AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Well, there goes my peace of mind.All morning, I noticed Mum was acting strangely and suspected that this was coming, which is a shame because everything had been going so well between us. I should have known something was coming down the pipeline to ruin things.
After we’ve hung up our coats and taken off our shoes, we head to the kitchen where I put the kettle on to make some coffee. My mother leans against the wall with her arms crossed, the stance she always takes when waiting to launch into a tirade. As I place a jar of Nescafe and two chipped mugs on the sideboard, I can sense her eyes watching me intently. Whatever’s on her mind I wish she’d just say it. I hate being kept in suspense.
“So, what’s up?” I ask, trying to sound casual. “You said you wanted to speak to me?”
“Yes.” Cynthia clears her throat. “I bumped into Mrs Biederhof from number 10 yesterday at the supermarket.”
“That’s nice. How is she?”
“She’s fine. Talked non-stop as usual, but this time she had some interesting stuff to tell me. She reckons she saw you and a strange, hooded man climbing out your bedroom window on Saturday night and said you left through the back garden. Is this true?”
My shoulders stiffen. “Strange, hooded man? Is the old dear all right in the head? No, of course it isn’t true. Mrs Biederhof must be seeing things.”
“Tell me again where you were on Saturday night? When Freddie and I got home from Erin’s you weren’t here, and you didn’t come back until late afternoon Sunday.”
“I told you, I went out clubbing with Amina on Saturday and then I stayed over at her place.”
“Can she vouch for you?”
“Sure, she can.”
“Uh-huh. Well, that’s interesting because Amina phoned here yesterday before you got back asking to speak to you, and guess what? I said I thought you were with her and she didn’t know anything about it.”
An awkward silence descends.Dammit. Rule number one: if you’re going to use one of your girlfriends as a cover story for misbegotten deeds, make sure you’ve briefed her first.
The kettle finishes boiling. I spoon some coffee into each mug and pour in the hot water.
“Well,” my mother pushes. “What have you got to say for yourself?”
“All right, all right, I went out with a guy on Saturday,” I admit. “But I didn’t climb through any window with a hooded man, okay? Mrs Biederhof needs to get her eyes checked. I just…I just went on a date, that’s all. No big deal.”
“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Cynthia opens the fridge and takes out a carton of milk. “If it was all so innocent, then why all the secrecy? Why lie and pretend you stayed at your friend’s house?” When I don’t respond, she asks: “Was it Alex you went out with?”
“Yes.”
“The guy that sent you the roses and bought you those designer dresses?”
“Yes.”
“The same guy that gifted you that magnificent Egyptian necklace made of solid gold that you pretended was just a little piece of costume jewellery?”
I roll my eyes. “Yep, that’s him.”
“Is he married?”
“No! Of course, he’s not married. Why on earth would you think that?”
“Because there’s clearly something about this guy you’re not telling me. As I said, if things are above board, then why all the secrecy? When you went on the date with Jack the prat you couldn’t wait to sing it from the rooftops, but with Alex, not so much. To me, that rings alarm bells.”
“We’re just taking things slowly, that’s all,” I shrug. “I didn’t want to tell you because it’s still early days and I wanted to be sure about him before I made any kind of announcement.”
“How old is he?”
“Twenty-one.”
“And you say you met him on a photo shoot?”
“Yes.”
