‘I’m having fish and chips, because I half-promised it for us before we knew we couldn’t stay at home for the night,’ Rick said. ‘How about you? Glass of red?’
Vee agreed to both suggestions and went to find them a table. The bar was fairly quiet so early in the evening, but when she sat down, Vee noticed that a man and a small girl had just come in and were talking to Rick. He turned and pointed to Vee and after a few moments all three came over.
‘Vee, this is my friend Sam and his daughter, Elsie,’ said Rick, pulling up an extra chair. ‘They’ve ordered food too, so we decided to eat together.’
The girl peered at Vee with interest and sat down next to her. ‘I’ve heard all about you,’ she said, beaming up at Vee, sliding her arms out of her bright yellow waterproof coat. ‘You’re going to live next door to Beryl and next-door-but-one to my friend Kate. I have sleepovers at her house sometimes. She’s got a purple sofa.’
Vee digested this random snippet and wondered what the correct response was. She didn’t have much experience of children. This one looked to be around seven or eight years old, at a guess. She had curly auburn hair held back by a sparkly headband and she was dressed in leopard-print leggings and a baggy hoodie.
‘Erm… I don’t even have a sofa yet,’ she said. ‘I don’t know what colour mine will be.’
‘Maybe you should have a nice red one,’ Elsie suggested. ‘A bright sofa cheers up a room, you know.’
This strangely adult comment seemed to put an end to the subject and Elsie began to rummage in her backpack. She brought out a sketchbook and pencil case and set out her stall.
‘What are you going to draw?’ asked Vee, as Elsie bent over her book.
‘You,’ came back the brief answer, as, tongue protruding slightly between her teeth, the girl began to sketch an outline of an elongated body.
Now the younger member of the party was occupied, Vee had time to look at Elsie’s dad. He was young-ish, maybe not more than mid-twenties, and slender with long blond curls tied back in a ponytail. At first glance he seemed to be having a cheerful conversation with Rick, but as she listened, Vee got a totally different picture.
‘No, I’m okay, honestly, mate,’ Sam was saying. ‘You win some, you lose some. I’ve been expecting this. Luka was bound to want to be free before long. I’m surprised we lasted until now, if I’m honest.’
The two men noticed that Vee had tuned in to what they were saying and paused, as if trying to decide how to explain all this to a stranger. She smiled at Sam, hoping to give him the message that she was friendly, and saw that although he was smiling back, his eyes were red-rimmed and the hand that reached for his beer was shaking slightly.
Rick lowered his voice, glancing at Elsie as she sketched. ‘Sam’s had bad news today… erm… I guess there’s no easy way of putting it, his relationship’s over. He’s…’
‘He’s upset,’ chimed in Elsie, not looking up from her sketchbook. ‘Luka’s a knob-head.’
‘Elsie!’ Sam said. ‘That’s not a nice thing to say.’
‘Well, he is. He’s made you sad. He’s a knob-head and I hate him.’ With that, she handed over her drawing to Vee, who took it, glad of the distraction.
‘Oh, wow, Elsie, this is really good,’ she said in surprise. The sketch showed a tall, smiling woman with a pompom of hair and very big eyes. She was wearing slim-fitting trousers, trainers and a baggy striped shirt. The detail was impressive even though there was something of the marshmallow about Vee’s face and her feet looked like canoes.
‘I know it’s good,’ said Elsie. ‘Art’s my best subject. I don’t like maths or writing much. I wish we could draw all day.’
‘That’s exactly how I felt when I was at school,’ said Vee. An instant flashback made her blink. She saw herself sitting cross-legged in a field while the other children ran around doing various athletic activities. It had been a glorious summer and a sprained ankle from a cartwheel that went badly wrong had meant that Vee was able to sit on the sidelines during all sports lessons for a magical week or two. She’d been allowed to take her jotter and pencil case outside with her and had loved these moments of pure pleasure.
‘Did you? Do you still like drawing?’ Elsie asked, eyes wide with interest.
‘I… don’t know. I haven’t done any for ages.’
‘Why not?’
It was a natural enough question, but Vee couldn’t think of an answer. Eventually she said, ‘I suppose I’ve just been busy.’
This was met with a look of incredulity. ‘How can you be too busy to do art?’ said Elsie. ‘It’s just the best thing ever. You should start again right after you get home tonight. Have you got any felt-tips?’
Vee shook her head, realising that the last time she’d had any art supplies, Nigel had slung them out, thinking (or so he claimed) that they were rubbish.
‘You’d better get some then.’
Elsie turned over the page in her sketchpad and began a new drawing. This time she was looking at a plant in an alcove nearby and soon had the basic shape outlined. Vee’s fingers itched to have a try herself. Should she get kitted out with a whole new set of paints and so on? There wasn’t much money to spare at the moment, so it would be an extravagance. Then she saw the happy concentration on Elsie’s face and changed her mind. It was years since she’d had a hobby. Maybe she could get herself a drawing book and a basic set of pencils. It would be a great opportunity to restart what had been her favourite way to spend any spare time.
The food arrived at this point and all four turned all their attention to the best fish and chips Vee had ever tasted. The batter was crisp, and the thick-cut chips were perfectly cooked, golden brown and lightly sprinkled with sea salt. Mushy peas and tomato ketchup came with this feast. For a while nobody spoke.
‘That was awesome,’ said Elsie at last. ‘Are we having pudding?’
