Chapter 33
LIZZIE
Well, she’s gone too far this time.
‘She’s got a cheek. You drink your tea, Mum, and I’ll go and get your phone back. You need it.’
‘I don’t want to cause a fuss, darling,’ Mum says weakly, but I’m already marching out into the kitchen.
‘How dare you take my mum’s phone off her, Alison. She needs that. Give it back to her immediately!’ I demand.
Kenny throws me a look of surprise then turns to Alison. ‘Did you?’
She looks flustered. ‘Well, yes, but only because she needs to rest and honestly, her phone is pinging all day with notifications. You wouldn’t believe it.’
I would actually, I know how many FB groups Mum belongs to. She’s quite active on Instagram too. ‘That doesn’t give you the right to take her phone from her. You’re depriving her of the means to contact anyone and call for help for one thing.’
Alison looks confused. ‘I’m here if Mum needs help. And it’s only today that I’ve taken her phone away. It’s in her best interests. You can see how tired she is.’
‘To be fair, Al, you shouldn’t have done that,’ Kennys says, and I’m so glad for his support.
‘Give me her phone, please.’ I’m still holding out my hand.
Alison opens a drawer and takes out Mum’s phone – she actually hid it in a drawer, now I’m even more furious – and hands it to me.
‘Thank you.’ I look her straight in the eye.
‘And I have to say that I’m very concerned that it’s been almost a week since Mum had her fall and she isn’t getting any better.
I know a fractured ankle takes a while to heal but she should be all right within herself, not tired and listless as she is.
’ I pause, my eyes still on Alison’s face.
‘I’m concerned that she isn’t getting the care she needs. ’
Fury sparks in Alison’s eyes. ‘Your mother isn’t in any danger from me, if that’s what you’re insinuating. And I resent your manner. I cancelled my flight back to Spain to look after your mum.’
‘Exactly. My mum. Not yours.’ I pause to let that sink in and push away the thought that it’s my fault Alison hasn’t got a mother. I have to put Mum’s health first. ‘I will be coming to check on her every single day in future and calling the doctor on Monday if there is no improvement.’
I pick up the bag of shopping I’d left in the kitchen and return to the back room. Mum’s sitting up now.
‘Thank you, darling. I hope you and Alison haven’t fallen out over this,’ Mum says worriedly when I hand her the phone. ‘She’s been very good to me and I’m sure she didn’t mean any harm.’
‘Maybe not, but she shouldn’t take your phone away.’ I sit down beside Mum. ‘She said it was because you had a lot of notifications coming in and she didn’t want you to be disturbed. Shall I turn the notification off for FB and Insta until you feel better?’
Mum nods. ‘Good idea. I don’t have the energy to answer them all at the moment.’
I turn the notifications off and we sit and chat for a while. ‘I’ve bought you a couple of books to read, and some treats,’ I say, handing the bag to Mum.
She looks at the books in delight. ‘I haven’t read these.
Thank you, love. That will keep me occupied a bit.
’ She delves into the bag again. ‘Oh, strawberry creams and a bottle of mango juice. That’s so kind of you.
’ She smiles at me. ‘I’m sure I’ll be right as rain soon.
I’m determined to overcome this. It’s ridiculous that I’m so weak. It’s really getting me down.’
I’m relieved that Mum has got her fighting spirit back. ‘I’ve got to go now, Mum.’ I need to do a few hours’ work before I pick up the kids from school. ‘I’ll phone you later. And I’ll pop around tonight when Nick’s home.’
When I collect the kids from school they’re both bursting with energy.
Grace shows me a painting she’s done. ‘It’s us,’ she says.
I take it out of her hands and look at it.
My Family is written at the top by her teacher and underneath Grace has copied it in lopsided letters.
Then there are six matchstick figures, which I identify as me and Nick, Grace and Isaac.
The white-haired lady and bald man holding hands are obviously Mum and George.
Grace has drawn hearts all over the picture.
I smile as I see it and think what a lovely family we are.
‘That’s a fantastic picture, Grace,’ I tell her, and she grins with pride.
Isaac has a gold star for his story and is very pleased with himself.
‘Well done,’ I tell him. ‘Well done both of you.’
I take them to the park as a reward. As they go up and down the slide I sit on the bench and think about my mum.
I can’t have this hanging over me all the time about my part in George’s wife’s death.
I need to deal with it. As soon as Mum is stronger I have to confess everything to her.
And to Nick. Then Alison will have nothing on me.
And hopefully it won’t tear my family apart.
I let the kids play for a good half an hour to tire them out then we pop into the supermarket before we set off home.
As soon as I open the door I feel like something is off but I can’t put my finger on what. I go into the living room. Everything looks fine.
‘Can we watch the TV?’ Isaac asks.
‘Okay, for half an hour or so while I cook dinner,’ I tell him, turning it on and selecting their favourite programme.
The kids settle down, one on each end of the sofa, and I go into the kitchen and unpack the shopping.
Everything is exactly as I left it. I can’t shake off my uneasy feeling though and I go upstairs, checking every room. Nothing is out of place.
I must be imagining it. My anxiety is getting the better of me.
I go back down into the kitchen and put the oven on.
I’m going to do something simple tonight, fishfingers, chips and beans.
The kids love that. Me and Nick can order a takeaway later and open a bottle of wine.
It would be good to have a relaxing evening together after such a fraught week.
I open the freezer and take out the fishfingers, shake them onto a tray. Shake the chips onto another tray.
Then I open the cupboard to get a tin of beans – and I freeze. I haven’t eaten any since the day I learnt that Alison’s mum had died because she was allergic to peanuts, and I’ve never, ever bought any, but there, on the shelf in front of the beans, is a jar of peanut butter.