‘Quite a psychologist, your auntie,’ he says wryly.
The breakdown truck arrives and provides Scott with a welcome relief from the confrontation with his daughter and her abundance of home truths.
‘I need to get back to Edinburgh,’ she says, once her mangled car is dispatched to the nearest garage for repairs. She glances at her phone. ‘There’s a train in half an hour.’
The breakdown truck driver drops them off near the train station, allowing Brianna to return to the place she now refers to as ‘home’ and leaving him, aimless and alone, in the town he’s pathologically avoided for the past seven and a half years.
FRESHMAN PARENTS' ONLINE FORUM: ST ANDREWS UNIVERSITY
DS just been sent letter stating concern about number of lectures missed. Had no idea! Anyone know what happens next? Slap on the wrist? Does it place his second year in jeopardy? Concerned.
Our son got one too. They must be doing the rounds. Also unsure of the ramifications. Might it go on their record? Hope not!
(Admin)
They do purges from time to time. Normally it’s a warning to start with so hopefully your DSs can pull their socks up and move on from this.
Let’s hope so!
MAY
Chapter 34
HEATHER
Heatherdipsherbrushinto the pot of black paint, extracts the nib without checking and applies it directly onto the canvas. The eye area of Doreen Smith’s brown labrador takes on a hooded look. Damn it. She picks up a clean brush and tries to daub off the excess, but rather than improving the painting, it creates a hollowed effect around the dog’s cheek, which will be even harder to rectify. Shit. She throws both paint brushes into the water pot and takes a step back. It looks even worse from a distance. Bugger. Having to re-start a canvas is a common situation for an artist. But why now? Why does it have to happen when she’s already on a tighter deadline than usual?
She knows why, of course. She took two days from her painting to accompany Brianna to Birmingham and three more days to recover from Scott’s treatment of her while there. Brianna had returned to Edinburgh with red-rimmed eyes, slouched shoulders and a determination not to talk. Heather left her with an open invitation to chat whenever she wanted. It was the only thing she felt able to do.
Now, four days later, there’s a knock on the kitchen door.
Brianna.
‘Georgia’s at work,’ she explains quietly. ‘And I thought we could talk.’
Heather gives the girl a hug then walks to the other side of the room to put the kettle on, determined not to rush the girl.
‘He doesn’t mean it, when he lashes out like that,’ she tells Heather, as she places two mugs in front of them.
‘Hmm.’
Their reactions differ because Heather has a few more years’ life experience than her house guest. She has finally had enough. Her feelings about Scott-Bloody-Reynolds are immaterial. Nobody gets to treat her like that – even when there are external influences at play.
‘Have you heard from him? He’s messaging me constantly.’
Heather turns to look more closely at Brianna. Her skin is so much paler than before, and there seems to be a permanent red rimming to her eyes these days. Should she admit to taking a leaf out of Georgia’s rule book from when Todd did the dirty on her? How will Brianna respond if she hears Heather has blocked Scott on all forms of communication?
‘We’ve not been in touch,’ she says, hating herself for her intentional evasion. But surely, she’s allowed to handle her romantic relationships on her own terms without having to run them past other people? That’s what her new life coach would say: you are allowed to make decisions that benefit you.
‘Brianna. Are you okay, sweetheart?’
Brianna’s shallow nod shows that she’s anything but alright.
