Page 89 of The Dolce Vita Divas
‘Actually, it might be a good thing,’ he continued, ‘for Mum to have a friend to go travelling with’ – it was almost as though I wasn’t part of the discussion any more, like some sort of difficult child – ‘and if he owns a hotel, maybe we could go and stay there sometime?’
‘Honestly, Alex. Can you hear yourself?’ Kat said, exasperated.
‘What?’ Alex said, confused.
‘Never mind about that, we are talking about this man Mum has picked up?’ Jess said.
‘She says he’s a friend, not just some man,’ Alex interrupted.
‘Yes, but we don’t know anything about him. Is he actually going to look after her? It doesn’t seem likely going on what happened last time. Coming back after a week with the remains of a black eye and a sore shoulder,’ Kat added.
‘That was nothing to do with him, it was a genuine accident. His grandson tripped me up, I’ve told you all this,’ I said.
‘So this Paulo is a grandfather? For heaven’s sake, how old is he?’
‘One year older than I am. Which is not that old, I would like to remind you. And Eric is just a little boy who hasn’t been told about his boundaries. And respecting other people’s space. Which reminds me a bit of you three at the moment. The difference being that Eric is only five.’
Kat, as the eldest and bossiest, called for silence.
‘So let’s get this straight. We’re not coming to you for Christmas?’
Jess held up her hand. ‘I suppose you could come to me, if I get some help with the cooking. I might have a state-of-the-art kitchen, but I have no idea how to use half of it.’
Kat was not going to be sidelined. ‘And you are going off with this random man, to Capri or possibly somewhere else, you want to clear our childhood treasures out from the garage, and you want Alex to move into his own place.’
‘That’s partly correct,’ I said. ‘Firstly, I think it would be lovely for you all to be together at Jess’s house. She’s got more room than I do, and a bigger dining room. Secondly, most of the so-called treasures in my garage are actually old stuff you couldn’t decide whether to throw out or not; and thirdly, Paulo’s not a random man. I knew him before I even met your father, and before you ask, he’s a very nice person who meant a great deal to me once. And still does.’
‘Oh,’ Jess said, ‘I see. By the way, you lot, if any of you have any food allergies, you’ll have to sort them out yourselves.’
‘Wow. Mum’s got a boyfriend,’ Alex said. ‘Don’t you think we should meet him? Give him the talk.’
‘What talk?’ I said.
‘About looking after you and being nice to you.’
‘I don’t need anyone looking after me, but if I did, he would be the one I would choose,’ I said.
‘What does he look like? Has he got any other kids?’ Alex asked.
‘Just one son, Leo, who is a successful businessman who lives in Texas. And he and his wife have one son too, who is five.’
‘Cool,’ Alex said, his eyes suddenly unfocused as he probably started thinking about all the possibilities.
‘Yes, but he’s just a friend, isn’t he?’ Kat asked. ‘I mean, at your age, you’re not going to – you know – have?—’
‘Shut up, Kat,’ Jess shouted, putting both hands over her face.
So, my children were fine with me having afriendbut nothing else. Amazing, even in this enlightened world where just about anything was okay with the younger generation, the prospect of their mother actually having an intimate relationship with a man was too cringeworthy to contemplate. I sometimes wondered if they thought they had just sprung fully formed from my imagination, or whether the stork or the gooseberry bush actually had some part in their appearance.
‘Have what, Kat?’ I said innocently.
‘You know perfectly well what I mean, Mother,’ Kat said stiffly. ‘It’s not something any of us want to imagine.’
I should hope not, all things considered.And if it hadn’t been for my bruised ribs and sore shoulder, there might have been a great deal more to think about.
‘Imagine all you like, dear,’ I said airily. ‘We are all adults here, aren’t we? Good, so that’s all cleared up then.’
‘So, are we going to meet him?’ Kat asked.
