‘Look, I’m really sorry, Mum.’
‘Won’t you lose lots of money on your train ticket?’
‘No, I hadn’t got round to booking one. I was going to buy it at the station today, so it would have cost a fortune.’ He paused. ‘Look, I’ll see you and Dad soon, and I’ll text Ness to let her know I can’t make this weekend.’
‘No, don’t,’ said Valerie quickly. ‘I can tell her.’
Lily might not come to stay if her father wasn’t here, and Valerie wasn’t sure she could cope with another quiet weekend with only Alan for company.
‘If you’re sure.’ There was a hint of relief in Jacob’s voice. ‘She’ll only go off on one if I tell her. Oops, gotta go. The boss is calling me.’
Valerie hadn’t heard anyone calling, but Jacob had an important role at work, apparently, so no doubt was in demand. She said goodbye, adding a fervent wish that he was eating well, but he’d already ended the call.
‘What was that?’ asked Alan as Valerie replaced the phone in its cradle. ‘Jacob not coming after all?’
‘No, he’s too busy at work.’
‘Ah, well. Never mind.’
Never mind? When Alan went back to his crossword, Valerie experienced an unsettling urge to snatch his newspaper, roll it into a tight tube and hit him round the head with it.
Instead, she breathed out slowly, vowing to up her intake of the herbal tea she’d bought online. The tea was supposed to promote calm and serenity, especially in middle-aged women like herself.
So far, all it had done was give her a mild stomach ache, but it was worth persevering because she couldn’t go on like this.
Honestly, if it wasn’t for Lily brightening up her life, she sometimes felt she couldn’t go on at all. What was the point? But that was a ridiculous idea and not something she was willing to explore any further.
Valerie switched the vacuum back on and went back to cleaning the spotless rug.