A Love Story for Bewildered Girls by Emma Morgan

Author:Emma Morgan
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780241357774
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2018-09-03T16:00:00+00:00

This is Grace not taking Sam home to Ravel Corner

Great Aunt Beatrice rang her. Cyril had had a fall. Could they come? Grace said yes of course, straight away. It would never have occurred to her to refuse Beatrice or Cyril anything. She considered things. She and Sam had been going out for three months now; was it too early to ask Sam to come with her? She dithered. Her family were mostly nice. Sam was nice too and so why shouldn’t they get on? But what if they didn’t like her, how would that make Grace feel? And what if Sam didn’t like them; there were so many of them, and all so full on. She decided in the end to be a grown-up about it and let Sam decide.

‘No thanks,’ said Sam, who was washing up in her flat while Grace stood behind her. Why have I chosen to ask her now, thought Grace, and therefore miss the chance of seeing her face. Now what am I supposed to say? I don’t want to grill her on why she doesn’t want to come, I don’t want to show her how disappointed I am, maybe it is better that I’m standing behind her.

‘Are you busy this weekend?’

‘Not particularly.’

‘Then come, they’re nice, you’ll like them.’

‘I don’t do family.’

‘Oh. Why not?’

‘I just don’t do them.’

‘Will I meet your family?’

‘They’re a long way away, so probably not.’

‘Right,’ said Grace. ‘Well, you’ll like my sisters, I think, they’re great. Well, Eustacia and Tess are. Bella not so much, she’s an acquired taste but she’s entertaining at least. Please come.’

‘No thanks.’

‘OK,’ said Grace in a way she hoped didn’t sound passive aggressive. ‘I might be a couple of days. It depends on how my grandfather is.’

‘OK,’ said Sam. ‘Do you want some tea?’

‘I’m pretty worried about him.’

‘Yes, I expect you are. Tea?’

Grace didn’t understand. Sam wasn’t a callous person, she was nothing but kind. Grace had seen her helping children in the park to find their lost mittens.

‘He’s very old, you see, and unsteady, and this isn’t the first time he’s fallen. And Beatrice is very old too and she shouldn’t really be caring for him on her own. And so I’ve got to go.’

‘Sure,’ said Sam.

Would you just listen to what I am trying to tell you, thought Grace; she decided on directness, none of this pussyfooting around.

‘I would like you to come. It would help me.’

‘Sorry, Grace,’ said Sam, turning towards her at last, ‘I’ve got things to do.’

Grace fought back a sudden urge to take Sam by the arms and shake her. Why the hell wasn’t she listening properly? Instead Grace put her hands in her pockets.

‘OK, well, I’ll ring you.’

‘Fine,’ said Sam.

There wasn’t any more that Grace could do or say, it seemed, but it was the first time that she had ever felt angry with Sam.

It was funny going ‘home’. Everything was the same, a time warp. The long potholed drive the car struggled along that they had used to swerve down in the Land Rover.

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