Emotional Geology by Linda Gillard

Author:Linda Gillard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: poetry, depression, mental illness, bipolar, literary fiction, climbing, contemporary romance, mountaineering, second chance, scottish romance, hebrides, scottish fiction, textiles, older heroine, dating and relationships, highlander hero, scottish island
Publisher: Linda Gillard

~

Megan re-tunes the radio until she finds some pop music then turns up the volume. She sings and moves her body in time to the music. As she stirs the meat sauce Rose watches her daughter and smiles. ‘Shall we have a drink?’

‘Yeah, great.’

Megan resumes her singing and begins to gesticulate with the knife to the beat of the music. Rose pours two large glasses of red wine and raises one to Megan. ‘Slàinte!’

‘Cheers!’ Megan grins at her over the rim of her glass and drinks deeply.

An old Supremes number starts up and Rose closes her eyes. ‘Ah, now this is what I call rock music! They don’t make them like this any more!’ Rose starts to sing ‘Stop in the name of love’ and Megan joins in, dancing round the kitchen, glass in one hand, knife in the other, holding it like a microphone. Rose starts to giggle.

Afterwards, Rose realises that she heard the knock, heard a voice call out, so she wasn’t as startled as Megan when Calum suddenly pushed open the kitchen door.

As Megan spins round, startled, the contents of her glass fly though the air and splash onto her shirt. Her hand, holding the knife, swings round towards Calum, inches from his chest. Before Rose can even register what is happening, Calum has grabbed Megan’s wrist and yanked her arm up in the air. With his other hand he has pushed her against the wall and holds her there, pinioned with his forearm across her chest. The knife clatters to the floor. Megan is screaming. Rose has to shout to make herself heard.

‘Calum, let her go! Calum! Look at me!’

He swivels his head round, still holding Megan pinned to the wall. He looks frightened and confused. Suddenly his body sags and he releases Megan who runs from the kitchen, sobbing. Grey-faced, Calum stares at the knife on the floor. ‘Jesus Christ almighty... ’ Rose stoops to pick it up, then drops it quickly into the sink. Calum is still staring at the floor. ‘Did I hurt her?’

‘No, I don’t think so. You just scared her half to death.’

His voice is barely a whisper. ‘I just saw the knife... coming towards me. She looked like Davy from behind. The short hair... and the knife... Jesus, I’m sorry, Rose! You must think I’m a bloody maniac! Are you sure I didn’t hurt her?’

‘I’ll go and check in a moment but I don’t think so. You pinned her up against the wall with your body weight. You didn’t grab her throat or anything.’

‘Thank Christ for that.’ There is an awkward silence, then Calum starts to speak rapidly. ‘They taught us self-defence at school. In Glasgow, I mean... How to protect ourselves without damaging the kids. There are ways. “Reasonable restraint” they call it. Anything more than that and you can be done for assault.’ Rose lays a hand on his arm and he stops talking. ‘Oh, Christ, Rose - should I go and apologise, or should I just leave?’

‘You’re going nowhere.

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