Companion Piece (9780593316382) by Smith Ali

Author:Smith, Ali [Smith, Ali]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Digital
Published: 2022-05-03T00:00:00+00:00

Real v fake:

my father’s dog began to bark. She was barking because there was somebody shouting outside the house. I came out of the studio through the house to the front. I looked out the window.

It was one of the Pelf twins.

A HOME WRECKER LIVES HERE, the twin was shouting.

I opened the door. It was the CELINE one, I was pretty sure. Eden.

What are you doing? I said.

I’m telling all the people unfortunate enough to live near you what you really are, she said.

She turned back to the street and she shouted:

THE PERSON WHO LIVES HERE IS A

WOKE DELUDED DEGENERATE USING THE PANDEMIC AS AN EXCUSE FOR DEBAUCHERY.

A small group of my neighbours had gathered outside their houses on the other side of the street. Steve was there, and Carlo, and Marie and Jaharanah, and Madison and Ashley. I waved to them. They waved back.

You okay, Sand? Jaharanah called over.

So far, I said.

Then I started shouting too.

THIS PERSON SHOUTING OUTSIDE MY HOUSE IS A PITTIKINS.

What did you just call me? Eden Pelf said.

SHE’S A CULVER, I shouted. A HEART’S ROOT. A CRYSTAL BUTTON.

Stop calling me those names! she said.

She started to cry.

What does pittikin mean? she asked. How dare you say you pity me.

Look. Do you want a cup of tea? I said. Stay here. I’ll bring you one.

I WANT YOU TO DIE, she shouted in tears.

She was sobbing now.

What’ve you done with my mother? she said through the sobs.

Is your mother still missing? I said.

No, Eden said. She’s home. But it’s like. It’s like even though she’s there she’s no one we know any more.

Before I could step away from her she’d collapsed against me in tears and was holding on to me.

Oh Christ, I said. Oh no.

I held my arms out away from her.

I really need to sit down, she said. I think I’m going to faint.

I opened the front windows wide and sat her down in the front room. I went to wash my hands. When I came back and stood in the doorway she was looking round at the shelves.

So many books, she said.

A lot less than there were, I said. I’m slowly whittling them down.

Why? she said.

I’m getting older, I said.

That’s a weird thing to say, she said.

Thanks, I said.

Do you double-you eff aitch? she said. I do.

I don’t know. Do I? I said.

It means work from home, she said.

Ah. Yes, I said. I’ve a workshop in the studio in the garden.

What, that old shed? she said.

That old shed, I said.

What do you do? she said.

I’m a painter, I said.

And decorator?

No, I said. The other kind.

Are you on furlough from that job? she said.

No, I said. I’m on emergency rations.

I was, at first, she said. But then last year we got a big new contract so admin went crazy and we had to organize things we’d no idea how to do and we kept getting it wrong.

Right. How do you take your tea? I said.

I don’t want tea, she said. I don’t want anything. Everything tastes horrible.

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