‘Rosie, everything’s going to be okay, okay?’ I said, taking both her hands. ‘And I’mabsolutely fine. We’ll all sort this out and I promise you I am not hurt or unhappy. Lucy is a good person and they are a good team. Better than your father and me.’
‘You’re not angry at Dad. And at Lucy?’
I shook my head. ‘No… not at all. Pleased, really. For him. And Lucy. I’m glad for them.’
‘Mum, that’s weird.’
‘Well, I’m weird.’ I smiled at her. ‘For the first time in my life I am embracingmy inner weirdness. You see, the thing is I don’t mind. You are the one I am worried about here. But I think Dad might have found his soulmate in Lucy and that’s a good thing…’
‘I can’t imagine Dad having a soulmate,’ she said. ‘He’s not really the soulmatey type of person.’
‘Your parents still can have the capacity to surprise you,’ I laughed. ‘I know my mother is still surprising me.’
‘Mum,I was thinking. About Red.’
‘Red?’ Why was she bringinghiminto all this?
‘What did he say when it all happened? Was he upset?’
‘I didn’t tell him.’
‘What?’
I should have done, but I couldn’t. It meant… we didn’t see each other for all that time.’
‘And he still doesn’t know?’ Her eyes were wide open. She was learning far too much about the lives of grown-ups today.
‘No. I’m going to tellhim. I think he deserves to know. He didn’t understand why I just stopped contact…’
‘And why did you?’
‘I didn’t know what to say… I suppose… I suppose I was depressed.’
She was silent for a moment and then she said, ‘I get it. That makes sense.’ She reached for my hand,hercomforting me.
Both our phones rang.
‘We’ve got a signal!’ shouted Rosie, finally delighted about something. ‘The WIFIhas materialised!’
It was Michael on her phone.
*
Rosie nodded and cried throughout the whole conversation. I felt furious with Michael for upsetting Rosie like this. If you were going to have an affair, surely there were better ways of announcing it to the world than in the front pages of newspapers. Making a speech at Celia’s party would have been preferable.
I checkedmyphone for messages.I had fifteen missed calls and texts messages. Clodagh had texted repeatedly.
The first one had been sent in response to mine from earlier.
Am alone in house with just a bar of Milka and a bottle of Baileys. All well.
But then her texts were charged with increasing panic as the news of the scandal spread.
Just seen papers. Call me.
Michael the Ken doll of politics? Surely some mistake!!!!!!
And:
