Read Online Weird Sister by Kate Pullinger - Free Book Online

‘Or would you rather we lived somewhere else?’
    Graeme looks away. Robert knows how to shut him up. He can tell that Graeme is pleased that Agnes is moving in; neither of them wants to break up the family, not while Jenny is still in school. That’s what they tell themselves. Not while Jenny is in school. Graeme is unable to admit he is pleased that they are staying. And that means that, as usual, Robert has something over him. The work needs doing. Robert will go ahead with his plans regardless of what Graeme thinks. Before his brother can say anything more he picks up the telephone and rings the builder.

Robert
    It was a lot of fun, that week before the wedding. We were really excited or, at least, I was. I had a lot to do, what with getting the house ready, making arrangements for the party we were going to have after the ceremony. There was work to catch up on, work I had neglected while I spent my days in bed with Agnes. We still spent a good part of our day in bed, there was no way either of us was going to sacrifice that. I’d go over to the Black Hat at lunch time, or in the evening, say a quick hello to Jim and Lolita, then rush up the stairs to her room. Everyone knew where I was headed, but I didn’t care. It wasn’t like anything I’d experienced before, with Agnes it was as though all the other women I’d been with didn’t count, I had no history, no preconceptions, no idea about how things should or shouldn’t be. My life was full of passion. It had never been like that before. Sometimes when Agnes wasn’t with me and I was working I’d have to stop what I was doing and press my palms hard against either side of my head, to prevent myself from exploding with happiness.
    It was Karen who brought me part way back down to earth. Karen was a quiet woman, a little shy. She and Graeme had been together so long I’d got used to her, she was part of the scenery. She ran the domestic side of the household with incredible efficiency; she took all that work – the boys, Martin, Jenny, the cooking, the cleaning – and rendered it entirely invisible. Later, when it was too late, I realized that all that work had rendered Karen herself invisible as well. But at the time, in the drama of our family, she didn’t register much of a presence.
    I was helping her with the washing-up. I hadn’t talked to Karen about the wedding; I’d assumed she was as excited as everyone else seemed to be. I was drying the dishes and thinking about what I wanted the builder to do upstairs, relieved to have got over the obstacle of telling Graeme about my plans.
    ‘Have you spoken to Elizabeth lately?’ Karen asked suddenly.
    ‘Elizabeth,’ I said, ‘no. Why?’ thinking she might have rung with some kind of problem in her cottage. I often helped her out with that kind of thing. I had felt a little uneasy since Elizabeth came back to Warboys. I guess it was a weakness on my behalf, but I didn’t like to see her unhappy. I didn’t want to be around her if she was unhappy. We weren’t as close as we had once been, but I liked to think we had the kind of friendship that could endure long absences and differences of opinion. I hadn’t seen as much of her as I should have. I don’t know why, but she made me feel guilty.
    ‘Have you told her you’re getting married?’
    I put away the plate I was drying.
    ‘I just think you should tell her yourself. She’s probably heard through the grapevine already. But I think she’d want to hear it from you directly.’
    ‘But I –’
    ‘It’s only polite, that’s all,’ Karen said, as though she was talking to little Andrew. ‘I know if I was her I’d want to hear it from you.’
    I couldn’t really see Karen’s point. I knew that if I was happy Elizabeth would be happy for me.
    ‘Just tell her Robert, it’s a simple thing.’
    So I agreed. Karen didn’t often express opinions and I was willing to take her word on this. And now that she had mentioned it, I could hardly