Page 113 of Where Do We Go From Here?
‘You don’t mind?’
‘No. I’d like that a lot. And you know, I am sorry. I know I’ve been a nightmare.’
Fiona smiles and wrinkles her nose. ‘You haven’t been anightmare, Mum. Well, maybe a bit of a nightmare. But it’s fine. Dad explained a bit.’
‘Oh? What did he explain?’
‘You know, about Gran and stuff. I know it was alot. I hadn’t really thought about it much. I’d probably go a bit loopy if you popped your clogs, so…’
‘Well, thank you for being so understanding.’
‘I probably wasn’t at my best back then, either. I was, what, fourteen?’
‘It was 2019 so you would have been thirteen. And don’t worry, you were fine.’
‘Fine for a nightmare teenager, you mean?’
‘Yes, fine for a nightmare teenager.’
‘So what are we doing today?’ Fiona asks.
Wendy looks out at the rain again. ‘I thought we might go to the beach. Or maybe have a picnic in the park.’
‘Great ideas,’ Fiona says.
‘Alternatively we could rent a film and eat crisps on the sofa in front of the fire.’
Harry
‘Hey there.’
‘Hey! Ooh, kisses in the neck. That’s been a while.’
‘Well, that’s probably because ithasbeen a while. What-ya-cookin?’
‘Lasagne. My world-famous veggie lasagne.’
‘Yum. But you know, you don’t have to do that. The freezer’s stuffed.’
‘I know. But I wanted to.’
‘OK. Well, I’m not complaining.’
‘Cooking makes the kitchen feel more like home. Well, I’m hoping it will, anyway. It’s a bit strange being back.’
Strange is something of an understatement, but how else can she describe this feeling? Everything about being home feels alien, as if the house is perhaps a film setand Wendy an actress pretending to live there. It’s awful and anxiety-inducing feeling like an imposter, and the only real habit calling to her is the one where she breaks out the booze in order to relax. She’s hoping she can power through until everything feels normal.
‘Strange-good, or strange-bad?’ Harry asks.
‘Just strange. I can’t really explain. I’m trying to just do a normal day and see what happens.’
‘Anything I can do to help?’
‘Not sure,’ Wendy says. ‘I’ll let you know.’
‘OK. So what did you get up to in your normal day?’
‘Not much. It’s been a lazy one. I’m still shattered.’
