Peter hid his head on her shoulder whilst Sharon hugged her neck.
‘It’s better now,’ said Roxie. ‘We’ll make it better, all of us together.’
16
As promised, Roxie took Frankie home in her car, and after a supper of takeaway pizza, which the adults picked at and the children wolfed down, Sharon put the children to bed early in her room. She came downstairs to find Margaret sitting in the kitchen with a glass of wine. ‘Joyce came round after you left,’ she said. ‘It was awful. She couldn’t stop crying. She saw she was upsetting the children, so she went. I felt terrible letting her go back to an empty house, but what could I do?’
‘Nothing,’ said Margaret. ‘At times like these, everyone has to mourn in their own way. Later, we can mourn together.’
‘But she was so much a part of us,’ said Sharon. ‘You know that. She had nobody else. She’s been with Monty so long, she looks on Peter and Susan like her grandchildren .’
‘We’ll see her tomorrow,’ said Margaret. ‘We’ll sort her out. I promise.’
It was quiet in the house. During the day Frankie had called up friends and family to tell them the news, and the phone had been busy with outgoing and incoming calls. But Margaret had insisted on switching all the phones off now that the kids had gone to bed, except the one in Monty’s study attached to an answering machine. She’d also turned off all the mobiles in the house. ‘You need some peace tonight,’ she said to Sharon. ‘Tomorrow will be a busy day.’
She didn’t realise how right she was.
‘Want some?’ she asked Sharon, tapping the wine bottle as her sister sat down at the kitchen table.
Sharon shook her head.
‘Don’t mind if I finish the bottle?’ asked Margaret. ‘It’s been a long day.’
‘Help yourself,’ came the reply. ‘Have as much as you like.’
Sharon got up and started to make coffee. ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do,’ she said, in a daze.
‘I know it will be hard love but you’ve got to persevere ,’ said Margaret, gently. ‘You’ve got Peter and Susan to think about.’
‘It’s not going to be easy. Monty was my rock. He was the only man I’d ever known.’
‘You’ve got us.’
‘For how long? You’ll have to go back to London and sort yourself out. And Roxie will fly away back to Spain. She’s got a life out there.’
‘There’s always Frankie.’
‘Always Frankie. That’s it isn’t it. The only one of us without a life of her own.’
‘She loves us all. You know that. That’s what she does – look after people’
‘I know. Sorry. It’s just been another hard day. I’m going to drink this and go upstairs,’ said Sharon. ‘The kids are in with me tonight. You staying down here?’
‘I’ll take my glass and watch some crap TV if you don’t mind,’ said Margaret.
‘Whatever you want,’ said Sharon as she left the room.
* * *
Next morning dawned bright and breezy, with clouds scudding across a bright blue sky. Under normal circumstances , it was the kind of morning that made you glad to be alive, but the good mood didn’t filter through to the house in Guildford. Margaret was the first one up, and after a swift shower and a short line chopped out on the dressing table, she went down to prepare the house for another difficult day.
On the way she looked in on Sharon and the children. Peter and Susan were in bed asleep, but Sharon was standing by the window gazing out. When she heard the door, she turned, her face was drawn and white. ‘Hello Mags,’ she said. ‘Couldn’t sleep.’
‘Me neither. Just a bit anyway. I’m going to make breakfast. Want some?’
‘Just coffee.’
‘What about the kids?’
‘Orange juice and cereal if they can eat.’
‘They have to. They’re more resilient than us. You saw them with the food last night. You too. You have to keep your strength up at a time like this.’
‘I’ll survive.’
‘Are you going to wake
‘It’s better now,’ said Roxie. ‘We’ll make it better, all of us together.’
16
As promised, Roxie took Frankie home in her car, and after a supper of takeaway pizza, which the adults picked at and the children wolfed down, Sharon put the children to bed early in her room. She came downstairs to find Margaret sitting in the kitchen with a glass of wine. ‘Joyce came round after you left,’ she said. ‘It was awful. She couldn’t stop crying. She saw she was upsetting the children, so she went. I felt terrible letting her go back to an empty house, but what could I do?’
‘Nothing,’ said Margaret. ‘At times like these, everyone has to mourn in their own way. Later, we can mourn together.’
‘But she was so much a part of us,’ said Sharon. ‘You know that. She had nobody else. She’s been with Monty so long, she looks on Peter and Susan like her grandchildren .’
‘We’ll see her tomorrow,’ said Margaret. ‘We’ll sort her out. I promise.’
It was quiet in the house. During the day Frankie had called up friends and family to tell them the news, and the phone had been busy with outgoing and incoming calls. But Margaret had insisted on switching all the phones off now that the kids had gone to bed, except the one in Monty’s study attached to an answering machine. She’d also turned off all the mobiles in the house. ‘You need some peace tonight,’ she said to Sharon. ‘Tomorrow will be a busy day.’
She didn’t realise how right she was.
‘Want some?’ she asked Sharon, tapping the wine bottle as her sister sat down at the kitchen table.
Sharon shook her head.
‘Don’t mind if I finish the bottle?’ asked Margaret. ‘It’s been a long day.’
‘Help yourself,’ came the reply. ‘Have as much as you like.’
Sharon got up and started to make coffee. ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do,’ she said, in a daze.
‘I know it will be hard love but you’ve got to persevere ,’ said Margaret, gently. ‘You’ve got Peter and Susan to think about.’
‘It’s not going to be easy. Monty was my rock. He was the only man I’d ever known.’
‘You’ve got us.’
‘For how long? You’ll have to go back to London and sort yourself out. And Roxie will fly away back to Spain. She’s got a life out there.’
‘There’s always Frankie.’
‘Always Frankie. That’s it isn’t it. The only one of us without a life of her own.’
‘She loves us all. You know that. That’s what she does – look after people’
‘I know. Sorry. It’s just been another hard day. I’m going to drink this and go upstairs,’ said Sharon. ‘The kids are in with me tonight. You staying down here?’
‘I’ll take my glass and watch some crap TV if you don’t mind,’ said Margaret.
‘Whatever you want,’ said Sharon as she left the room.
* * *
Next morning dawned bright and breezy, with clouds scudding across a bright blue sky. Under normal circumstances , it was the kind of morning that made you glad to be alive, but the good mood didn’t filter through to the house in Guildford. Margaret was the first one up, and after a swift shower and a short line chopped out on the dressing table, she went down to prepare the house for another difficult day.
On the way she looked in on Sharon and the children. Peter and Susan were in bed asleep, but Sharon was standing by the window gazing out. When she heard the door, she turned, her face was drawn and white. ‘Hello Mags,’ she said. ‘Couldn’t sleep.’
‘Me neither. Just a bit anyway. I’m going to make breakfast. Want some?’
‘Just coffee.’
‘What about the kids?’
‘Orange juice and cereal if they can eat.’
‘They have to. They’re more resilient than us. You saw them with the food last night. You too. You have to keep your strength up at a time like this.’
‘I’ll survive.’
‘Are you going to wake
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