Page 44 of Where Do We Go From Here?
‘Oh, thank God,’ Fiona says. ‘Dad was worried, too, because apparently you haven’t been answering him either.’
Either, Wendy thinks. A weaselly word slipped in to imply that they’ve all been trying to contact her, which they haven’t. She lets it go.
‘So how is it?’ Fiona continues. ‘Are you having fun? Tell me everything. I have, like, a whole ten minutes before my next class.’
A whole ten minutes? Gosh, thank you!
‘Oh, it’s really quite the adventure, sweetie. It snowed! And not just a bit, either. It covered all the solar panels on the roof – the snow, that is – so the electricity has been on the blink as well. I feel like I’m living in the Middle Ages.’
‘I’m not sure they had solar panels in the Middle Ages, Mum.’
‘No. But you know what I mean.’
‘I didn’t know the place was solar. That’s cool.’
‘Yes, off grid, I think is the term. And Jill came to stay for a few days, so that was fun. We went dancing down in Nice.’
‘Dancing?’ Fiona says. ‘You?’
‘I can dance! You’ve seen me dance.’
‘I’ve seen you dance really badly, if that’s what you mean.’
‘Now you’re being mean to your old mum.’
‘I am. Your dancing’s fine. So is Jill still there?’
‘No. She’s gone. She left yesterday. She only came for a few days.’
‘I didn’t realise you were accepting visitors. I might pop over and see you myself. You can show me your moves on the dance floor.’
But we both know you won’t.‘Oh do, sweetie. That would be lovely.’
‘So now you’re on your own?’
‘I am.’
‘And you don’t mind it?’
‘No, I’m feeling quite philosophical about it all. It’s good, having time to – you know – reappraise things.’
‘Gosh,’ Fiona says.
‘Don’t sound so surprised! That is why I came here, after all. You know that.’
‘Yeah, but it’s not really you, is it?’
‘What isn’t?’
‘Well, relaxing. Being zen. Thinking about things.’
Wendy snorts at her daughter’s hopefully unintentional insult.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean…’
‘It’s fine. And I am, thinking about things. So perhaps it’s a whole new me.’
‘OK. If you say so, Mum. I mean, great! That sounds good.’
