Read Online The Other Ida by Amy Mason - Free Book Online Page A

lazy, and drunk. Why would Alice want her to sort through her mother’s room? She’d be sure to do it all wrong.
    But she couldn’t quite stop staring inside. Somewhere in that room there were important things. Her mother rarely threw anything away and Ida knew that somewhere there’d be a draft of the play, or a notebook that Ida could turn into something for The Guardian culture bit at the very least. ‘Ida – the true story’, or ‘The Elusive Bridie Adair’.
    There might be other things too, personal stuff. Little bits of information she could piece together for herself, to make more sense of her strange, solitary ma.
    And even though she tried not to care, maybe it would be interesting to work out why her mother had written one strange, violent play, and nothing ever again.
    â€œThat was awful. The man was a total weirdo,” said Alice as she stood in the doorway, watching Ida scrub the sides of the bath. It was so old the enamel had gone, leaving it rough with bare patches of metal in places, and Ida was having a hard time getting it clean.
    â€œWell he would be, wouldn’t he, he dresses corpses for a living.”
    Alice hesitated. “If you want any proper input let me know. It’s going to be pretty simple. I thought I’d put her in her nice cotton nightdress with a rosary…” she waited for Ida to reply but she carried on scrubbing. “Anyway, thanks for doing the cleaning. Did you start on Mum’s room?”
    â€œNo. Not yet. I’m not sure I’m the best person to do it. I’ll do other stuff, tidying and whatever.”
    â€œPlease help me. I can’t do it on my own. And, I know you’ll laugh at me for the pop psychology crap, but I think it would be good for you. You still haven’t faced up to it all.”
    â€œI faced up to it a long time ago, actually, Alice. But fine, whatever, I’ll help you. Can you take the bath mat with you when you go down? It needs to go in the wash.”
    By the time they started on the bedroom most of the cleaning had been done. Ida marched through her mother’s door, staring at the opposite wall and concentrating on simply putting one foot in front of the other until she reached the clothes-covered bed. It didn’t smell of Bridie which was one good thing; instead it smelled of antiseptic and air freshener. She sat down on its edge.
    â€œI wouldn’t sit there,” said Alice.
    Ida noticed the mattress was dotted with wet stains. “It’s fine.”
    â€œReally? You don’t want to know what that is. I’ll get Tom, he’s got some bungees in his car. He can take it to the tip. Fuck, he got more than he bargained for when he started seeing me.”
    Ida stood up and they both looked down at the bed, until a laugh started to form somewhere in her throat. She could never stop herself when the worst things happened.
    Alice sensed it.
    â€œDid you speak to Peter?” she asked.
    â€œYes, thank goodness. He’s coming down.”
    â€œI’m glad… for you. I know you’re very fond of each other,” Alice said. “He can help you through it all.”
    Ida had an almost overwhelming urge to push her sister, head first, onto the nasty bit of the mattress and it took a great deal of strength to turn and walk out of the room.
    Chapter eight
    ~ 1976 ~
    The first time the man shouted her name Ida thought she must have misheard. She knew it was a man, although Alice didn’t, because of his height and the long, bendy legs in their stripy tights that came out from under his skirt.
    â€œThat lady wants you, that lady wants you,” said Alice loudly in her little voice, standing up on her seat, making the people in the row in front turn round and laugh right in Ida’s face.
    Everyone was clapping. Ida knew they were waiting for something – something that involved her.
    She closed her eyes and tried to breathe. Unlike