Page 121 of The Reboot
‘There really isn’t.’
‘Well, thereissuch a thing as killing with sugar. Obesity can be lethal.’
‘Right. That’s what this is all about, is it? That I’m a bit chunky and you don’t like it?’
‘Roly, it’s not about what I like. It’s not good for you. You know that.’ She put a hand on his arm, her tone placating now. ‘I’m saying this because I care about you. You know that. I just want you to survive.’
‘You want me to survive my mum’s lemon drizzle cake?’
‘Oh, you’re impossible,’ she huffed, stalking off down the path ahead of him.
Bitch, he thought, following her. Ella would have eaten the cake, whether she wanted it or not, regardless of whether it fit in with her diet – just because it was the nice thing to do.
When he caught up with Pippa, she had her phone out and was texting.
‘Do you think my mum’s boyfriend might be a bit dodgy?’
‘How would I know? I’ve never met the guy.’
‘Well, neither has she. They met on some dating site.’
‘There’s nothing strange about that.’ She glanced at him distractedly. ‘That’s how everyone meets nowadays.’
‘I know, but … he keeps saying he’s going to come and then there’s always some excuse why he can’t. His daughter is sick and needs an operation or his accounts have been hacked… Ella thought he might be some kind of con artist.’
‘It sounds like he just has shit luck.’ She was barely paying attention to him as she continued texting. ‘You shouldn’t be so involved in your mother’s love life anyway. It’s creepy.’
‘It’s not creepy! I’m just worried about her, that’s all.’
‘For God’s sake, she’s a grown woman. Give her some credit. She’s old enough to look after herself.’ She finished texting and tossed her phone back into her bag.
He nodded. ‘Yeah, you’re right,’ he said, even though she’d done nothing to allay his fears. ‘I’m sure it’s nothing.’
At the corner, she stopped and turned to him. ‘Well, I’m going to get a cab, so I’ll say goodbye here.’
‘Oh. You don’t want to come back to my place?’
‘No. Look, Roly, the thing is I’m back with Adam now.’
‘Oh! Right. You never said.’
‘Well, I wasn’t when we arranged to meet up.’
‘You mean … this morning?’
She nodded. ‘Yeah. It just happened.’
‘When?’
‘Just now.’ She pointed to her bag. ‘We were texting there, and … now we’re back together.’
‘Well, that was sudden!’
She shrugged. ‘When you know, you know,’ she said brightly. ‘There’s my ride,’ she said as a cab turned into the street. ‘Well, bye, Roly!’ She gave him a peck on the cheek. ‘Good luck with everything.’
She hopped into the cab before he’d even replied, waving at him as she drove off. Roly stood there, looking after her in bewilderment. Then he turned and went back to his mum’s house. He needed a sit down and another slice of cake.
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