Home Girl by Alex Wheatle

Author:Alex Wheatle
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Akashic Books
Published: 2019-08-08T16:00:00+00:00

chapter ten

The Shark in Louise's Knickers

Parking on a side street just two turnings from the Goldings’ house, Louise killed the engine and turned off the car stereo. For twenty seconds she sat in silence staring through the windshield. She then scoped me hard like she was counting the hairs of my eyebrows. I tried to ignore her by stroking my meerkat—I thought of calling it Emily. “I’m waiting, Naomi!” Louise exploded. “This is going to be interesting, I should imagine.”

“What?”

“I’m waiting to hear what terrible crime Susan’s just committed.”

“She was scratching my nerves.”

“Scratching your nerves? By giving you suggestions about careers and education? Let’s try her at the Old Bailey! In fact, let’s not bother with the trial. Let’s hang, draw, and quarter her!”

“What shark got stuck up your knickers? She was ordering me around, being bossy.”

“You couldn’t even say a proper goodbye. You ran to my car like a whippet.”

I wondered what a whippet was. I guessed it was a Usain Bolt–like shark. “I didn’t give her a proper goodbye? I hugged her, didn’t I? I don’t pretend to like people. That’s what adults do. That’s what you do.”

Louise raised her voice: “She took care of you, tried to advise you. Encouraged you. And you can’t even be bothered to stay another day? She didn’t show it but she feels terrible.”

“Boo diddery hoo! I can’t believe the hard-curb life she’s had. Let’s give her a social worker. Let’s send her for counseling. Give her a frucking lolli—”

“Your sarcasm’s not working, Naomi.”

“So what d’you want me to do?” I asked. “Stay with someone who I don’t like? It wouldn’t be so bad if Emily would be around but she’s at uni.”

Louise gripped the steering wheel hard. Maybe she imagined it being my head. She bit her bottom lip before reaching out for a cigarette in the glove compartment. “And don’t think I didn’t realize that you stole my cigarettes when I dropped you at Susan’s. They call that theft, Naomi.”

She got me on that one. I didn’t reply. Instead, I held my meerkat against my chest.

Winding down the driver’s-side window, Louise ignited her fagarette and pulled on it like it gave her life.

“Can I have one?” I asked.

Louise gave me my biggest-ever really glare.

“She was doing my head in,” I said. “Couldn’t take to her. Another day of her, somebody would’ve had to call the feds out on a grimy murder. Trust me, I woulda made full use of that canoe paddle in her basement. And you wouldn’t want that drama to happen cos you’re always bitching about your paperwork and social wanker inquiries.”

I think she agreed with me on that one. She puffed her smoke out the window. “She did everything she could to be nice to you. She made her house your own, gave you your own space to watch your DVDs, took you bike-riding.”

“My legs are still screaming on that one.”

“I just,” Louise stuttered, “I just can’t understand. What did she do that was so wrong? Tell me, because for the life of me, I can’t work it out.

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