Chapter 26
26
CRYSTAL
Well, I tried, didn’t I? I apologised to the grandma – Jane – and all I got for it was a frosty response, an icy stare and a stony silence. Frosty, icy, stony, that just about summed her up. But she was Gemma’s mum so I had to try to be nice. I know it upset Gemma, the way her mum reacted. We’d had such a laugh together the previous evening, and first thing in the morning too, but after Jane had gone, she didn’t seem to be able to snap out of her miserable mood. Even Poppy asked her, ‘ Whassa matter, Mummy ?’, and Gemma had just sighed and said she had a headache. But I knew her mum’s attitude had upset her. And it was sad to see her like that again. I mean, she’d been sad and depressed – obviously – a lot of the time when we’d first met, because of her ex and what he’d done, but recently I’d been seeing a change in her, like she was starting to come to terms with things and even starting to enjoy her life again, just a little. I’d like to think I might have helped with that, even if only a little bit. And now it felt like, because of the mistake I’d made, alienating her mum by turning up on Poppy’s birthday, she was upset again.
‘Cheer up,’ I said, going into the kitchen and sitting down opposite her, when Poppy eventually began to tire of playing horses with me on the living room carpet, jumping on my back. ‘Shall we go out for a walk? The fresh air might help your headache?—’
‘Actually, Crystal, if you don’t mind I’ve got some work to finish off today,’ she said without looking up to meet my eyes.
‘Oh, no problem, I’ll take Poppy out for you, then, so you can get on in peace. I’ll put her warm coat on her and?—’
‘No. Sorry, I didn’t mean…’ She tailed off. ‘I kind of need to have a day with Poppy on our own, if you don’t mind. She was with Mum all day yesterday, and all night, and, well, I just feel like I want to spend some time with her today. I think she needs a quiet day too, to look at her birthday presents and get over all the excitement she’s had and, well, just kind of wind down, you know?’
She still hadn’t looked up at me. I didn’t know what to say; I felt like I was being dismissed. On one level, I knew what she was saying made sense: I got it, she and Poppy just needed a quiet day. But I could have had a quiet day with them too. I could calm Poppy down, sit with her and read stories with her or play a quiet game instead of jumping around like we’d been doing. No – she just didn’t want me around. Perhaps she was upset about the awkwardness between me and her mum. Well, I was the one who’d made an effort, wasn’t I? I think she knew I’d be hurt, because of the way she was sounding uncomfortable about it, avoiding my eyes and pretending she was going to do some work.
‘OK,’ I managed to say after the silence had gone on for just a minute too long. ‘All right, well, I hope your headache soon feels better, and – well, I’ll just get my things, then, and say goodbye to Poppy.’
Even while I was putting on my coat and hugging Poppy – who clung to me and asked me to stay – Gemma stayed sitting at the kitchen table, staring at nothing, saying nothing.
‘Bye, then!’ I called out before I opened the front door, still hoping there might be a last-minute reprieve, a change of heart, a sudden cheery, Oh, all right, don’t go, let’s have a nice day together… but there wasn’t.
‘Bye,’ she said tonelessly. ‘See you at work on Monday.’
I let myself out.