That had been Friday night. Today was Saturday, and likely to be even busier, and here he was up and dressed well before his usual time. Scarlett got up and gave him a hug. After all, they were in this together.
‘You’ll be all right, Dad.’
‘Yeah, well—I got to be, ain’t I? But thanks all the same, love.’
Scarlett glanced at the clock that used to stand on the mantelpiece at the Red Lion.
‘Twenty-eight minutes past, Dad.’
Victor sighed, took one last drag on his cigarette, stubbed it out and stood up.
‘Better go, then. Oh—’ He looked at Scarlett with new concern. ‘What about you, love? Will you be all right? I don’t know how long this is going to take. I might be down there till opening time, and then it’ll be well gone two before I get up here again.’
‘I’ll be all right, Dad,’ she assured him. ‘Now go on—it’s time!’
She hurried him out of the door, stacked the breakfast things and clattered down the stairs. For the first time since her mother died, she had something nice to look forward to.
It didn’t last long. The moment she opened the kitchen door, disappointment hit her like a brick. Jonathan was not there. With leaden feet, Scarlett went over to the sink and started washing up. In the time it took to wash the dishes, she had gone through a whole sad scenario in her head. Jonathan had changed his mind and gone off sailing with his friends, he would avoid seeing her in future and his horrible mother was going to make her life hell. Scarlett felt utterly alone.
‘Oh, Mum…’ she said out loud.
How desperately she wanted to feel those comforting arms around her, to nestle her head against that warm shoulder, to hear that lovely reassuring voice.
‘Hello! Sorry I’m a bit late. My m—I had to do some things before I left.’
Jonathan!
Hastily, Scarlett brushed away tears with the back of her hand. But she couldn’t quite control the wobble in her voice. ‘Hello—’
She turned to face him, trying to smile, and saw his cheerful grin fade to concern.
‘What’s the matter? Has Irma been foul to you? She can be a right cow at times—’
Scarlett shook her head. ‘No—’
‘What, then? Has—?’
‘It’s nothing. I’m all right, really.’
Part of her longed to tell him everything, but it was too soon. She knew that if she talked about her mother, she would start crying and never be able to stop. She could feel it all dammed up inside her, waiting to burst out.
Jonathan came and leaned against the sink.
‘You’ve got to be careful with Irma. She sucks up to my mum all the time, and she’ll snitch on you for the tiniest thing. I’ve seen her get people sacked for stuff she’s made a song and dance about when really it’s not been that important. So watch out. Leave all this nice and tidy for a start, or she’ll get in a right tizz with you.’
Scarlett nodded, not trusting herself to speak yet.
‘Look…er…do you fancy going up the pier or something?’ Jonathan asked.
Scarlett managed something like a real smile.
‘Yes. That’d be nice.’
There was still a great black pit of grief inside her, but a day out with Jonathan was a shaft of light.
‘You’d best go and fetch a mac or something, then. It looks like it might rain later.’
Scarlett stacked the clean dishes in an empty cupboard and ran upstairs, running over the contents of her wardrobe in her mind. What to wear? Her only raincoat was the grey one she wore for school. Apart from that and the rest of her school uniform, she had a couple of summer dresses, some shorts and blouses and a smart suit for best that used to be her mother’s and had been altered to fit her. When she got to her room she looked out of the window. Jonathan was right, it did look pretty grey out there. The suit was definitely not right for walking up the pier. She already had on a clean cotton dress with a pattern of pink and red flowers, so she added the red cardigan her mother had knitted her.
‘You’ll be all right, Dad.’
‘Yeah, well—I got to be, ain’t I? But thanks all the same, love.’
Scarlett glanced at the clock that used to stand on the mantelpiece at the Red Lion.
‘Twenty-eight minutes past, Dad.’
Victor sighed, took one last drag on his cigarette, stubbed it out and stood up.
‘Better go, then. Oh—’ He looked at Scarlett with new concern. ‘What about you, love? Will you be all right? I don’t know how long this is going to take. I might be down there till opening time, and then it’ll be well gone two before I get up here again.’
‘I’ll be all right, Dad,’ she assured him. ‘Now go on—it’s time!’
She hurried him out of the door, stacked the breakfast things and clattered down the stairs. For the first time since her mother died, she had something nice to look forward to.
It didn’t last long. The moment she opened the kitchen door, disappointment hit her like a brick. Jonathan was not there. With leaden feet, Scarlett went over to the sink and started washing up. In the time it took to wash the dishes, she had gone through a whole sad scenario in her head. Jonathan had changed his mind and gone off sailing with his friends, he would avoid seeing her in future and his horrible mother was going to make her life hell. Scarlett felt utterly alone.
‘Oh, Mum…’ she said out loud.
How desperately she wanted to feel those comforting arms around her, to nestle her head against that warm shoulder, to hear that lovely reassuring voice.
‘Hello! Sorry I’m a bit late. My m—I had to do some things before I left.’
Jonathan!
Hastily, Scarlett brushed away tears with the back of her hand. But she couldn’t quite control the wobble in her voice. ‘Hello—’
She turned to face him, trying to smile, and saw his cheerful grin fade to concern.
‘What’s the matter? Has Irma been foul to you? She can be a right cow at times—’
Scarlett shook her head. ‘No—’
‘What, then? Has—?’
‘It’s nothing. I’m all right, really.’
Part of her longed to tell him everything, but it was too soon. She knew that if she talked about her mother, she would start crying and never be able to stop. She could feel it all dammed up inside her, waiting to burst out.
Jonathan came and leaned against the sink.
‘You’ve got to be careful with Irma. She sucks up to my mum all the time, and she’ll snitch on you for the tiniest thing. I’ve seen her get people sacked for stuff she’s made a song and dance about when really it’s not been that important. So watch out. Leave all this nice and tidy for a start, or she’ll get in a right tizz with you.’
Scarlett nodded, not trusting herself to speak yet.
‘Look…er…do you fancy going up the pier or something?’ Jonathan asked.
Scarlett managed something like a real smile.
‘Yes. That’d be nice.’
There was still a great black pit of grief inside her, but a day out with Jonathan was a shaft of light.
‘You’d best go and fetch a mac or something, then. It looks like it might rain later.’
Scarlett stacked the clean dishes in an empty cupboard and ran upstairs, running over the contents of her wardrobe in her mind. What to wear? Her only raincoat was the grey one she wore for school. Apart from that and the rest of her school uniform, she had a couple of summer dresses, some shorts and blouses and a smart suit for best that used to be her mother’s and had been altered to fit her. When she got to her room she looked out of the window. Jonathan was right, it did look pretty grey out there. The suit was definitely not right for walking up the pier. She already had on a clean cotton dress with a pattern of pink and red flowers, so she added the red cardigan her mother had knitted her.
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