Page 69 of The Dead Ex
‘What about me?’ Mum screamed as the officers took her away. ‘Don’t you care about your own mother? You traitor!’
‘I’m not,’ she cried back. But it was too late. She’d gone. ‘It’s all right,love,’ said Dee taking her hand. But Scarlet pushed her away. How could she have allowed herself to get so close to her and Robert, sometimes imagining they were her proper parents? Mum had been right. She was a traitor. After that, Scarlet told Dee to go away when she got her nightmares.
‘I do understand that your emotions are divided,’ Dee told her. There were still marks down her cheek fromwhere Mum had scratched her. Scarlet tried not to look. ‘I really do. Remember I was in care myself when I was a kid?’
But could this be a lie to make Scarlet love Dee again?
After that, the prison bitch wouldn’t permit Scarlet to visit for a bit because of Mum’s behaviour. Didn’t they all realize it was a punishment for her as well? When she was finally allowed back, the social worker wentwith her. Mum seemed much quieter. ‘I’m sorry about before,’ Scarlet had whispered. ‘You know that you’re the only person I love.’
‘I hope so,’ whispered Mum. ‘Cross your heart?’
‘And hope to die,’ added Scarlet, just for good measure.
‘I miss you, baby. I don’t know if I can go on for much longer without you.’
But now it was all going to change.
‘I’ve got my parole!’
Mum’s voice screamedthe news down the phone.
At first, Scarlet thought she was crying. But then she realized it was laughter.
‘I don’t get it. What does that mean?’
‘They’re going to let me out. Isn’t that great! We can live together again.’
Scarlet’s heart began to pound with apprehension. Why? She should be happy. ‘Where will we live?’
‘I don’t know where, but it doesn’t matter, does it? Just as long as youand I are with each other.’ Mum started to cry again. ‘It’s made me ill not to be with you. All I think about is my little girl and how they’ve taken your childhood away from me. I’ll never get over it. None of this was my fault, love. You’ve got to believe that.’
Of course she did. Scarlet knew that. Mum had told her enough times. But she also couldn’t help worrying. ‘Will we have to go backto the old flat?’ she asked.
‘No bloody way. They’ll have to rehouse us somewhere else.’
‘Maybe you could come and live here with Dee and Robert.’
‘Why the fuck would I want to do that? Don’t you love me any more, baby?’
‘Course I do, Mum.’
‘SHUT THE FUCK UP.’
‘What?’
‘Sorry, love. I wasn’t talking to you. The bitch behind me keeps going on about how I’ve been on the phone too long. Nowpiss off.’
‘What?’
‘Her, love. Not you. Not my baby.’
Then Mum burst into tears all over again, but before Scarlet could comfort her, the line went dead.
Dee was in the kitchen when Scarlet had come in after the phone call. ‘Everything all right?’
She put the kettle on the Aga, or the Ah Ger as she’d first called it when she came here. It was bright red. Like blood. But when you leaned againstit you felt all warm and cosy.
‘Sort of.’
