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“Who do you live with?”
“My mum and my brother Freddie. It’s just the three of us.”
“And your father, what about him?”
I shrug my shoulders. “I never knew him. All I know is his name is Carlos, he was an art student and he scarpered back to Spain pretty quick when he found out my mother was pregnant. He hasn’t been part of my life for 19 years, never tried to make contact, never sent a birthday card, so I don’t really think about him, to be honest. As far as I’m concerned, he doesn’t exist.”
“Then we are both fatherless. My dad died when I was ten.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be,” Alex says coldly. “He wasn’t a very nice person.”
There’s a short, uncomfortable pause. I take a large swig of wine to calm my nerves.
“Was it hard for your mother bringing up two children on her own?” Mrs Kingswood asks, suddenly finding her voice. “Growing up without a father must have been difficult.”
“Yeah, sometimes it was hard,” I admit. “We struggled financially, and there were times we had to go without, but I can’t complain. Where it counted, I always felt I had everything I needed. You know, there’s a lot of love in my house, my mother always supported me and that’s what’s important.”
There’s another short pause. Then Alex resumes: “Tell me about your mother and your brother. What are they like?”
My face instantly brightens. “Oh, my mum, Cynthia, she’s great. She’s an artist, really, really talented. A bit of a feminist, loves Tracey Emin. She’s sort of crazy but in a good way. She has such a cool sense of humour, makes her own clothes, would do anything for anyone, everyone loves her. Let’s see, what else…she likes salsa dancing, oh, and world music, she does yoga every Tuesday…”
“And your brother, Freddie?”
“Oh, Freddie’s such a great kid. He’s my whole world. So intelligent, so funny, just amazing. He loves his numbers, loves architecture, collects toy cars. He can write backwards, oh, and he recently learnt how to swim, which he loves. So um, yeah, just a wonderful little guy. I don’t know what I’d do without him.”
For a split-second, I glance up and my gaze settles on Alex’s terrifying face. Despite my fear, I see something warm in those blue-green eyes. A trace of kindness and humanity. I look away hurriedly.
“When you’re not with family, what else do you do? Are you at college? Do you work?”
“Yes, I work at a burger bar on Clapham High Street. It’s cool. I like the people I work with, we always have a laugh, so um, yeah, it’s great…” My sentence peters out. I take another swig of wine. The room begins to rock and sway. Nervously, I check my watch and notice it’s almost a quarter to ten.
Not long to go, thank goodness.
“Do you have any hobbies?” Alex asks. “What are your interests?”
“I like old musicals,” I reply. “You know,My Fair Lady,West Side Story,Gigi, that sort of thing. And I love to read.”
“I love to read too,” he says eagerly. “Who are your favourite authors?”
“Got to be Edgar Allan Poe.”
“I love Poe!The Ravenis one of my all-time favourites.”
“Mine too! Have you readThe Tell-Tale Heart?”
“Of course. An absolute masterpiece.”
“I agree! Oh my gosh, you’re the only other person I’ve met who’s read it. I just love it. One of the best short stories ever. Some of the passages were so creepy I had to keep the lights on for weeks! But the writing is just beautiful, so poetic, so vivid…” Finally, the conversation dies. I have nothing more to give.
Hastily, I finish up the last of my dessert and place the spoon to one side. I am now literally on pins and needles waiting for the opportunity to broach the subject of my departure.
“Mother, can you leave us for five minutes?” Alex asks suddenly. “I want to speak to Jessica alone.”
At first, she seems surprised by his request. Then, wordlessly, Mrs Kingswood wipes her mouth on her napkin, stands up and abruptly leaves the room. My heart skips a beat.Flipping hell, what does he want to talk to me about? I don’t like the sound of this…
Slowly, Alex rises from his seat, strides down the length of the table and stops beside my chair. I draw in a sharp breath. At over 6ft 5in, he completely towers over me, and I find his size extremely intimidating. Once more it feels as if all the air has been sucked out the room.
