Read Online Will You Remember Me? by Amanda Prowse - Free Book Online Page A

silence as she sat on the sofa while Jo pottered in their kitchen. She let her eyes drift over their home. Home. Where they lived. A little family with all their belongings safely under the roof and pictures of them smiling on the walls. Home, where a trampoline sat in the back garden that they bounced on in celebration of new babies, new teeth and new years. She tried to imagine this little house without her in it, but couldn’t.
    Don’t be silly, dramatic; it’s a disease, like the flu. You’ll just have medicine and get better and then run that race in a pink T-shirt, grateful for having won.
    ‘To tell you the truth, Poppy,’ Jo called from the kitchen, ‘I’m really fed up. Danny’s being a right tosser.’
    ‘Oh?’ Poppy focused on her friend’s words, glad of the distraction.
    ‘He’s being really off on the phone and I keep making suggestions, things we should do when he gets back, and he’s just like,
whatever…
It’s driving me mad. I know it’s tough for him, but it ain’t exactly a picnic for me, stuck here.’
    ‘You should talk to him.’ Poppy sipped at the mug of tea Jo had placed on the coffee table in front of her; it was too hot.
    Jo laughed. ‘It’s easy for you and Mart, that’s what you would do, but it’s not like that for us, we don’t talk about anything. We just muddle through and hope it’s all going in the right direction and we only talk when we argue. That’s how we move things forward and I know that sounds like shit, but that’s how it’s always been.’
    Poppy grimaced. It didn’t sound like much fun.
    ‘You’re so lucky, you know.’ Jo nodded at the photo of Poppy, Martin and the kids on the wall.
    In some ways.
Poppy smiled, tightly.
    ‘Mart’s one in a million, Poppy.’
    ‘Well, we’ve had a lot of years to get it right, I suppose. We kind of grew up together and so there’s no drama, he’s just always been there and we’ve always been together.’ She was aware that sounded a little smug. She smiled as she heard the noisy duo progressing up the path. ‘Talk of the devil!’
    Peg ran up. ‘Aunty Jo! Would you like a makeover?’
    ‘Oh, well, I hadn’t planned on one, but I think I could probably do with new lipstick?’ Jo pursed her lips. ‘What do you think?’
    ‘I think yes!’ Peg clapped her hands and raced off to find her make-up bag. ‘I’ll chuck you down some tissue and you can wipe that old colour off. It makes your teeth look yellow anyway.’
    Poppy placed her hands over her eyes. ‘Jo, what am I going to do with her?’
    Jo laughed. ‘I don’t know, mate, but I don’t think the diplomatic corps will be calling up any time soon.’
    ‘I’m going to be a pilot!’ Peg yelled from upstairs as she rummaged in her cupboard, locating her collection of lipsticks and brushes.
    Martin whipped off his beret and smiled at Max, still asleep in his buggy, his fat little legs hanging down. He had been wheeled into the lounge and parked in front of them.
    ‘Look at him, proper zonked out.’ Martin chuckled and returned to the hallway to collect the mail.
    Poppy stared at her son, wistfully, framing the memory forever. ‘I know how he feels.’ She yawned.
    Jo reached out and lightly touched Max’s hair. ‘They are even more beautiful when they’re asleep, aren’t they?’
    Poppy noted the resigned tone in Jo’s voice. ‘They are,’ she agreed.
    ‘I wonder what ours would have looked like.’ Jo stared at the sleeping Max and didn’t seem to require an answer. ‘D’you want a coffee, Mart?’ she whispered.
    ‘Yes, cheers, Jo, that’ll be lovely. It’s been quite a day. What’s up with my missus? You on strike?’
    Martin stood in the doorway of the lounge, shuffling the stack of mail, scanning the logos and text of each envelope before placing it at the bottom of the pile.
    ‘Ha! I love how you think it’s my job to make the drinks! Actually I was just going to offer everyone some toast, as I haven’t even thought