25
From: [email protected]
Subject: Counselling
Oh John, Tilly’s so upset with me and I don’t know what to do. T
Paula stops typing, pausing over the letter T.
She wants to talk, sheneedsto talk, but it no longer feels like John is the only person she can talk to. There are others. Her friends.
She hasn’t had close friends in years. Sure, Paula used to have people in her life, when she was young, people she worked with or went to school with. But life happens. Things got in the way. Some moved, some argued, some had more than two children and were therefore never heard from again. Either way, everyone drifted apart. Long ago.
But it seems that, somehow, Paula now has real friends again.
She picks up the phone. She wants to speak to her three friends, right now.
Opening their WhatsApp group, Paula taps the call icon. Seb showed her how to do this a while back, but this is her first chance to have a go for herself.
‘Call TLWWC group?’ it asks and she feels a calm settling over her even at the question.
Ivy is the first to answer.
‘Paula, are you OK?’ The concern in her voice is evident.
‘Oh! Yes,’ Paula blusters, feeling a little silly. She’s forgotten that Ivy’s generation panic about unsolicited phone calls. ‘I’m sorry to ring. I just wanted to talk. How’s your foot?’
She hears Ivy move, settling into some kind of seat. ‘Don’t say sorry, that’s really lovely. It’s nice to hear your voice. And yes, my foot is almost back to normal, thank you for asking.’
‘Hellooooo?’ Audrey booms into the receiver. ‘Darlings? What is happening on my phone?’
‘It’s a group video call,’ Ivy explains nicely.
Audrey crows, ‘Oh, howthrilling. I didn’t know you could do that. Isn’t the modern world such a joy? I know I’m still young – I plan to be the first one in my family to get to a hundred and fifteen, you know – but I do sometimes wish I could be born right now, so I could see for myself the whole, wild future unfold. It’s going to be so exciting. You should’ve seen me whenpagerscame out!’ She cackles. ‘Ooh, I know! We’ll have to arrange a group call the next time we’re planning a M-U-R-D-E-R.’ She laughs joyously again.
‘Well, it can’t go any worse than the last attempt.’ Teddy has joined the call during Audrey’s speech.
‘I think it worked out perfectly,’ Paula says, smiling to herself at the thought of last week’s absurd antics.
According to Teddy’s lawyer friends, Dominic Shipman is currently sitting in jail after his arrest for being drunk in charge of a vehicle. And for aggravated assault. It turns out that when the officers arrived to breathalyse him, a newly woken Dominic got belligerent. He punched the woman trying to arrest him and the situation quickly escalated, with backup being called for. He is now facing major charges for assault on a police officer and for resisting arrest, as well as the original drink-driving offence. And he’s been formally suspended from the force. At last.
All in all, that horrible, horrible man – the Evil Bastard, Dominic Shipman – is now potentially facing years in jail, thanks to Teddy and the rest of the group.
Paula has felt strangely alive and full of joy ever since. She hasn’t done anything so . . . well,sillyin years. Probably ever! And yes, OK, she wasn’t terribly keen on the kill-y part of things, but that didn’t happen after all. And if it had, wouldn’t he have deserved it?
It’s funny how quickly you can come round to a way of thinking.
Either way, she had fun – she’shavingfun. And one cannot underestimate how important fun is at her age.
Paula self-corrects. Shewashaving fun. Until today. Until the latest family grief counselling session with Tilly and Seb.
She sighs and Ivy pipes up, ‘Paula, are you sure you’re OK?’
Paula nods into the phone, feeling a bit emotional. ‘Yes. Well, I’m not sure, if I’m being honest. It hasn’t been the best day. Tilly is upset with me. I don’t know what to do. She feels distant lately and I can’t fix it.’
‘Grown-up children are so much harder than children children,’ Audrey says solemnly. ‘My two girls are in their fifties and I haven’t a clue what they’re thinking half the time. You should see the partners they’ve chosen! It’s like they were brought up with no imagination whatsoever!’
