Page 85 of The Fallback

‘Can we make it coffee?’ she asked. ‘I’m due in the lab at eleven but I can meet you before then?’

‘Of course,’ her mother replied enthusiastically. ‘You can tell me all about how work is going, I want to hear everything.’

Everything. That was a broad ask, Rosie had a lot going on at work, what with BioChem and her suspect lab results andthoseemails of Rachel’s she had seen. Maybe her mother didn’t need to knoweverythingabout work. Perhaps those emails could be filed away with the copy of Rosie’s PhD thesis that her mother had proudly insisted on having, but which had, as far as Rosie was aware, sat on a shelf gathering dust ever since.

‘Can we meet at that place on Russell Square?’ her mother asked.

Rosie frowned. ‘You mean the place where the baristas are always rude and the coffee is terrible?’

‘That’s the one,’ her mother confirmed brightly.

‘Why?’ asked Rosie in confusion.

‘They have those delicious little macaroons that the boys love and I thought I’d take them a box tonight. I’m babysitting,’ Susan said by way of explanation.

Rosie paused for a moment; it would be easier just to say yes and to deal with the rudeness and the subpar coffee but actually today she thought she deserved kindness and good coffee and damn it if she wasn’t going to treat herself.

‘How about this?’ Rosie suggested. ‘Why don’t I get you a box of those macaroons on my way in this morning and you meet me at Cafe Driade, you know the one two doors down from my lab? The coffee is a lot better there,’ she said by way of explanation.

‘Do you have time to do that?’ her mother queried.

‘Sure,’ Rosie lied. She didn’t really have time for any of this, she ought to be in the lab already checking on her results, but she had seen who had reserved lab space ahead of her and no crisis was worth crossing paths with Handsy Pete.

‘Well, that would be lovely, and the coffee really is terrible in that place,’ her mother agreed. ‘Tell me what time suits you.’

* * *

Susan was already waiting when Rosie arrived at the cafe. She was stood on the pavement in a powder-blue coat and fuchsia scarf which Rosie hadn’t seen before. She exuded maternal warmth and stability on a grey London pavement. Along with coffee, it was just what Rosie needed.

‘You look lovely, Mum,’ Rosie said kissing her on the cheek and finding her eyes welling up for no apparent reason. Evidently, she could no longer greet her own mother without crying.Thanks Mitch, thanks men of the world, she thought bitterly.

‘Oh, thank you darling, do you like my new coat? It was an early Christmas present to myself,’ Susan asked, doing a little twirl.

‘I love it,’ Rosie said, squeezing her mum’s arm, ‘it brings out the blue in your eyes.’

Susan looked at Rosie with an expression of concern. ‘You look tired,’ she said in a worried tone as they walked through the door of the cafe.

‘Busy at work Mum,’ Rosie said by way of explanation and handed over the box of macaroons as a diversion technique.

‘Oh, lovely! Thank you,’ her mother exclaimed. ‘Did they have the strawberry ones?’ she asked peering into the box with concern. ‘Those are Joe’s favorites although he will deny it till he’s blue in the face. Apparently, it’s not “cool” for boys his age to eat pink food,’ Susan said. ‘But they still seem to disappear when I’m not looking.’

Rosie laughed. ‘Yes they did and I got several of those. It’s funny how quickly he is growing up isn’t it?’ she said to her mother.

‘I’ll get the coffees,’ Susan said, pulling out her purse. ‘You go and find us a seat. What would you like?’

‘Just a flat white, thanks,’ Rosie said and headed straight to the far corner of the cafe where she could see two seats free. It wasn’t that she was doing anything wrong, she wasn’t skipping out on work, but she also didn’t want to advertise the fact she was enjoying coffee with her mother should any of the students or her colleagues walk past the window. Or have to introduce her mother to any of her colleagues. She wasn’t sure who would embarrass her more.

‘So, you’re going to Chris and Jasmine’s tonight, are you?’ she asked as her mother returned with the coffees. ‘How do they seem?’ Rosie didn’t want to pry but she knew her mother would give her a straight answer.

‘I think they seem good actually,’ Susan replied.

‘Good?’ Rosie asked in surprise. It seemed a strange statement to make given the circumstances.

‘Sorry, that sounds crass,’ her mother conceded. ‘They’re obviously still very sad about the miscarriage. But I think this has brought them a little closer than they were before. I have to admit I was a bit worried about both of them before this happened.’

Rosie stared at her mother in astonishment. Susan showed amazing insight for someone who seemed to have a very hands-off approach to the private lives of her children. How did Susan know so much about Jasmine and Chris’ marriage? Briefly she wondered whether her mother had secretly had her and Chris tagged in order to monitor them. And then she shuddered just thinking of what her mother would have discovered about Rosie in the last few weeks.

‘Did you know about any of it?’ Rosie asked. ‘I mean about them trying or not trying for a baby?’

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