wastes of the Edgware Road on a Saturday night; and I almost laughed aloud into the telephone.
“But surely—” I began, trying to marshall some telling phrases which should also be reasonably polite. “But surely,—as early as this…. We were hoping that Mervyn …” and at just this moment Mervyn himself came out into the hall. He knew at once who I was talking to: he almost snatched the receiver from my hand.
“Hullo, Mother,” he said, sharply; and at once a flood of self-pitying verbiage began pouring down the phone: I couldn’t hear the words from where I stood, but the tone was unmistakeable. To my relief, Mervyn’s demeanour was far from that of the stereotype of a Mother’s Boy. He argued back, quite sharply, though without being downright rude; and it was only when Sarah came out into the hall and urged compliance that he finally gave in.
“O.K., O.K.,” he said irritably. “I’ll be there in half an hour. Yes. I said Y es !Forty minutes at the most.”
He slammed down the receiver, and turned quite angrily to Sarah.
“Damn!” he said. “Damn! I’ve given in again. I wishyou’d….” But before he could finish the reprimand, Sarah’s arm was round his neck, strands of pale hair were all about him, and she was whispering something smilingly into his ear. Reluctantly, and as if fighting against it, he at last began to smile too.
“Silly baby,” he murmured, patting her cheek. “You and Mother between you—what can a man do?” And then, suddenly purposeful: “Listen: Why don’t you come back with me? Come and meet my mother—we’ve got to face it sometime. Why not now?”
“Oh! But would it be all right? I mean, I’d love to, but it’ll be so sudden for her!” Sarah looked eager, but doubtful.
“Of course it’s all right. And I mean it to be sudden—that’s the best way, it won’t give her time to work herself up about it. And I’ll tell you what—” he turned to me: “Why don’t you come too, Mrs Erskine? Mother can’t mind meeting you, and it’ll soften the—” “I mean,” he hastily corrected himself “I mean it’ll give her moral support, having the other mother in the case right there with her. It’ll make her feel she’s got a companion in misery—”
“Well, she hasn’t!” I interrupted tartly. “ I ’m certainly not miserable! On the contrary, I’m absolutely delighted! But anyway, Mervyn, if you are planning to take Sarah to meet your mother tonight, it surely ought to be just the two of you? For this first time, I mean. You can’t possibly have a third person tagging along on such an occasion.”
“But that’s the whole point. We don’t want it to seem an ‘occasion’. We want Mother to get to know Sarah gradually—painlessly—just as a friend—before we tell her we’re going to be married. If I take both of you along, it’ll all seem much more—casual. Don’t you see?”
Well, the long and the short of it was that I allowed myself to be persuaded. I was, of course, dying to see this odd, anxiety-ridden woman who dared to ride so rough-shod over all the cherished permissive principles of our age. Sheer curiosity was my main motive, and I have to admit it. And after all, it was his mother. If he didn’t think she would beput out by having two strangers thus thrust on her without warning, then who was I to object?
Swiftly, I set about re-designing the evening, as a housewife must, to fill the gap left by my absence. Food, occupation , companionship must be made to surge in. I told Ralph what was in the refrigerator; assured him that Janice would be back any minute from her drama group and would cook it for him; and assured him also that no, of course she wouldn’t be in one of her moods, why should she?
He had the sense not to try and answer this; indeed, he took the whole thing like a lamb, I must say, and I escaped gratefully. Actually, like most men, Ralph is always so relieved to discover that he isn’t the one who
“But surely—” I began, trying to marshall some telling phrases which should also be reasonably polite. “But surely,—as early as this…. We were hoping that Mervyn …” and at just this moment Mervyn himself came out into the hall. He knew at once who I was talking to: he almost snatched the receiver from my hand.
“Hullo, Mother,” he said, sharply; and at once a flood of self-pitying verbiage began pouring down the phone: I couldn’t hear the words from where I stood, but the tone was unmistakeable. To my relief, Mervyn’s demeanour was far from that of the stereotype of a Mother’s Boy. He argued back, quite sharply, though without being downright rude; and it was only when Sarah came out into the hall and urged compliance that he finally gave in.
“O.K., O.K.,” he said irritably. “I’ll be there in half an hour. Yes. I said Y es !Forty minutes at the most.”
He slammed down the receiver, and turned quite angrily to Sarah.
“Damn!” he said. “Damn! I’ve given in again. I wishyou’d….” But before he could finish the reprimand, Sarah’s arm was round his neck, strands of pale hair were all about him, and she was whispering something smilingly into his ear. Reluctantly, and as if fighting against it, he at last began to smile too.
“Silly baby,” he murmured, patting her cheek. “You and Mother between you—what can a man do?” And then, suddenly purposeful: “Listen: Why don’t you come back with me? Come and meet my mother—we’ve got to face it sometime. Why not now?”
“Oh! But would it be all right? I mean, I’d love to, but it’ll be so sudden for her!” Sarah looked eager, but doubtful.
“Of course it’s all right. And I mean it to be sudden—that’s the best way, it won’t give her time to work herself up about it. And I’ll tell you what—” he turned to me: “Why don’t you come too, Mrs Erskine? Mother can’t mind meeting you, and it’ll soften the—” “I mean,” he hastily corrected himself “I mean it’ll give her moral support, having the other mother in the case right there with her. It’ll make her feel she’s got a companion in misery—”
“Well, she hasn’t!” I interrupted tartly. “ I ’m certainly not miserable! On the contrary, I’m absolutely delighted! But anyway, Mervyn, if you are planning to take Sarah to meet your mother tonight, it surely ought to be just the two of you? For this first time, I mean. You can’t possibly have a third person tagging along on such an occasion.”
“But that’s the whole point. We don’t want it to seem an ‘occasion’. We want Mother to get to know Sarah gradually—painlessly—just as a friend—before we tell her we’re going to be married. If I take both of you along, it’ll all seem much more—casual. Don’t you see?”
Well, the long and the short of it was that I allowed myself to be persuaded. I was, of course, dying to see this odd, anxiety-ridden woman who dared to ride so rough-shod over all the cherished permissive principles of our age. Sheer curiosity was my main motive, and I have to admit it. And after all, it was his mother. If he didn’t think she would beput out by having two strangers thus thrust on her without warning, then who was I to object?
Swiftly, I set about re-designing the evening, as a housewife must, to fill the gap left by my absence. Food, occupation , companionship must be made to surge in. I told Ralph what was in the refrigerator; assured him that Janice would be back any minute from her drama group and would cook it for him; and assured him also that no, of course she wouldn’t be in one of her moods, why should she?
He had the sense not to try and answer this; indeed, he took the whole thing like a lamb, I must say, and I escaped gratefully. Actually, like most men, Ralph is always so relieved to discover that he isn’t the one who
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