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Crash There was a brief hush as his stereo met the path
He looked up in disbelief ‘You crazy bitch!’
‘You’re shagging that disease-ridden cross-eyed troll froe, and I’m the crazy bitch?’
My mother turned to my father ‘Would you like a cup of tea, Bernard? I think it’s turning a little chilly’
My dad didn’t take his eyes off next door ‘That would be great, love Thank you’
It was as my mother went indoors that I noticed the car It was so unexpected that at first I didn’t recognize it – Mrs Traynor’s Mercedes, navy blue, low-slung and discreet She pulled up, peering out at the scene on the pavement, and hesitated aat the various houses, perhaps checking the numbers And then she saw me
I slid out from the porch and was down the path before Dad could ask where I was going Mrs Traynor stood to the side of the crowd, gazing at the chaos like Marie Antoinette viewing a load of rioting peasants
‘Domestic dispute,’ I said
She looked away, as if al ‘I see’
‘It’s a fairly constructive one by their standards They’ve been going to ant wool suit, pearls and expensive hair were enough tothe sweatpants and cheap fabrics in bright, chain-store colours She appeared rigid, worse than thein Will’s rooistered in so toif you and I could have a little talk’ She had to lift her voice to be heard over the cheering
Mrs Grisha bottle was greeted with squeals of delight and another heartfelt outburst of pleading froh the feet of the crowd and into the gutter
I glanced over at the crowd and then behindMrs Traynor into our front rooair-freshener around to hide the ser at the new guest
‘Ureat time’
‘Perhaps we could talk in my car? Look, just five minutes, Louisa Surely you owe us that’
A couple of lanced in my direction as I climbed into the car I was lucky that the Grishaht have been the topic of conversation In our street, if you climbed into an expensive car itarrested by plain-clothes police
The doors closed with an expensive, muted clunk and suddenly there was silence The car s in it apart from me and Mrs Traynor No srappers, uise the smell of the carton of milk that had been dropped in there three ot on well’ She spoke as if addressing soht ahead of her When I didn’t speak, she said, ‘Is there a probleer lunch break? I am conscious that it’s rather short I could ask Nathan if he would –’
‘It’s not the hours Or the money’
‘Then –’
‘I don’t really want to –’
‘Look, you cannot hand in your notice with immediate effect and expect me not even to ask what on earth’s the matter’
I took a deep breath ‘I overheard you You and your daughter Last night And I don’t want to … I don’t want to be part of it’
‘Ah’
We sat in silence Mr Grishah the front door, and Mrs Grishah the n on to his head The choice of projectile missiles – loo roll, taested she was now in the bathroom
‘Please, don’t leave,’ Mrs Traynor said, quietly ‘Will is comfortable with you More so than he’s been for some time I … it would be very hard for us to replicate that with so to take hinitas’
‘No I a I can to ensure he doesn’t do that’
‘Like what – praying?’
She gave me what my mother would have termed an ‘old-fashioned’ look ‘You must know by now that if Will decides to make himself unreachable, there is little anybody can do about it’
‘I worked it all out,’ I said ‘I’m basically there just to make sure he doesn’t cheat and do it before his six months are up That’s it, isn’t it?’
‘No That’s not it’
‘Which is why you didn’t care about ht and cheerful and different You didn’t look like a nurse You didn’t behave … like any of the others I thought … I thought you ht cheer hi him without that awful beard yesterday … you seeh to hi came out of theIt ca theround Two children picked one up and began running around the little garden with it over their heads