My happy glow dimmed. What would she say? I didn’t want to be around when he told her. Although her resignation made things slightly easier. Another thing I hadn’t told him about yet.
It would have been so much easier to stay put, stick to our original plan, go the pub and bask in that heady intoxication of knowing your feelings are returned but I couldn’t. I sighed. ‘It’s no good, Daniel. I’m going to have to go back.’
‘No... we’re going to have to go back.’
* * *
Mum sussed something was up the minute I got home to drop off her Peugeot, but only because she caught Daniel kissing me as I locked her car.
Typical! She had to open the door at that second, her arms clutching the box of bottles and tins for the recycling bucket.
‘You’re back earlier than I expected.’ She looked at us with a smirk.
‘Emergency at work, Mum,’ I lied, waving the videotape at her. ‘Daniel’s taking me back. Need to pack.’ And with that I fled up the stairs abandoning Daniel. He was a big boy. He could cope.
* * *
With holdall in hand and ready to make a speedy exit, I wasn’t surprised to see Daniel comfortably ensconced at thekitchen table, chatting away to Mum. He was the only person who ever expressed an interest in her pottery. Too polite for his own good.
‘Go on, take it, Daniel,’ she was saying, pressing one of her misshapen bowls into his hand.
‘Sure?’ he asked, turning it around in his hands stroking the glaze.
I rolled my eyes. What a mug. Mum caught me.
‘It’s not as if any of my family appreciates my work,’ she said huffily.
‘Sorry, Mum. It’s lovely. We’re in a hurry.’
‘Fine. I’ll just wrap it up for you, Daniel.’ She flounced off to the utility room and I could hear lots of rustling.
‘Creep,’ I hissed at Daniel.
‘What?’ He looked amused. ‘I like it.’
‘You don’t. You’re just sucking up. You’re as bad as Bill. He was here the other night schmoozing the parents. They won’t put a good word in for you.’
‘Don’t you believe it? Anyway, you have to check out the mothers, see what you’re getting yourself into.’
He’d had a lucky escape with Emily then.
‘Aha, here you go.’ Mum reappeared with a newspaper parcel. ‘Don’t drop it. Before you go, do you want some leftovers...’
Daniel and I spoke simultaneously.
‘Great,’ he said. Typical man, thinking with his stomach.
‘No, we need to . . .’
Mum arched an eyebrow.
‘OK, then,’ I said heavily, giving in.
When we finally left, we were loaded up with little tinfoil packets of cold sausages, chicken thighs and three plastic bowls of rice salad, couscous and cold pesto pasta. Mum has aTupperware mountain with the right sized boxes and tubs for every occasion.
While she’d been preparing this, I’d phoned Emily for the third time since watching the video. Still no answer. I’d tried on the landline in the flat and on her mobile. Where was she? What if she was in the flat and Peter had let himself in? Closing my eyes I tried to shut out the image of him creeping up the stairs, while she, unsuspecting, with the radio on, never heard a thing.
* * *
