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Back Nothing to See Save as PDF
Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Dedication
  4. Dedication2
  5. 1994
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 2006
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 2018
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. Acknowledgements

Peggy looked at Greta. Greta looked at Peggy. Something that ran through them suddenly ran cold. They looked around the park, and Kitty was looking at Erin, and Vi was looking at Lettie, and Jem was looking at Mimi and they were all looking in the same way. And even though none of them would talk about it, Peggy and Greta knew they were all thinking about that night. And as Kitty and Erin and Vi went to tell Dell that Heidi was back, Peggy and Greta had a moment to stand and be cold in the hot, hot sun.

9

9

It happened all the time. Margaret had come to in all sorts of places doing all sorts of things with all sorts of people.

But that night, she’d been drinking alone in the lounge and then she was in two places. Divided. Sitting to the left and the right of herself – forearms, thighs touching.

‘Right,’ she said, filling up a glass with straight gin and handing it to herself, and, ‘Right,’ she said back to herself and took a drink, and suddenly everything was crystal clear and they were almost as sober as they would be in the next twenty-four-hour period.

It happened all the time – waking up talking and moving, coming to mid-action like someone was moving her around like a piece in a board game.

‘So good to see you,’ Greta had said, and she hugged Peggy tightly around the waist.

‘So good,’ Peggy said, and she drained the glass and the crystal clear feeling was gone.

The next morning, the bed seemed too small for both of them. Face to face, they didn’t recognise each other at first but then they rubbed their eyes with fisted hands and each of them came into focus. They were both hungover, so they rubbed their faces some more and dragged flat hands through their short hair. They needed to go to the toilet. When they walked through the kitchen their flatmate Orla was home, eating cereal at the table. She was looking at each spoonful of cereal as it made its way to her mouth, not looking up at all. Peggy and Greta groaned hello. Orla raised her spoon and groaned back. She’d worked all night and she was tired.