The Staycation by Michele Gorman

Author:Michele Gorman [Gorman, Michele]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781409190110
Publisher: Orion
Published: 2020-05-31T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Saturday

‘It was such a stupid thing to fight over,’ Sophie confided to Harriet the next morning. Harriet’s shoulder held her phone to her ear as she slid the hot iron across another pillowslip. Ironing was almost as relaxing as counting. She’d thought about not taking Sophie’s call so she could luxuriate in it, but she also enjoyed talking to Sophie. ‘I mean, the children weren’t exactly going to be carried off by a falcon, were they?’ Sophie went on. ‘I should have just gone along with Dan’s idea.’

A burst of steam hissed from the iron. ‘Sophie, have you ever actually used your iron?’

‘That’s a random question. Are you ironing?’

‘Obviously. I don’t ask random questions.’ Sophie was very nice but she wasn’t always logical. A question wouldn’t be asked unless it had a purpose. Even if the purpose was to make idle conversation. Which this wasn’t.

‘You really don’t have to do the ironing for me,’ she said. ‘I’ve lived in wrinkles just fine all these years. It’s bad enough when I have to iron at the donations place. Anyway, what was I saying? Right, instead we ended up at that model village and Dan was totally right. We stood in the village looking at a replica of the village. I was being ridiculous.’

‘What’s ridiculous about saying what you do and don’t want?’ Harriet asked.

‘Well, if we’d gone to the falconry centre then everyone would have been happy.’

‘Is that important to you?’ She folded the material, trapping the warmth between the layers. It would leave creases, but deliberate creases were fine. ‘Because everyone can’t be happy if you’re unhappy, so you wouldn’t have achieved your goal anyway. Are you happy, Sophie?’

‘Of course I am.’

‘Why of course? You’ve just said that Dan shouted at you. Does he do that a lot?’

‘No, I mean, not more than usual. It’s not usually serious. It’s just when I’m being silly.’

‘Which is how often?’

‘Oh, I do something wrong most days.’

‘You know that’s not normal,’ Harriet said. ‘Look at your friends’ relationships. Are their partners shouting at them most days?’

Sophie hesitated. ‘I haven’t really … I’m not in touch with my friends as much as I used to be. You know how it is, with family obligations it gets harder to find the time.’

Warning bells were ringing all around this conversation. Could Sophie really not see? ‘When was the last time you saw your friends?’

‘I don’t know, Harriet, I don’t keep records. Let me think. Maybe a year or two ago? Dan and the children are my priority. That’s what being a good wife and mother is, making them happy.’

‘But why is that more important than making yourself happy?’ Harriet pulled another pillowslip from the dwindling pile. Only three to go. The flat and fitted sheets were already cooling on their labelled shelves in the cupboard. She’d saved these as a treat for last.

Sophie hesitated. ‘It’s not more important, but it’s as important. That’s what I’m saying.’

‘Then you still wouldn’t have achieved your goal for everyone to be happy.

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