oscar,” she said, plonking an energetic-looking cocktail down in front of him. The drink, with its lurid umbrellas and swizzle sticks, even seemed to match Oscar’s outfit.
“And a brandy for you, Scarlett.”
“But I don’t drink brandy,” I protested.
“You do tonight—you’ve had a shock. Go on, get it down you; it’ll do you good.”
I began to sip gently at the brandy, still in a daydream, while Ursula briefed Oscar on what had happened at the cinema.
“It’s unbelievable,” I heard Oscar saying. “What if Sean hadn’t phoned today and asked us to call on Scarlett? She might never have bumped into her!”
“I know, and if he hadn’t suggested we take her to the cinema too—it doesn’t bear thinking about, does it?”
I was fed up sipping at the rich, sweet liquid, so I picked up my glass, threw my head back, and downed the contents in two big gulps.
Oscar and Ursula stopped talking and watched me open-mouthed.
“Blimey, girl,” Oscar said. “Steady on.”
“It’s got to be done,” I said in a raspy voice after the brandy had burned the back of my throat.
“Better?” Ursula asked after a few seconds. “Are you with us again now?”
I nodded.
“So what do you think you’ll say to your mother when you see her?”
“I have no idea,” I replied truthfully. “I don’t know her, and she doesn’t know me. What the hell are we going to talk about?” I hesitated. “Perhaps I just shouldn’t go after all.”
“I’m sure you’ll find some common ground,” Ursula said, gently putting her hand over mine. “Oh, what I’d give to have five more minutes with my own mother again.”
I was so wrapped up in myself, I’d forgotten about Ursula and Sean’s mother.
“Yes, you’re absolutely right. I should be grateful for this opportunity. But the difference is, Ursula, your mother didn’t choose to abandon you. When she passed away, she had no choice in the matter.”
“But she’s still your mother, Scarlett.” It was Oscar’s turn now. “I moan about mine enough, with her constant badgering and interfering in my life. But I wouldn’t be without her for the world.”
I nodded. “Thanks for your advice, guys. Of course, you’reright, I must go. I’ll just have to see what happens when I get there. After all, what do I have to lose?”
Ursula and Oscar quickly finished up their drinks, and we all left the pub together. We walked along the street until we came to a little cafe called Kelly’s. It wasn’t quite a greasy spoon, but it was getting on that way with its bright plastic chairs and easy-wipe tablecloths.
“Will you be OK?” Ursula asked as we hovered by the door. “Or do you want us to come in and wait with you until she gets here?”
“No, I’ll be fine. It’ll give me a bit of time to think about what I’m going to say to her.”
Ursula gave me a big hug. “Good luck, Scarlett. I do hope it goes well.”
Oscar did the same. “If you’re not sure about her, check out her shoes,” he instructed me in all seriousness. “You can tell a lot about a person by the shoes they wear.”
“Sure, Oscar, I’ll remember that. Thanks.”
