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As I tiptoe through the hallway, as I approach the bottom of the stairs, I realise my mum is walking down them. With nowhere to go, I retreat towards the living room. I hear my dad clear his throat as he starts moving around. I practically pirouette, as I try to work out which way to go. Eventually I find myself stuck in the hallway, my mum on one side of me, my dad on the other. For a second, they both just stare at me, taking it all in, putting all of the pieces of the puzzle together.
‘And what time do you call this?’ Dad asks.
I begin to smile but I quickly pull it back. He’s not joking.
‘What?’ I reply, stalling. ‘It’s, erm…’
I hold up my wrist to check my watch, but the battery is dead. That doesn’t look great.
‘Those are last night’s clothes,’ Dad points out.
I guess that doesn’t look great either.
‘I’ve just been out,’ I say. I glance at Mum, then back at Dad.
‘Out all night,’ Dad adds.
I snort. He chooses now to be a parent.
‘Dad, I’m thirty-two years old,’ I point out. ‘I’m a grown woman, I’m allowed to stay out all night.’
‘Just because you’re older, doesn’t mean we stop worrying about you,’ he insists. ‘Tell her, Katie.’
‘We’ll never stop worrying about you, darling, obviously,’ she replies tactfully.
I ditch my shoes and my bag on the hall floor.
‘If you must know, I stayed with my friend Angie last night,’ I lie. ‘We went out for a drink, and her husband is away so, when she asked me if I fancied a sleepover, I thought she might appreciate the company.’
‘Well, that was very sweet of you,’ Mum says. ‘Angie is lucky to have you.’
Dad narrows his eyes at me.
‘A text would have been nice,’ he concludes, before heading back to the sofa.
Mum moves to let me pass before following me up the stairs.
‘Unbelievable,’ I say to her once we’re out of earshot. ‘Who does he think he is, interrogating me? I’m allowed to sleep over with a friend when I’m in my thirties.’
‘Your dad is just being a dad,’ she replies.
I roll my eyes.
‘Better late than never, I suppose.’
Mum gives me a knowing smile.
‘You know you already told me that Angie and the gang are all skiing,’ she reminds me. ‘Wherever you really were, I hope you had fun.’
I half-cringe, half-smile. I can always count on Mum to cover for me.
‘I’m going for a shower,’ I tell her. ‘And maybe a nap.’
‘Oh, it was a good night then,’ Jess chimes in as she walks from her bedroom to the bathroom. Her hair is all stuck up and some of yesterday’s eyeliner has relocated to her cheeks. She looks like she’s had a wilder night than me.
I just shake my head as I go into my bedroom, closing the door behind me. This is my only sanctuary in this house now.
Last night was not like me at all. I don’t know how it happened. I suppose I had all this pent up… something in me. Something that needed to be released. A year of being wound tight, slogging my way through DIY jobs and not having much fun. Going out-out for the first time in a long time, I dare say, has done me the world of good.
