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“If it goes as usual, Mum will tell me to be the one to call. She’ll say Fe’s having a tough time of it at the minute. It’s always the same.”
“Alright. I just wanted to check in.”
“And I appreciate it. Now, can we get back to these delicious pizzas and divine cocktails? We’re supposed to be celebrating.”
“Damn right. Congratulations, Lydia. Here’s to a new start.”
They raised their glasses. “To a new start and shaking things up.”
Chapter 14
Checking her watch for the umpteenth time, Lydia once again cursed British public transport. Everything was late, meaning Lydia was late. Her mum wouldn’t mind so much, but that wasn’t the point.
If truth be told, Lydia was feeling a teensy bit nervous. It was nearly a month since their last gathering as a trio for Sunday lunch. Lydia could no longer use her recovery as an excuse to get out of it.
No matter what they had going on in their lives, the three Archer women always sat down at 12:30 p.m. sharp every Sunday and enjoyed a good catch-up. Lydia’s mum hadn’t said anything so far, regarding the break in tradition, which to Lydia spelled trouble. Something was bound to be said today. Surely?
When the bus finally arrived at her designated stop, Lydia flung her arm over her boobs and jogged the rest of the way. Turning up for lunch, all sweaty and flushed, wasn’t the best look, but at least she’d managed to arrive only 10 minutes late instead of the 15 it would have been, had she not risked a black eye. Maybe it was time to invest in some quality bras.
As usual, Lydia let herself in without knocking. Her mum’s house was small but growing up here had been great. It was a home, one that Lydia sometimes wished she could come back to. Being an adult, for the most part, was garbage. What she wouldn’t give to be a kid again, with not a care in the world, having her mum take care of all the scary things life liked to throw at people. I wish!
But Lydia wasn’t a kid, and she had to sort her own shit out. So far, she wasn’t doing such a terrible job. Having some control over her health had gone a long way in boosting Lydia’s confidence. It was amazing how badly those issues had shaken her sense of being. The constant self-deprecation and low moods had taken a toll that not even Lydia had been aware of. It was only now, when she could see light at the end of the tunnel, Lydia understood how low she’d become. How out of touch with herself she felt.
Saving the self-therapy for later, Lydia dropped her bag on the hallway floor, before removing her boots and slipping on the house shoes her mum kept for them by the front door.
The coat rack was overflowing as usual, making Lydia roll her eyes. Her mum didn’t know what clothes rotating meant, even though Lydia had explained it to her a bazillion times. How hard was it to put summer and spring coats away in winter?
Making her way to the kitchen, still tutting at the coat rack of chaos, Lydia realised there was a notable absence of smell. It was almost 12:25 p.m. The chicken should be almost done and filling the house with a delicious mouth-watering scent. But the only thing getting up Lydia’s nose was a Glade plug-in diffuser set way too high.
Those nerves she’d been feeling on the way over came rushing back. Something wasn’t right about this set-up. It only took another two steps into the kitchen to see her gut feeling was spot on.
Instead of her mum, Lydia found Fe nursing what looked like an Irish coffee at the kitchen table, If the bottle of Bailey’s was anything to go by. Stopping in her tracks, Lydia weighed up her options. Was she in the mood for this?
If Fe went off on her again, Lydia wasn’t sure she could hold back this time. Weeks of being ignored had manifested into an ugly feeling that was desperate to show its face. Lydia had done a grand job of keeping it under wraps.
Living with such negativity was the opposite of what she was striving for. But in the presence of the person that created it, Lydia wasn’t sure she could keep her shit together.
Taking a second to breathe deeply, Lydia saw Fe didn’t look too great. Her eyes had dark circles under them, and she looked as if she’d dropped a few pounds. Her hair wasn’t in its usual immaculate state but shoved up in a messy ponytail.
Obviously, Clark’s absence was the reason. Lydia couldn’t think of anything else that would affect her sister so much. They looked at each other for a few seconds until Fe dropped her eyes to the table. Interesting.
“I take it Sunday lunch isn’t happening?” Lydia’s tone was cool. She didn’t want to be a bitch, but she couldn’t find it in herself just yet to play nice. Fe’s reaction and subsequent absence had hit Lydia hard.
“Um, no, Mum’s at Libby’s house.”
“Great.” Lydia scoffed. “She could have told me before I dragged my arse across London for nothing.”
“I asked her to go out.” Fe’s voice was a little shaky, causing Lydia’s resolve to crack ever so slightly. No matter how mad she was at someone, Lydia hated seeing another human upset.
“Why?”
“Because we need to talk.”
Chuckling, Lydia shook her head. “Now you want to talk, huh? Maybe I’m not ready. Did you ever think about that, Fe?”
“Please, Lydia?”
“Please, Lydia what? Once again, because you want something, you think everyone has to go along with your timetable. Well, fuck that, and frankly, fuck you!”
