ponies and the music and the fun, all sunk into cooking his meals and bringing up his child. She could have had anyone and she chose to have him.
Prue said to Gavin, ‘Isn’t it lovely?’
‘Yeah, great.’
* * *
‘They put us in here on purpose.’
‘What?’ Gavin was pulling his shirt over his head.
‘They wouldn’t let us have my old room. Don’t you think that was mean?’
‘I don’t see that it matters.’ Gavin unbuckled his belt and slid out of his trousers.
‘But I love my old room.’
‘So? You’ve slept in it often enough. What’s one night more or less?’
Prue looked at him. ‘But I wanted to sleep there with
you.’
She put her arms round him. ‘Oh, aren’t you delicious, all dark and hairy in your pants. Take them off.’
‘Well, that is what I had in mind, just give me some space.’ He tugged them off and ‘threw them in a corner. ‘Which bed do you want?’
‘Whichever you’re having.’
‘Oh, honey, come on, not again.’
‘What d’you mean, not again?’
‘Like this morning we nearly missed the train.’
‘I know, wasn’t it fun?’
‘Yeah, it was great. And tomorrow maybe. Only right now I’m pooped.’
She switched on mock-misery. ‘You’re bored with me already. Oh! How shall I bear it? My lord and master wearies of me. Oh!’
‘Cut it out, honey. I’m tired.’
‘But you’ve done nothing all day.’
‘Yeah, I know. But doing nothing down here beats a whole week at school.’ He got into bed. ‘Put the light out, huh?’
Prue stood at the window in the dark. She said presently.‘Even the garden doesn’t look right from here. I hate this room. It’s for guests.’
‘We
are
guests. Go to bed.’
Pale moonlight gleamed on her newly-brown skin as she crossed the room. ‘All right, since you insist. Move over.’
‘Oh, Christ.’
‘Well, that’s a nice welcome.’ But her fingers had reached him. ‘Oh ho. Who said he was tired?’
‘Reflex action.’
‘Oh yes. That’s quite a reflex you’ve got.’
They grappled in silence. Presently he said, ‘Well, you asked for it.’
‘Oh yes. Please yes.’
‘Slave?’
‘Yes. Anything you say.’ And much later, drowning, gasping for breath, ‘Oh please more. Really hurt me this time.’
* * *
‘There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?’ Cassie said when they were undressing.
‘What?’ He despised himself for affecting not to understand but the pretence was automatic.
‘Our day
en famille.’
She spoke tolerantly, humouring him, he felt, which enraged him.
‘No, it was
great.’
(In the spare room, two walls away, Prue slept with Gavin.)
Cassie began to laugh, then, seeing his face, stopped. ‘Oh, darling, it doesn’t
matter
how he talks, does it? Really? He can’t help it.’
‘And the clothes. And the hair. He can’t help that either?’ (It would have been intolerable to have them next door.)
Cassie shrugged helplessly. ‘He’s just young. They’re all like that now. It’s just a fad. Part of being young. We all did it once, more or less. We had our funny fashions and our special slang.’
‘Oh yes?’ He got into his pyjamas, unpleasantly conscious of looking and sounding sulky. If they had been next door, in Prue’s old room, he would have been listening, and trying not to hear.
‘Well, didn’t we? Don’t you remember?’
What did she mean, that he was too old to remember? Was she taking sides with them against him? His last citadel fallen and the world upside down. That was bad enough, but it was the sense of ridicule that was hardest of all to bear, and that came as much from within him as from those around him. I am making myself a laughing-stock, he thought, behaving like a jealous old man because it’s all over for me and for them it’s still
happening
or whatever they call it. The world belongs to the young and you’re a fool if you resent it. They’re the new élite. You’re a narrow-minded sentimental old fool if you object to your daughter
Prue said to Gavin, ‘Isn’t it lovely?’
‘Yeah, great.’
* * *
‘They put us in here on purpose.’
‘What?’ Gavin was pulling his shirt over his head.
‘They wouldn’t let us have my old room. Don’t you think that was mean?’
‘I don’t see that it matters.’ Gavin unbuckled his belt and slid out of his trousers.
‘But I love my old room.’
‘So? You’ve slept in it often enough. What’s one night more or less?’
Prue looked at him. ‘But I wanted to sleep there with
you.’
She put her arms round him. ‘Oh, aren’t you delicious, all dark and hairy in your pants. Take them off.’
‘Well, that is what I had in mind, just give me some space.’ He tugged them off and ‘threw them in a corner. ‘Which bed do you want?’
‘Whichever you’re having.’
‘Oh, honey, come on, not again.’
‘What d’you mean, not again?’
‘Like this morning we nearly missed the train.’
‘I know, wasn’t it fun?’
‘Yeah, it was great. And tomorrow maybe. Only right now I’m pooped.’
She switched on mock-misery. ‘You’re bored with me already. Oh! How shall I bear it? My lord and master wearies of me. Oh!’
‘Cut it out, honey. I’m tired.’
‘But you’ve done nothing all day.’
‘Yeah, I know. But doing nothing down here beats a whole week at school.’ He got into bed. ‘Put the light out, huh?’
Prue stood at the window in the dark. She said presently.‘Even the garden doesn’t look right from here. I hate this room. It’s for guests.’
‘We
are
guests. Go to bed.’
Pale moonlight gleamed on her newly-brown skin as she crossed the room. ‘All right, since you insist. Move over.’
‘Oh, Christ.’
‘Well, that’s a nice welcome.’ But her fingers had reached him. ‘Oh ho. Who said he was tired?’
‘Reflex action.’
‘Oh yes. That’s quite a reflex you’ve got.’
They grappled in silence. Presently he said, ‘Well, you asked for it.’
‘Oh yes. Please yes.’
‘Slave?’
‘Yes. Anything you say.’ And much later, drowning, gasping for breath, ‘Oh please more. Really hurt me this time.’
* * *
‘There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?’ Cassie said when they were undressing.
‘What?’ He despised himself for affecting not to understand but the pretence was automatic.
‘Our day
en famille.’
She spoke tolerantly, humouring him, he felt, which enraged him.
‘No, it was
great.’
(In the spare room, two walls away, Prue slept with Gavin.)
Cassie began to laugh, then, seeing his face, stopped. ‘Oh, darling, it doesn’t
matter
how he talks, does it? Really? He can’t help it.’
‘And the clothes. And the hair. He can’t help that either?’ (It would have been intolerable to have them next door.)
Cassie shrugged helplessly. ‘He’s just young. They’re all like that now. It’s just a fad. Part of being young. We all did it once, more or less. We had our funny fashions and our special slang.’
‘Oh yes?’ He got into his pyjamas, unpleasantly conscious of looking and sounding sulky. If they had been next door, in Prue’s old room, he would have been listening, and trying not to hear.
‘Well, didn’t we? Don’t you remember?’
What did she mean, that he was too old to remember? Was she taking sides with them against him? His last citadel fallen and the world upside down. That was bad enough, but it was the sense of ridicule that was hardest of all to bear, and that came as much from within him as from those around him. I am making myself a laughing-stock, he thought, behaving like a jealous old man because it’s all over for me and for them it’s still
happening
or whatever they call it. The world belongs to the young and you’re a fool if you resent it. They’re the new élite. You’re a narrow-minded sentimental old fool if you object to your daughter
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