BooksBarbecue
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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

Greta got up and they both went to the bathroom again, opened the cupboard under the sink and drank Jimmy’s mouthwash. It took the edge off but now they needed another drink. They needed to find some money for another drink and some more money to buy Jimmy a new bottle of mouthwash and themselves another toothbrush, but also fuck that, people needed to mind their own business.

‘That was a temporary solution,’ Greta said, holding the bottle up.

‘I might throw up,’ Peggy said.

‘Don’t waste the mouthwash,’ Greta said, and she was right. Peggy vomited a bit in her mouth and swallowed hard.

‘Is it Saturday?’ Greta asked.

Peggy shrugged. They both called out to Orla, who said it was Sunday and she better not be drinking Jimmy’s mouthwash again and then they were all in the bathroom and it turned out the reason the bottle had been full was that Orla had just replaced it for Jimmy from the last time Peggy and Greta drank it.

Orla was kind to them. She looked from one to the other, seeing them for the first time that morning, and she looked disgusted. She said, ‘What the fuck have you done now?’ Then she tried to wrestle the mouthwash bottle off them. Orla wrestled Peggy and Greta into the bath and they all sprawled around in there for a while, which didn’t solve the problem of getting another drink, until Peggy said, ‘The café!’ and everyone agreed and went to their bedrooms to dress so that they would look like a walking group just popping into the café for lunch and a quiet wine.

‘None of this solves the problem of money,’ Greta said as they all stood in tidy shorts and sandshoes in the hallway. Then Orla pulled a credit card out of her windbreaker pocket, and they all said, ‘Oooh.’

‘Where’d you get that?’ Peggy asked.

Orla touched the side of her nose with her index finger. She’d stolen it off one of her clients last night.

‘No one will ask whose it is for a bit,’ Orla said, ‘and by then we’ll be gone.’

Peggy and Greta doubted it. Once they got there they’d be there for ever, or as long as the café would let them sit there drinking. If Orla went to the toilet or wasn’t looking they’d steal the credit card. There were two of them now.

10

10

Everyone else at the picnic had stopped watching, but Peggy and Greta wanted to see what Heidi would say to Dell. But Heidi just said ‘Hey’ without stopping, and walked towards the picnic table.

Dell was holding the volleyball. She was going to serve again. She said ‘Hey’ back, and waved slightly. She watched Heidi for a little bit, then turned back to the game and, smiling, she served the ball.