Chapter 15 #3
Nina looked at her sister. ‘One minute Dad and I were breaking Jaffa Cakes in half to give ourselves a little sugar top-up, but not wanting to waste a whole one, and the next I am in a restaurant with Finn, with white linen tablecloths and shiny glasses and baskets of fresh-baked bread, which I slathered with butter.’ She smiled at the memory.
‘I loved it and I wanted more of that life!’ She took a breath.
‘Even Finn’s car . . . The passenger seat was the nicest thing I had ever sat in, and he smelled’ – she inhaled, recalling the exact scent that had intoxicated her – ‘he smelled rich. My clothes were never dried properly and always had a faint tinge of damp wafting from them, I never had fancy shampoo and certainly not scent, but Finn – he was pristine! Every aspect of him shone, from the paintwork of his Porsche to his teeth. And I wanted to shine like that!’
Tiggy took Nina’s hand into hers. Her words when they came were heartfelt, considered. ‘But that’s the thing, Nina. You already did!’
Connor and Anna were on the sofa sharing a set of headphones while studying.
She loved that Anna was so at ease in their home and how she pushed Connor: he was keen to study harder, not wanting to fall below Anna’s exacting academic standards.
Declan and Arek were on the floor constructing a robot out of aluminium foil tubes, fabric-softener lids, ice-cream cartons and even an old calculator.
‘Where did you get all that stuff from?’ Nina asked.
‘Toothless Vera lets us get it out of her recycling.’
‘Right.’ Nina tried not to picture her youngest child dumpster diving. An image of him in his finest Kings Norton College togs flashed into her mind.
She prepared macaroni cheese and ladled steaming portions into bowls that she handed out; it was now the norm, and not a treat, to eat from the bowl in your hand while sitting on the sofa or the floor.
Setting the table in the kitchen or dining room with a view of the grounds was a dim and distant memory.
It had always felt like the right thing to do, trying to erase the memory of searching for a space to sit in her gran’s cluttered parlour.
Yet now the whole experience was much more intimate.
Gone were the cold looks over the wide tabletop, the clunking sound of serving spoons against the best china and the forced conversation.
Here they ate, laughed, chatted and reached across each other in closer proximity, and as a family. Much closer.
‘Thank you, this looks lovely!’ Anna was her usual sweet, polite self.
‘Surely not better than my ice cubes and peas?’ Nina feigned a hurt look.
‘No! Nothing could beat that. It will always be your signature dish.’
Connor had left to walk Anna back to her house, Arek’s mum had come to take him home, and Declan was in bed, with his large robot made of rubbish propped up in the corner. Nina finally had five minutes to catch her breath on the sofa . . .
A little after eleven there was a knock on the French doors.
She must have dozed off, as it gave her quite a start.
She looked through the blind. Tiggy stood on tiptoes, waving and indicating for her to open up.
No sooner had she slid the handle, than Tiggy climbed up the balcony and hoisted her body over the railings.
‘I wish you wouldn’t do that. Why can’t you walk through the door like a normal human?’
‘Because I am not a normal human.’
Nina looked up and down the street to see if anyone was watching.
Not that anyone cared; at this time of night people were more interested in not spilling their can of beer while eating noodles straight from a foil container or chomping on kebabs.
She saw the unmistakable tinge of Lucia’s pink hair behind the till in the store.
She works so hard, little love.
‘What time is it?’ Nina had lost all track.
‘Not that late, just after eleven.’ Tiggy shrugged. ‘I’ve finished early.’
‘One sec. I didn’t hear Connor come in. I just need to check he’s home.
’ Her heart pounded as she crept into the bedroom.
Her relief was sweet and instant as she saw two sleeping heads sunk deep into the soft pillows.
She smiled and retreated quietly, grateful that Connor must have seen her sleeping and chosen not to disturb her. She closed the door silently.
Nina flopped back down on the sofa. ‘Okay, I am all ears.’ She patted the space next to her. Tiggy sat.
‘What are we going to wear to this rugby dinner thing at Cottrell’s?’
‘Tiggy! You woke me up for that?’
‘I’m nervous! I don’t know what to wear and I don’t want to look out of place.’
‘You could wear a bin bag and still look fantastic.’
Tiggy ignored her. ‘Plus, I’m thinking of inviting Jacob.’
‘You are?’ She looked at her sister. ‘Well, no surprise after your fabulous date!’ she teased.
‘Yep, I like him, he’s . . .’ Nina watched as Tiggy’s mouth moved, searching for the words. ‘He’s not like anyone I have ever met before. I can’t stop thinking about him.’
‘Wow.’
‘Yes, wow! Completely wow! And I can’t wait till tomorrow, because that’s when I am seeing him again.’ Tiggy bit at her fingernails.
‘Tomorrow?’
‘I know, right?’
‘I really hoped you would have a good time with him, but this is off the scale!’ Nina sat back on the sofa and giggled.
‘I think there is a chance that we might be good together. I mean, early days and all that, but I’m excited!’
Nina hadn’t heard Tiggy like this, so excited and happy.
‘I am pleased for you, Tig, I really am, pleased for you both. But promise me you will take it slowly. Remember what we spoke about.’ She smiled to herself that she had only recently had this conversation with Connor.
‘I mean, we like what we know of him, but we don’t really know anything about him, do we? And I would hate to see you get hurt.’
Tiggy leaned forward and hugged her sister. ‘Me too. But you know what? I’ve had good advice. I will tell him all the things I am frightened of and let him see my faults. And then if he’s still interested . . .’
‘He will be, sis. He will be. Because you are lovely.’ She closed her eyes and could smell the vaguest hint of bonfires.