Page 4 of Strictly Friends
3
Reeling from the unwarranted verbal attack, Ruby stood in the hallway staring at the closed door in bewilderment while trying to process what had just happened. After a couple of minutes, reluctantly conceding that any hope Shirlee would reappear and accept Ruby’s innocence was highly unlikely, she slowly padded back to the living room, where Auntie Pearl, remote in hand, had turned up the television volume.
Taking no notice of her aunt’s self-righteous expression, Ruby returned to the armchair and crossed her legs, staring unhappily at her candy-striped socks while she brooded over Shirlee’s explosive visit. It was hard not to feel wounded by the other woman’s naked dislike when she wasn’t the one responsible for her distress, and Ruby reached for the mug of tea she had appropriated and took a long sip.
Abandoning her silence, Auntie Pearl pressed the mute button on the remote, and looked hard at Ruby. ‘Now, you know I’m not one to say I told you so—’
Ruby spluttered, promptly choking on the tea. There were few things her aunt loved better than pointing out when she had been proved right.
Auntie Pearl scowled and waited for Ruby’s coughing fit to subside before continuing. ‘I’ve been telling you for years that one day that boy’s troubles are going to end up on your doorstep.’
As much as Ruby hated to admit it, this time Auntie Pearl was right. It was one thing to work your way through every eligible woman in the city; it was quite another to have the righteous anger of said women visited upon your innocent best friend. Suddenly furious at having been forced to bear the brunt of Griffin’s behaviour, Ruby burst out, ‘Wait until I see Griffin! I don’t know what’s wrong with the man and why he insists on behaving like such a – a – man-whore!’
‘Ruby!’ Auntie Pearl looked so shocked that Ruby hastily mumbled an apology. Using bad language in front of your elders was a cultural taboo ingrained from Auntie Pearl’s early years in Ghana, and almost forty years of living in London had yet to change that.
‘I’m sorry you had to deal with Griffin’s nonsense, Auntie Pearl,’ Ruby added, genuinely contrite. ‘Shirlee was in the car when Griffin dropped me at home after we’d all been out a couple of weeks ago, and I suppose she remembered where I live.’
Recalling Shirlee’s parting words, Ruby felt her hackles rise again. ‘You know, I understand she’s upset, but can you believe thenerveof her attacking me because things have gone pear-shaped with Griffin? I mean, for God’s sake, what was the woman even thinking? Who in their right mind brings up “the next step” with a man you’ve been seeing for less than a month? Really, whodoesthat?’
Auntie Pearl inhaled so deeply her nostrils flared. She opened her mouth, and then as if thinking better of whatever she had intended to say, she reached for her tea and took a sip. Replacing the mug on the side table, she adjusted the colourful headscarf wrapped around her short, greying curls and settled back into the sofa.
‘Never mind about that poor girl for now. I want to know why you’re home so early. What’s this about Jake being in trouble again?’ She tutted loudly. ‘I do not understand what is going on with the child!’
Indie slunk back into the living room and hopped up on to Ruby’s lap, and Ruby stroked her fur while she thought back to the meeting with MrHinton.
‘Apparently, Jake’s been telling everyone that his father’s a spy and he had to disappear to protect us from a group of terrorists he’s tracking down. During break this morning, one of the kids in his class started teasing Jake and called him a liar in front of everyone in the playground. Then the boy – his name’s Oliver – started shouting that Jake’s father is dead and he’s an orphan. Some of the kids began to laugh, and Jake... well, Jake punched the boy in the mouth.’
Auntie Pearl sat bolt upright, her face creasing with worry as Ruby relayed the details of her meeting with MrHinton.
‘Auntie Pearl, I honestly don’t know what to do about Jake. This is the third time in as many weeks that he’s been pulled up at school for making up stories, even though I’vedrilledthe importance of telling the truth into him since he could speak. I get that he’s curious about his dad, especially now he’s getting older, but I don’t know what more to tell him. I mean, other than Kenny’s letter telling me where to find him, it’s not as if he’s bothered to stay in touch. The man’s been gone for years and lives halfway across the world. I haven’t got the first idea what he’s up to these days!’
