He looked down at his black coat and breeches and then back up at her, puzzled.
‘Oh, this old thing? Bang up to the nines, isn’t it? Max doesn’t like it either, mind.’
Etta perked up. ‘Have you seen him, then?’
‘Seeing him now, old girl,’ Charlie said, planting his hat firmly on his head. ‘Off to my club. Toodleoo!’
Ah, Max. She’d been looking forward to seeing him. She had enjoyed some extremely X-rated, frustrating dreams about him. X-rated enough that she wasn’t sure she’d be able to face him without blushing.
Thank goodness for the lovely notebook Hetty had left her – without it, she might have forgotten them.
Chapter 15
2023
Hetty fingered the plastic and metal packaging carefully, pulling it from the flimsy box.
‘It sounds to me like you’re depressed,’ the doctor had said. ‘Let’s try you on some mild antidepressants to begin with. We can set up another appointment in two weeks to review how you’re feeling.’ She’d talked to Hetty about how she might not feel better right away so she knew what to expect, and also put her on a waiting list for something called CBT.
It was strange to hear the doctor give a name to how she felt. Validating, somehow. But most of all, it made her feel hopeful.
The fact that her doctor had been a woman was still causing Hetty’s mind to whirr with possibility. A woman – completely equal to a man, absolutely able and allowed to prescribe her this medicine. Presumably she even had a degree.
Aggie set a laptop and notepad down on the kitchen table and sat next to her.
‘Don’t mind me, will you? Just got this proposal to finishoff before the board meeting tomorrow. Musk’s not exactly going to stop himself, is he?’
‘Aunt Aggie … I don’t know whether I should take these.’
‘Whyever not, dear?’
‘I don’t know. I don’t know if I should alter Etta’s body like this, when she might break the bracelet at any moment.’
‘Oh, but you can’t live life like that now, can you?’
Jemima joined them, moving Aggie’s notebook aside and replacing it with her latest project – a half-worked embroidery hoop with odd-shaped leaves and the words ‘Smoke weed every day’.
‘Oh yes, Hetty, nothing is forever. Not relationships, and not even tattoos. You just have to live life as it comes and enjoy the memories,’ Jemima said. ‘Here, take a look at my Hall of Fame.’
To Hetty’s absolute horror the elderly woman lifted the hem of her flowery electric blue top to reveal a patchwork quilt of faces – male and female – each encased in a heart, and each graced with a signature. She twirled, then curtseyed as she left the room.
Aunt Aggie rolled her eyes, tutting at Jemima, then smiled at Hetty’s appalled face.
‘You should see her arms … Anyway. My advice? Try the pills, Henrietta. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Besides, you can always stop if you don’t feel like they help. And Jemima and I will be with you every step of the way.’
Hetty bit her lip, still slightly dazed, and nodded.
Jemima’s voice echoed from the bathroom next door. ‘Hang on, sweeties, don’t go anywhere. Just taking off my tights so you can take a gander at Cher and Madonna.’
It had been several Sundays now that Hetty hadn’t attended church. She was beginning to miss the quiet reflection of a conversation with God, despite being at times cynical about His very existence. She had much to tell Him – about her trip, her new home, and especially her new diagnosis. Perhaps He could even help her come to a decision about the medication in her reticule.
Aggie pointed her down the road to a small but elegant church hidden away between houses. And now here she was, empty-handed but for a few unfamiliar coins for the silver salver.
The familiar chill of stone walls made goosebumps prickle at her arms as she stood at the open oak door, peering in. It was unusually empty. Perhaps she’d got the timings wrong or something?
Before she could retreat, a woman in a flowery shirt and neat pink cardigan bustled up to her. She was holding a bible with a slim booklet sandwiched inside.
‘Here for the service, love? I hope you’ll join us for a prayer circle afterwards?’
