The Chinese Proverb by Tina Clough

Author:Tina Clough [Clough, Tina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

DAY 7 – WEDNESDAY

Next morning I went into the bathroom first. ‘If my phone rings, could you answer it, please? It might be Willow wanting to check some fact with you.’

I had just turned the shower off when my phone went in the bedroom. I opened the door a crack and heard Dao say, ‘Yes, he’s here, but he’s in the shower.’

Short silence.

‘My name is Susan. Who are you?’

Longer silence.

‘I don’t think I need to tell you anything. You can ask Hunter, if you want to know.’

Short silence.

‘Bye.’

I came out of the bathroom. Dao was standing in the door to her bedroom with my phone in her hand. She looked quite calm.

‘Who was that?’

‘A woman called Vivian. She’s very angry.’

‘Is she now?’ I was amused and wondered what had been said at the other end of that brief conversation.

‘That was quite a long reply she gave you. Was she rude to you?’

Dao’s eyes flashed black sparks. I had never seen her angry before.

‘She was very rude! She asked who I was and what I was doing here. And I didn’t think it was any of her business. She’s not my boss.’

She handed me the phone. ‘I’m sorry if I was rude to her. But she asked if I had stayed the night and if it had been fun. I think I know what she meant.’

‘You are probably right. Don’t worry about it.’

‘What if she’s angry with you too? Does she come and stay the night with you – you know, do you and her …?’

‘She’s a friend and we do things together. But she’s never spent a night in this house.’

I thought of my reluctance to let Vivian properly into my life, the feeling that once she was in she would try to take control. She had tried to invite herself for a weekend stay a couple of times but I had ignored her suggestions. Visions of having to change my habits had made me cautious. Sleeping with her now and then was one thing, but there would be no sharing of lives. I had lived alone for long enough to know I preferred it to anything else.

Dao was studying my face, trying to figure out what I was thinking. I smiled and said, ‘I must get dressed – and you too. We have that police interview this morning.’

‘What should I wear? I don’t know what to pick.’

Amazing, I thought, how fast she has developed this concern about what to wear. But the next minute she proved me wrong.

‘I want to look grown up. They won’t believe me if they think I’m a child, Hunter. Don’t laugh – you know you have said it yourself several times. So help me choose!’

‘You look a lot less like a young teenager now you’ve got a nice haircut.’

I looked her over and discovered something else.

‘And do you know what? I’ve only just noticed – you’re putting on a bit of weight. You aren’t as skinny as you were a week ago. Very nice!’

But I did help her.

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