Biddy had accumulated many clothes in a broad variety of styles and the wardrobe was crammed full. No wonder her father kept making such terrible choices. She had to get rid of some of the space fillers that would never be worn again; she put all those in a black bin liner for a charity shop and hid them in her room.
Biddy was watching her with a blank expres sion, which Hanna was not sure was either just shock at the radical measure, or a lack of understanding of what was going on.
Hanna went through the options left and offered her mother a choice of slightly more respectable outfits.
“What do you reckon?” she asked.
Biddy chose a woollen one piece dress with a black leather belt that might not have been the most flattering choice for her slightly bulging stomach, but in some ways it made her look very smart and elegant.
Mother and daughter went downsta irs and put on their coats. On impulse Hanna persuaded Biddy to wear high heeled shoes. Despite the cold November temperatures, Hanna decided that for the short drive she would convert the car into its open top position and steered her mother to get in next to her.
“Well I never!” said a fascinated Biddy. “I didn’t know you could drive like this.”
Throughout the whole journey Biddy grinned like a little girl, until they came past the cemetery where she suddenly signalled Hanna to stop the car.
“In there,” she shouted. ”Let me go in there!”
“Of course,” Hanna said gently and turned the car around.
As soon as they stopped Biddy got out of the car and walked towards the gate. Hanna had trouble catching up with he r mother. She worried that she might fall since she was moving so quickly, but Biddy seemed remarkably stable on her feet and walked with a clear sense of purpose in the direction of the family grave, where her mother and her sister were buried. Having come half way, she suddenly stopped and turned towards Hanna.
“I can’t remember now what I am doing in here. Do you know what I was meant to be doing?” she asked.
“You don’t have to do anything, Biddy. I thought you just wanted to look at the flowers. You can do that or we can turn around and go into town as we had planned. It is up to you.”
“What were we going to do?” Biddy asked.
“We were going to have coffee together. Spend some money buying clothes and I definitely have to get some food for the house.”
“We have a lot to do,” Biddy said, took her daughter’s hand and led her towards the exit.
They got back into the car and drove on towards the town centre. Hanna parked in a small private car park, which was more expensive but very convenient.
From there Biddy walked immediately towards the park with the duck pond and Hanna let her mother take the lead and followed. A woman with a toddler was feeding bread to the birds and Biddy became quite agitated.
“I have no bread.”
“We can buy some if you like?” Hanna offered.
“Yes, please. Quick.” Biddy urged her.
The two women went back towards the centre to find a corner shop, but it had been some time since Hanna had been in town and the first one she went to had changed into a tanning studio. She could not find another one easily and decided she might as well do all the shopping now and be done with it. She took her mother into the big supermarket just around the corner.
She heard an ambulance in the distance and shivered. Someone in this town was in trouble, she thought, someone else was swaying between life and death and would depend on another human being to be saved, just like the woman on the plane, the woman Hanna felt she had let down.
She hugged her mother briefly. “It is so nice to see you, Biddy.”
“Thank you,” her mother replied with a radiant smile.
“We need a lot of food today,” Hanna said, “I would like to stay with you for a week or so. Would you mind if I did that? Stay with you and Dad in your house?”
“I don’t know your father. Where is he?” Biddy
Biddy was watching her with a blank expres sion, which Hanna was not sure was either just shock at the radical measure, or a lack of understanding of what was going on.
Hanna went through the options left and offered her mother a choice of slightly more respectable outfits.
“What do you reckon?” she asked.
Biddy chose a woollen one piece dress with a black leather belt that might not have been the most flattering choice for her slightly bulging stomach, but in some ways it made her look very smart and elegant.
Mother and daughter went downsta irs and put on their coats. On impulse Hanna persuaded Biddy to wear high heeled shoes. Despite the cold November temperatures, Hanna decided that for the short drive she would convert the car into its open top position and steered her mother to get in next to her.
“Well I never!” said a fascinated Biddy. “I didn’t know you could drive like this.”
Throughout the whole journey Biddy grinned like a little girl, until they came past the cemetery where she suddenly signalled Hanna to stop the car.
“In there,” she shouted. ”Let me go in there!”
“Of course,” Hanna said gently and turned the car around.
As soon as they stopped Biddy got out of the car and walked towards the gate. Hanna had trouble catching up with he r mother. She worried that she might fall since she was moving so quickly, but Biddy seemed remarkably stable on her feet and walked with a clear sense of purpose in the direction of the family grave, where her mother and her sister were buried. Having come half way, she suddenly stopped and turned towards Hanna.
“I can’t remember now what I am doing in here. Do you know what I was meant to be doing?” she asked.
“You don’t have to do anything, Biddy. I thought you just wanted to look at the flowers. You can do that or we can turn around and go into town as we had planned. It is up to you.”
“What were we going to do?” Biddy asked.
“We were going to have coffee together. Spend some money buying clothes and I definitely have to get some food for the house.”
“We have a lot to do,” Biddy said, took her daughter’s hand and led her towards the exit.
They got back into the car and drove on towards the town centre. Hanna parked in a small private car park, which was more expensive but very convenient.
From there Biddy walked immediately towards the park with the duck pond and Hanna let her mother take the lead and followed. A woman with a toddler was feeding bread to the birds and Biddy became quite agitated.
“I have no bread.”
“We can buy some if you like?” Hanna offered.
“Yes, please. Quick.” Biddy urged her.
The two women went back towards the centre to find a corner shop, but it had been some time since Hanna had been in town and the first one she went to had changed into a tanning studio. She could not find another one easily and decided she might as well do all the shopping now and be done with it. She took her mother into the big supermarket just around the corner.
She heard an ambulance in the distance and shivered. Someone in this town was in trouble, she thought, someone else was swaying between life and death and would depend on another human being to be saved, just like the woman on the plane, the woman Hanna felt she had let down.
She hugged her mother briefly. “It is so nice to see you, Biddy.”
“Thank you,” her mother replied with a radiant smile.
“We need a lot of food today,” Hanna said, “I would like to stay with you for a week or so. Would you mind if I did that? Stay with you and Dad in your house?”
“I don’t know your father. Where is he?” Biddy
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