Page 17 of Happily Never After
‘You’ve been through a lot. The whole Angus thing, moving in with Olivia and so on. I mean, don’t get me wrong. Olivia is a charming girl and I know she’s your best friend and everything, but I’m not sure she’s always good for you.’
‘I’m sorry?’
‘She’s a little… how can I put this…unconventional. And I know it shouldn’t matter in the modern age, but she’s from a very different background. I worry she sees you as a charity case.’
‘Hang on. Are you saying that Liv is bad for me because she’s a posh bisexual who looks down on me?’
‘I wouldn’t put it quite as bluntly as that, darling. You’re free to be friends with whomever you please, and whether we like them or not. But when that friend is also your landlady and your employer, well…’
I’m flabbergasted but, before I can think of a suitable reply, we’re interrupted by Michael.
‘Is lunch nearly ready, Mum?’ he asks. ‘The boys are getting restless.’
‘Yes, you can tell them to come to the table if you like. I’m about to start dishing up. Laura, go and tell your father to sort out everyone’s drinks, please.’
From the tone of her voice, it’s clear that our conversation is over as far as Mum is concerned. She’s said her piece and I’m just supposed to accept it, even though she couldn’t be more wrong. As I carry the dishes of vegetables from the kitchen to the dining room, I notice Liv is now sitting next to my dad and making a real effort to engage him in conversation. As I think about the times I’ve been to visit her parents with her, and how welcome they’ve always made me feel, I realise something that makes me seethe inside. Yes, she may be from a very different background, but it’s not Liv or her posh parents that think I’m a charity case. It’s my own mother.
7
‘That was intense,’ Liv remarks once we’re safely in the car heading back towards Margate.
‘Thanks for going in to bat for me,’ I reply.
‘Why is your father so completely adamant that you’re living on the breadline? It doesn’t seem to matter what anyone tells him, he won’t listen. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I told him you were probably better off than me, and he took that to mean the pâtisserie was about to go out of business.’
‘I think it goes back to when I was first starting out. He read this article online that said most authors earn an absolute pittance and sell fewer than three thousand copies of each title. He tried to put me off so many times by trotting out the statistics that I think they’ve got hard wired in his head.’
‘But your last two books were top ten bestsellers! Surely even he must realise that’s going to net you more than a few quid.’
I sigh. ‘Welcome to my life.’
‘And the way your mum kept thanking me for “taking you in” as if you would have been homeless otherwise! I’m sorry, Laura. I know it’s not the done thing to be rude about your friends’ parents, but honestly.’
‘Can I ask you a question?’
‘Of course.’
‘What do your parents think of me?’
‘They love you. Why?’
‘I was just curious.’
‘No. That’s a weird question to come out of the blue, so I’m guessing there’s an agenda behind it. Come on, spill.’
I wasn’t going to say anything to Liv about the conversation I had with my mother before lunch, but it’s been playing on my mind.
‘Well,’ I begin, unsure how to broach the topic tactfully, before realising this is Liv I’m talking to. ‘Your family is much posher than mine, isn’t it?’
She glances over at me, her expression suddenly serious. ‘What’s brought this on?’
‘On second thoughts, forget it. You’ll think I’m being paranoid.’
To my surprise, her face lights up. ‘Oh, I see what this is,’ she says with a grin.
‘What is it?’
‘Fine. It’s time to come clean. I haven’t said anything before because I didn’t want to hurt your feelings, but my parents think you’re a terrible chav and can’t understand what I see in you.’
