Page 32 of The Lies
“I moved, Mum,” I reply abruptly, not really wishing to tell the whole story when she clearly won’t remember.
“I think you should have a coffee, Bex,” Aunt Addy says as she pulls out a chair for Mum.
“Make it Irish, would ya?”
“No, Bex, I think you’ve had enough, don’t you?”
“Nope, never,” Mum states and goes to prove it by attempting to unscrew the lid of the bottle she’s holding.
“I’ll take that,” Blake says, getting up and taking the bottle from her.
“And who are you?”
“Blake,” he says, but doesn’t go on to explain how he fits in here.
“Blake, Blake, Blake,” Mum repeats as if she knows the name but can’t remember where from. I’m not sure she even realises he’s not the man I married a few years ago.
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay? I can ask Mum to have Sinead another night so you don’t have to deal with this,” Blake offers as I look over my shoulder to where Mum’s now snoring on the sofa.
“Thanks for the offer but I think it’s best I stay here, help Aunt Addy out.”
“Okay, but if you need me, call me.”
“I will. Thank you,” I say, stretching up to give him a kiss.
“Anytime. Are we still going for dinner Tuesday?”
“Definitely.”
I stand and watch him drive off, feeling like I just made the wrong decision. I fall back into Aunt Addy’s chair and turn the TV on.
“What happened to Edward?” Mum asks, shocking the hell out of me. I thought she was out of it, not eavesdropping on our conversation.
“He was having an affair. We’re divorcing.”
“I hope you’re taking him for all he’s worth.”
“Chance would be a fine thing,” I say with a laugh.
“He’s better looking, much more my type. Does he have money?”
“What happened with Tim then, Mum?” I ask, ignoring her previous question.
“He couldn’t keep up with me so I had to leave him behind.”
“Right.”
“He wasn’t good enough for me anyway, his cock was—”
“Whoa, Mum, I really don’t want to know,” I say, wincing at the thought, but her hand gesture shows me what she was just about to explain anyway.
I shake my head and try not to think of any thoughts that involve my mum, toy boy Tim and sex.
“Here,” Aunt Addy says as she comes bursting through the front door with a bag full of fish and chips. “This should soak up some of that vodka.”
“Do you have any wine to wash it down with?”
“No,” both Aunt Addy and I shout at the same time.
