The Importance of Being Seven by Smith Alexander McCall

Author:Smith, Alexander McCall [Smith, Alexander McCall]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, Modern, Fiction, Humour, Adult, General, Contemporary
ISBN: 9780349123165
Amazon: 0349123160
Goodreads: 9079027
Publisher: Abacus
Published: 2010-08-18T07:00:00+00:00

44. A Move to Moray Place

‘We can’t stay here,’ Matthew announced. ‘I like India Street – it’s one of the nicest streets in the New Town – but how can we stay here? How?’

Elspeth cast an eye down on her stomach, now rather larger, she imagined, than it would otherwise have been. The thought of three babies within her – three! – made her feel slightly light-headed. I’m going to be vast, she thought; really vast. I’ll require scaffolding. ‘I don’t see what you mean. What’s wrong with India Street?’

Matthew shook his head. ‘It’s not India Street itself,’ he said. ‘In fact it’s nothing to do with India Street. It’s to do with us – all six, no, five of us. You can’t have three children in this flat – you just can’t.’

Elspeth looked around. ‘But it’s a really large flat,’ she said. ‘Lots of people – virtually everyone – make do with much less space. We’re lucky.’

‘Of course we’re lucky. I know that. But how are you going to get three babies up the stair? Impossible.’

Elspeth thought about this. ‘No …’

‘Well, there you are,’ said Matthew. ‘We’re going to have to move.’

She saw that he was right. But where could they move? Was Matthew planning a move into suburbia – to the braes of Corstorphine, to the glades of Colinton, to the Braids? This was all territory with which she was unfamiliar, her idea of it being long avenues of well-set bungalows with neat little gardens behind carefully manicured hedges. Such places were undoubtedly comfortable, but she wondered whether anything happened there. Matthew, she thought, might be unhappy in such circumstances; he was more urban than suburban, and it was difficult to imagine him wheeling the triple pushchair off to Blackford Pond to visit the ducks. And yet, that’s what people did; they went off into the suburbs and were never seen again.

‘All right,’ she said. ‘I suppose we’re going to have to get somewhere more suitable. But where? Corstorphine?’

Matthew shook his head. ‘No, I don’t think so. Corstorphine is fine for …’ He paused, uncertain how to complete the sentence. What was Corstorphine fine for? He was not sure. It was not far from the zoo, of course, and he had heard that at night one might hear the lions roaring. He was not sure how he would react to that. It might make one think one was in the Serengeti, or it might make one reflect on the whole question of keeping such great, proud beasts in northern captivity.

‘So, where then?’

Matthew looked up at the ceiling. ‘Well, what do we need? Somewhere on the ground floor. Somewhere with a garden where we can play with the baby … babies. Somewhere within reach of the gallery so I don’t have to sit in a bus all morning. Somewhere … comfortable.’

Elspeth thought for a moment. She had seen a large For Sale notice recently and remembered thinking that the place that it was advertising might be rather attractive. But

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