Page 44 of Between Us
Roisin hooted.
‘Concentrate on recovering. Roisin and I can share the drive back,’ Meredith said.
Roisin nodded agreement, while inwardly shrivelling. She had in no way prepared herself, in her state of inner turmoil, for the prospect of manhandling a temperamental vintage coach down a motorway. How do you overtake in that thing? Buy it flowers and ask it nicely?
‘No, Ethelred won’t like a stranger touching her. It has to be me,’ Gina said. ‘I’ll be OK. Another hour.’
‘Does Sunny von Bülow want another drink?’
‘Who’s that? No, thank you – I threw the Fanta up.’
‘Do I need to rinse the washing-up bowl?’
‘I made it to the fireplace.’
‘What?!’
‘Heh heh.’ Gina managed a tiny evil smile. ‘Not really – the loo.’
‘Oh, if you can do humour then you’re recovering,’ Meredith said. ‘Why am I bedpan nurse?!’
Her eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips, like a mum who has been told their child’s stomach bug is suspiciously impervious to tortilla chips.
‘No, Mer. I feel awful,’ Gina said, ‘In every way. I can’t even remember a lot. I can’t remember Joe’s show!’
‘It’ll be on iPlayer,’ Roisin said, hoping she sounded less terse than she felt.
Gina dropped her voice. ‘Was I reallyreallyhorrible to Matt?’
‘No! You were … robust,’ Meredith said. ‘You were quite horrible to his girlfriend, though, haha.’
‘The girl who looked like Amelia Lee,’ Gina said, eyes closed. She was maintaining the perfect immobility of someone who knew if she moved, she’d puke.
Meredith and Roisin exchanged glances.
‘Er … she was …’ Meredith began.
‘Was what?’ Gina said.
‘Yeah, she acted like a VIP,’ Roisin said. ‘Total diva. I’d not worry about offending her.’
Roisin, already holding her phone, hurriedly WhatsApped Meredith.
If she’s forgotten that bit, let’s go with it! Wait until
we’re safely home/Gina is out of her intensive care x
You make a very good point.
They left Gina to her convalescence, found a croquet set in a cupboard and passed the last hour playing a game on the front lawn.
Eventually Gina appeared, dressed, packed, headscarf on, and said, ‘Girls, I feel good to go, but it has to be now before my stomach or bum change their minds.’
They scarpered into the house to grab their luggage and it made the farewells with Dev and Anita mercifully brief. Roisin didn’t want to perjure herself, but, stumbling through effusive thanks, she had to.
‘You are, as always, the store manager of our hearts,’ Roisin said, planting a kiss on Dev’s cheek.
‘Yes, Bolton’s Rose. No thank yous could do this justice,’ Meredith said, helping out.