Auntie Pearl’s eyes turned back to the silent TV screen, where a man in white shorts was running along a beach with a young boy around Jake’s age, while a smiling woman looked on.
‘A boy needs his father,’ Auntie Pearl observed in a low voice.
Ruby followed her aunt’s gaze and grimaced at the picture-perfect family on the screen. ‘Loads of boys succeed without a father. Besides, Jake’s got Griffin. He’s an amazing godfather and we’ve managed without Kenny for years. We don’t need him now!’
‘I know how close they are, but it doesn’t change the fact that Griffin is not his father. I understand you have no interest in seeing– that man—’ Auntie Pearl broke off and wrinkled her nosein disgust, and Ruby bit back a grin. Even after all these years, Auntie Pearl still couldn’t bring herself to utter Kenny’s name.
‘No-one can blame you for never wanting to seehimagain after what he did, but you are a mother, and you need to think about what’s best for your son. You know where the man lives and, as hard as it might be, I think you should let Jake meet his father. Trust me, darling, once the boy sees the real thing, he won’t need to make up these silly stories.’ She reached across to tickle Indie’s neck as she lay sprawled across Ruby’s lap, and the cat looked up for a moment to lick her lips before laying her head back down.
‘Yeah, well, maybe Kenny doesn’tdeserveto know Jake!’ Ruby retorted.
Her aunt sucked her teeth impatiently. ‘Now look, you know as well as I do how important it is for Jake to stay at StMartin’s. He was doing very well before all this nonsense started and he loves going to Art Club. If the school excludes him for misbehaviour when all he’s doing is acting out because he’s curious about his father...’ She tailed off with an ominous ‘hmm’ and turned back to the television.
Ruby followed her gaze, watching the man sweep his son up into his arms and run along the shore, splashing them both as he darted in and out of the water. The boy, his mouth open in laughter, had his arms around his father’s neck and was clinging on tight.
‘I haven’t spoken to Kenny since he left, and I don’t have a clue how to get to Sorrel Island,’ Ruby said eventually. Even to her own ears her objection sounded pitiful.
Auntie Pearl snorted in disbelief. ‘You’re on the internet all day, aren’t you? How hard would it be to find out?’
‘It’s not just that,’ Ruby parried. This wasn’t simply about geography. Kenny had behaved abominably for reasons she still didn’t understand. Surely it would be irresponsible of her as a mother to bring such a man back into her son’s life. ‘Auntie, he’s hurt Jake once before by abandoning him, so why would I give him a chance to do it again?’
Auntie Pearl’s face took on the look of fondness blended with exasperation she normally reserved for shooing Indie off her spot on the sofa. ‘Because, Ruby, sometimes in life you must take a chance. If things go wrong, Jake will have you by his side to protect him. But if, by some miracle, that man can make amends with his son, would you honestly want to stand in the way?’
Increasingly alarmed by the unexpected turn of the conversation, Ruby desperately sought for straws to clutch. ‘But – but – going out there would mean taking Jake out of school for... I don’t know...weeks! And there’s also my job to consider. I’ve used up almost all my holiday this year and while Fi might give me a week off at a pinch if I begged, Sorrel Island’s miles away and there’s no telling how long it would take to sort things out between Kenny and Jake once we got there.’
Her aunt pursed her lips and picked up the remote, changing the television channel. She kept her gaze fixed on the screen as the opening credits to her favourite antiques show began to roll. ‘Jake can keep up with his schoolwork remotely. Everyone’s used to it now, and from what you’ve said MrHinton will probably be too relieved you’re sorting things out for Jake to object.’ She glanced at Ruby and raised a caustic eyebrow. ‘And as for your MissDolly Parton, that woman owes you a lot more than a week off! Do you think she could have made such a success of her business without all the extra hours you’ve put in over the years?’
