After the Break by Smith Penny

Author:Smith, Penny [Smith, Penny]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780007335701
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2009-06-30T23:00:00+00:00

In the control room, the exchange was logged for that night’s programme. Judicious editing resulted in a simmering three minutes of air time.

In Nottingham that night, Keera and her mother sat down to a tuna Niçoise supper in front of the television.

‘This looks delicious,’ said her mother, miserably. She had wanted a meal from the local chippy with a side order of mushy peas and pickled eggs.

‘Thanks, Sheila,’ said Keera, who had been taught from an early age to call her mother by her name. ‘It’s a shame the tuna wasn’t blue fin and that we couldn’t get any of the extra virgin olive oil, which is cold pressed. It does make such a difference to the dressing.’

Her mother, pining for a pickled egg, did not reply.

Keera insisted on watching the evening news. She found it as boring as her mother, but after her ‘bollocking’ by the editor over her lack of knowledge, she supposed she ought to do a bit of homework. The news was just so wretchedly gloomy and dull–like its presenters. If she was doing the news, she’d wear something to cheer people up.

They sat chewing their leaves and watching the pictures roll in front of them.

Sheila was thinking that Keera had changed quite a lot since she had become the star presenter on Hello Britain!. In the past, she would have been happy to come home and have a cosy chat–dish the dirt, tell her the gossip and share a nice Victoria sponge over a pot of tea. Now it was all balsamic vinegar this and truffle oil that. And why is there no hand-squashed, white-cherry, seedless tomato purée in the cupboard? She loved her daughter, but when she had mentioned the change, Keera had accused her of being a stick in the mud.

‘Shall we watch some of that American dancing show after this?’ she asked.

‘Oh, yes,’ said Keera, visibly brightening.

‘And then I’ve got to watch Celebrity X-Treme!

‘Fine,’ said Keera.

‘Would you do one of those celebrity programmes?’

‘I don’t need to. They’re really only for people who are Z-listers and want to resurrect their careers.’

‘Except this is really good fun,’ said Sheila. ‘Did you see the one with the huge tyres being pulled by dogs? That looked like such a laugh.’

‘Yes, but it’s not exactly elegant, is it? It’s not like Strictly Come Dancing, is it, where you actually learn something useful? I can’t see that Katie Fisher winning a dog race is going to help her get another job.’

The Prime Minister appeared on a news item.

‘How is the Prime Minister by the way?’ asked Sheila, excitedly. This was the stuff she liked, hearing about famous people, especially if there was a titbit she could pass on to her friends who worked with her at the supermarket.

‘He’s fine. He’s taller than he looks, and he’s always really friendly. I think it’s only a matter of time before I get invited down to Chequers.’

‘Really?’ asked her mother, biting her lip with excitement. ‘How wonderful’

‘Mm,’ said Keera, putting her knife and fork together.

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