Page 58 of The Alpha Escort Agency
Then he pulls the plug from the sink and their voices are drowned out by the glugging sounds as the water is sucked down the plughole, the suds swirling around in circles as the level drops lower and lower.
He fetches the tea tray from the cupboard and arranges his nan’s pills, pouring out a glass of water, and then he walks through to the bedroom.
They’ve replaced the old double bed with two single ones. His nan’s is one that can be raised and lowered with rails on the sides. The carers from the agency came earlier to bathe her and change her into her nightclothes and they’ll be back first thing in the morning to get her up and dressed for the day, help her to the bathroom.
Resting the tray on the side table next to the alarm they’ve had fitted, he sits on the edge of the bed.
“I’m going to catch the news,” his grandad says, standing from the chair they’ve moved into the bedroom.
“Night, Alf,” his nan says, and he leans over to kiss her on the lips.
“Night, duck.”
Rory hands her the water and the first pill.
“Why the glum face?” his nan says, popping the tablet into her mouth and taking a swig of the water.
“I’m not glum,” he says, shaking his head and passing her the next pill.
“Could’ve fooled me.” The whites of her eyes are more milky coloured than they once were, but her pupils are as piercing as ever. She’d always been able to see straight through him, never falling for a tale, always spotting a lie.
He lets her examine his face now as she throws back the next tablet, waits to see if she’ll pursue it or let it lie.
“What happened to the girl? The one who smelled like daisies?”
He doesn’t want to talk about it. He stares down at the bedspread, at the way it crinkles around her legs.
“Are you going to tell me about it?” she says, more gently.
“There’s nothing to tell. It’s over.”
She pats his hand. “I thought you liked her, Rory.”
He grimaces. It happens before he can stop it. His cheeks bunching and his brow creasing. “It got too complicated.”
“Tosh wallop. Since when has anything complicated stopped you.”
“This time it did.”
She hands him the glass and he replaces it on the table. From the other room, they can hear the blare of the television.
“Honestly. Does he have to have it on so loud,” she mutters. “Don’t know why he just won’t wear his hearing aid.” She takes his hand in hers again. “You know things were complicated in the beginning for me and your grandad.”
He shakes his head. “Not like this, Nan.”
“Oh, you think you’re the only one to ever get hurt in the pursuit of love that ever had barriers to overcome. Yes, young man. It was very messy, very complicated in the beginning.”
“How?”
“My parents didn’t approve of him. Not one bit. My parents were very snooty and your grandad came from the wrong side of town, working as a mechanic; always hanging around on his motorbike, stinking of oil, hands covered in grime. I thought he was the dishiest thing on earth, with his leather jacket and his greased back hair.” She giggles, a noise that makes her sound young. “They thought he was completely unsuitable. There were a lot of rows about it.”
“But in the end it was okay,” he says stiffly.
“Yes,” she squeezes his fingers, “but not for a long time. I ran off with him, you know.”
“No, I didn’t know that.” His gaze flicks up to hers.
She smiles smugly. “Uh huh, packed my bags and snuck out in the night, met him on the corner and let him whip me away. Luckily, he was a man of his word and we were married pretty quick. But it took an awful long time for my parents to forgive me. We didn’t speak for years. It was hard.” She stops, remembering, and the noise from the television fills the silence. “I don’t regret it for a minute, running away with your grandad, but I do regret the fall out with my mum and dad. I still miss them, even now. I wish I’d found another way.”
