non-payment of rent, rows with landlords. The obvious thing just didn’t occur to me.
‘We said we were going to move the bedside table to make room for my trouser press,’ George reminded Mum.
‘Let’s finish that, then,’ Mum said, ‘and Megan will make us a nice cup of tea.’
‘I like it very strong,’ George said, going back into the bedroom, ‘and two sugars.’
I changed Jack first, washed his face and sat him in his high chair with a biscuit. While I was making the tea, Ellie came in. ‘Mum home?’ she asked.
‘Yes,’ I said, ‘and George. He’s home, too.’
‘What d’you mean?’ she asked, and she pulled such an extraordinarily astonished face that I started laughing.
‘George. He’s here. Right here in the flat.’
‘
George
?’
‘George est arrivée,’ I said, in French that was probably wrong.
‘What – he’s come here to meet us?’ Ellie asked.
‘No, he’s come to live with us.’
‘Don’t be stupid.’
‘I’m not!’
Jack threw his biscuit on the floor and I picked it up, inspected it for fluff and gave it back to him.
‘Since when?’
‘Since today. I came home, heard voices in Mum’s bedroom and he appeared. Mum says they’re engaged.’ I rolled my eyes at Ellie. ‘She’s got a ring.’
‘What’s it like? What sort of stone?’
‘I don’t know!’ I said incredulously. ‘Fancy you asking a thing like that at a time like this. I didn’t even look at it.’
There was a long silence and then Ellie heaved a great sigh and shook her head. ‘What a turn up. We thought he was just a bloke at work.’
‘He was, apparently – until their love blossomed!’
‘Don’t tell me he said that?’
I nodded.
‘Yuk,’ we both said together.
‘It’s a bit strange though, isn’t it?’ I said in a low voice. ‘He arrived all unannounced – I mean, I don’t think Mum knew he was moving in today. And he told me that he’s going back for more stuff later. Apparently he spent last night in his car.’
‘His wife chucked him out, then,’ Ellie said.
‘What?’
‘It’s obvious, isn’t it? His wife found out he was seeing Mum and chucked him out.’
I gasped. ‘I bet you’re right.’
‘We’re going to be falling over each other here with five of us!’ she said, pulling an anguished face. ‘What’s he like, anyway?’
‘Fattish. Funny hair,’ I said, turning my nose up. ‘Not exactly gorgeous.’
‘Nor is Mum,’ she pointed out.
I found a banana in the fruit bowl and started mashing it up for Jack’s tea. He was getting tired, now, grizzling and giving the occasional irritable shriek. The biscuit, half-chewed, had disappeared somewhere between him and the high chair tray, and he’d rubbed some soggy bits of it into his hair. I looked at my watch. I couldn’t put him to bed before six – if I did he’d be up, bouncing around, by nine o’clock. I had to keep him going until seven at least to have any chance of getting him through the night.
Ellie looked out of the kitchen and towards Mum’s bedroom. ‘Suppose we hate him?’
I shrugged. ‘Dunno. If we do… I suppose we’ll just have to put up with him.’
It was an hour later and we were sitting down for what was normally called ‘tea’ but what Mum had today called ‘supper’. Ellie had been sent down to thecorner shop for a pizza and some salad, and there wasn’t a sign of a chip anywhere. We were all being terribly polite and formal with our ‘Please pass the salad cream’ and ‘Anyone want some more tomato?’ except Jack, of course, who didn’t know it was a Big Occasion and so was sitting under the table eating a biscuit and making the occasional rude noise.
‘So, what are you doing at school, then?’ George asked Ellie.
Ellie shot a look at me. She hated being asked things like that. ‘Lessons,’ she said.
‘Ellie!’ Mum said warningly.
‘Well, you know. Just the usual.’
‘Have you started your GCSEs yet?’ George asked
‘We said we were going to move the bedside table to make room for my trouser press,’ George reminded Mum.
‘Let’s finish that, then,’ Mum said, ‘and Megan will make us a nice cup of tea.’
‘I like it very strong,’ George said, going back into the bedroom, ‘and two sugars.’
I changed Jack first, washed his face and sat him in his high chair with a biscuit. While I was making the tea, Ellie came in. ‘Mum home?’ she asked.
‘Yes,’ I said, ‘and George. He’s home, too.’
‘What d’you mean?’ she asked, and she pulled such an extraordinarily astonished face that I started laughing.
‘George. He’s here. Right here in the flat.’
‘
George
?’
‘George est arrivée,’ I said, in French that was probably wrong.
‘What – he’s come here to meet us?’ Ellie asked.
‘No, he’s come to live with us.’
‘Don’t be stupid.’
‘I’m not!’
Jack threw his biscuit on the floor and I picked it up, inspected it for fluff and gave it back to him.
‘Since when?’
‘Since today. I came home, heard voices in Mum’s bedroom and he appeared. Mum says they’re engaged.’ I rolled my eyes at Ellie. ‘She’s got a ring.’
‘What’s it like? What sort of stone?’
‘I don’t know!’ I said incredulously. ‘Fancy you asking a thing like that at a time like this. I didn’t even look at it.’
There was a long silence and then Ellie heaved a great sigh and shook her head. ‘What a turn up. We thought he was just a bloke at work.’
‘He was, apparently – until their love blossomed!’
‘Don’t tell me he said that?’
I nodded.
‘Yuk,’ we both said together.
‘It’s a bit strange though, isn’t it?’ I said in a low voice. ‘He arrived all unannounced – I mean, I don’t think Mum knew he was moving in today. And he told me that he’s going back for more stuff later. Apparently he spent last night in his car.’
‘His wife chucked him out, then,’ Ellie said.
‘What?’
‘It’s obvious, isn’t it? His wife found out he was seeing Mum and chucked him out.’
I gasped. ‘I bet you’re right.’
‘We’re going to be falling over each other here with five of us!’ she said, pulling an anguished face. ‘What’s he like, anyway?’
‘Fattish. Funny hair,’ I said, turning my nose up. ‘Not exactly gorgeous.’
‘Nor is Mum,’ she pointed out.
I found a banana in the fruit bowl and started mashing it up for Jack’s tea. He was getting tired, now, grizzling and giving the occasional irritable shriek. The biscuit, half-chewed, had disappeared somewhere between him and the high chair tray, and he’d rubbed some soggy bits of it into his hair. I looked at my watch. I couldn’t put him to bed before six – if I did he’d be up, bouncing around, by nine o’clock. I had to keep him going until seven at least to have any chance of getting him through the night.
Ellie looked out of the kitchen and towards Mum’s bedroom. ‘Suppose we hate him?’
I shrugged. ‘Dunno. If we do… I suppose we’ll just have to put up with him.’
It was an hour later and we were sitting down for what was normally called ‘tea’ but what Mum had today called ‘supper’. Ellie had been sent down to thecorner shop for a pizza and some salad, and there wasn’t a sign of a chip anywhere. We were all being terribly polite and formal with our ‘Please pass the salad cream’ and ‘Anyone want some more tomato?’ except Jack, of course, who didn’t know it was a Big Occasion and so was sitting under the table eating a biscuit and making the occasional rude noise.
‘So, what are you doing at school, then?’ George asked Ellie.
Ellie shot a look at me. She hated being asked things like that. ‘Lessons,’ she said.
‘Ellie!’ Mum said warningly.
‘Well, you know. Just the usual.’
‘Have you started your GCSEs yet?’ George asked
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