Page 9 of Merrily Ever After
We’re going for a curry after five-a-side football later. Fancy joining us this time? You won’t be the only girl x
She smiled, pleasantly surprised; this sounded much more like the old Gavin. She’d have preferred a night out with just him, or even better, a night in, but she knew better than to suggest it. Plus, her favourite food in the entire world was curry. There was a jibe with the ‘this time’ comment, but fair play; she usually turned down his after-football invites. The bath could wait, she decided, her thumbs flying over the screen to reply. Maybe tonight they could put the past behind them and move on.
Curry?!?! Just try to stop me! Thanks for inviting me, sounds great, text me the details. I’ve got to drop in on Dad first, he wasn’t well earlier, but I’ll see you there xx
Emily watched the screen.Gavin is typing, it said at the top. He was probably going to ask what was wrong with him.
Cool x
Was that it? Never mind; he would still be at work. Plenty of time to catch up later.
She replaced the phone in her handbag and set off to her dad’s.
Emily sat across the kitchen table from her dad watching him eat the plate of sausages and mashed potato she’d made for him. No vegetables. He flatly refused to eat anything healthy. She should have left by now, but there’d been so much to do when she got here, and he’d been so grateful for her help. He’d lost his watch and had emptied everycupboard and drawer to try to find it. Together they had tidied everything away, but the watch hadn’t turned up. Next, she’d made him help her change his bed sheets and towels and she’d filled the washing machine and emptied it twice over. By which time he declared he was feeling a bit peckish and fancied sausage and mash. She hadn’t found sausages or potatoes in his kitchen, but she had found his watch hidden behind a tin of baked beans. After that, she’d taken him shopping to the little supermarket nearby.
‘What day is it?’ Ray asked her, slurping from his mug of tea.
‘Monday, remember?’ He’d asked her several times.
‘We always have chops for dinner on Monday. Never mind.’ Ray smiled blankly at his daughter. ‘Mum makes me eat the fat, even though I don’t like it. Aren’t you having any dinner?’
‘No, Dad, I’m going out with Gavin.’ She’d told him that already too.
Or at least she was supposed to be, but she’d been here much longer than planned. She could still just about make it to the Indian restaurant. There’d be no time to go home and get changed out of her pinafore dress and flat shoes now. Pity, Gavin liked her to make an effort when she was with his friends. Her phone was about to die too, which was a bit of a blow. Dad only had an ancient Nokia so she couldn’t borrow his charger. His phone was working after its spell in the freezer, though, so that was something.
‘New chap?’ Ray looked over at her.
‘No, you’ve met Gavin,’ she said. ‘Tall, dark hair, supports Manchester United?’
He looked down at his plate and squirted a mountain of ketchup onto his mashed potato. ‘Oh yeah.’
Emily swallowed a sigh at the obvious lie. He clearly had no recollection of Gavin at all. How long before he stopped recognising her when she came round? How long before his lucid moments became a thing of the past altogether? The thought made her feel sick. The incident with the police this morning was a wake-up call. She’d thought that having a carer to visit him every morning was enough. But trying to report his non-existent car as stolen had changed things.
‘Are you eating properly, Dad?’ Emily asked, watching him devour his dinner.
He looked shifty. ‘Not much of a cook, but I can open a tin. Don’t worry, I never go hungry. What day is it?’
She took a deep breath and reached for his hand across the table. ‘Monday.’
He thought about it for a moment and gave a curt nod. ‘We have chops on Monday.’
Maybe so, she thought, but she couldn’t imagine him being able to cook meat safely anymore. She’d selected some ready meals for him earlier , easy stuff he could microwave. Maybe it was time to investigate a meals delivery service. Another job for the list.
As soon as he’d finished eating, he put his plate in the sink and went back into the living room. She quickly washed the dishes, slipped on her coat and headed back to kiss him goodbye and collect her handbag. A glance at her phone told her that the battery was on one per cent now, but she could give it a quick blast on the car charger when she left.
‘I’ll see you soon, Dad,’ she said. ‘What are you looking at?’
He wasn’t in his armchair, as she’d expected. Instead, he’d opened the curtains and he was gazing out into the darkness,his hands cupped around his forehead so he could see through the window better. ‘She’s normally back by now.’
She touched his arm. ‘Who is?’
He flinched and turned to stare at her as if she was a stranger. ‘Mum.’ His eyes filled with tears. ‘She went to the butcher’s for some chops for Dad’s dinner. She’s been gone for ages.’
‘I’m sure she’ll be back soon,’ she soothed, trying to keep her own emotions in check.
She’d never known her grandmother, but she did understand her dad’s mounting unease. Because there was a time when she’d been the one at the window waiting forhim. Even before they’d officially parted ways, her parents had spent as much time apart as they had together. A lot of water had passed under the bridge, since her mum, Tina, had called time on the relationship for good, and Emily no longer resented him for his frequent absences. But she remembered vividly those times as a little girl, unable to drag herself from the window, waiting for him to come home.
‘But what if she doesn’t come back? I don’t like it on my own.’ Ray started to cry quietly, his chest heaving and shoulders shaking.
