Page 90 of Kate and Clara's Curious Cornish Craft Shop
‘Morning,’ I say a bit later as Molly comes sleepily down into the shop. ‘What are you up to today?’
‘Not much,’ she shrugs.
‘Not seeing Chesney?’
‘Nah, not today.’
I raise my eyebrows. As far as I’m aware Molly hasn’t seen Chesney in well over a week now and I can’t say I’m too unhappy about it.
‘Is everything okay with you and Chesney?’ I ask.
Molly shrugs again.
‘It’s only I’ve noticed you’ve not seen that much of him lately?’
‘Nah, I’m trying to distance myself a bit.’
‘Oh, really?’ This was news to me.
‘Yeah,’ Molly says. ‘He got a bit … clingy.’
My ears prick up. ‘What do you mean?’
‘He’s just a bit too full on.’
‘In what way?’ I ask, suddenly worried Chesney had been pressuring Molly to do things she hadn’t wanted to. ‘Is he pressuring you to have sex with him?’
‘Mum!’ Molly says, her cheeks bright red.
‘I’m sorry but I have to ask.’
‘No, it’s not that.’
‘Then what is it?’
Molly wrinkles up her nose, ‘It’s difficult to describe really. He’s always texting me, wanting to know what I’m doing or where I am, and if I don’t text or phone him back he immediately gets really angry.’
My blood doesn’t boil this time, it simply turns ice cold.
‘He hasn’t got physical with you, has he? I mean he hasn’t hit you when he’s been angry?’
‘No, nothing like that. When I’m with him I feel … what’s the word?’
‘Claustrophobic?’ I suggest.
‘Yeah, that’s exactly it. Like he wants to control me all the time. I feel …’
‘Smothered?’
‘Yes! How do you know all this, Mum?’
I swallow hard. I had to talk to her about it. It was happening to my daughter now too, and it would only get worse if we didn’t discuss it properly.
‘Because that’s what Joel was like, Molly,’ I say quietly. ‘That’s why we broke up.’
Molly stares at me. ‘Joel texted you all the time as well?’
‘He did a bit more than that, which is why there was that incident at your school. You didn’t think there was anything wrong in him trying to meet you, but it was just the tip of the iceberg. How Chesney is behaving towards you is how it starts, Molly. Boys … or maybe I should saymenwho want to control your life aren’t the sort you should be having a relationship with. It will never end well. Joel wanted to control me … well, us really, and I had to put a stop to it. I didn’t tell you everything at the time because you were so young … and it was my problem to deal with.’
