Contents ( 71)
- THE
- DAUGHTER
- MICHELLE FRANCES
- PROLOGUE
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- EPILOGUE
- AUTHOR’S NOTE
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Silence.
‘Can I come in?’
She got a muffled ‘OK’, so entered. Becky was lying on her bed staring up at the ceiling.
‘I’m so sorry,’ said Kate. ‘I’ll work overtime, every weekend. There’ll be money for university. Maybe not as much, but . . .’
‘I don’t care about the money, Mum.’
Kate knew she was putting on a brave face, that she didn’t want to be a burden. Becky had insisted she was going to get a part-time job anyway, but the savings were meant to give her more time to study.
What Kate also knew was that Becky would be the talk of the school in the morning, the butt of the jokes that already made Kate burn with shame. ‘And I’m sorry if I’ve made it difficult with your friends,’ she said.
Becky stayed silent.
‘It’s just that woman . . . she wound me up. I felt like I had to show her . . .’
‘Show her what, Mum?’
‘I don’t know. I lost the quiz, I felt stupid. The poor dumb girl who didn’t get a proper education. A decent job.’
Becky sighed. ‘Mum, you’re not dumb. The only dumb thing you’ve done is let people tell you that’s what you are.’
Silence rang out across the room. After a moment, Kate took a step towards the bed. ‘Room for one more?’
Becky shoved up and Kate went to lie down next to her, their shoulders touching, each feeling the warmth of the other.
‘If she’d gone to four thousand, would you have done five?’ asked Becky.
Kate thought. ‘No.’
‘Oh?’
‘I would have jumped straight to ten. Wiped the smile off her face.’
Becky let out a small giggle. ‘Why stop there?’
‘You’re right. Twenty.’
‘Thirty.’
‘Fifty.’
‘A million!’ said Becky. ‘A million pounds for the swanky Jersey holiday just so you can’t have it, Julia. Stick it up your bum.’ They laughed so hard, tears started pouring down their faces. When the laughter subsided, Kate took Becky’s hand.
‘I’m sorry I let you down, Becky. One day I’ll make it up to you. I promise.’
FIFTY
2018
‘They’re not like the photos of the fellas on the website,’ said Iris as she watched three men in cargo shorts and T-shirts with the moving company’s logo on the back, carry her remaining furniture out of her house and into a large van.
It was true, they were huffing and puffing, and the blue T-shirts had dark sweat patches stretching long under the armpits. But it was a hot day in August. And no one did house removals carrying a box in one hand and holding a thumb up on the other.
Kate had set out a garden chair on the front pavement, so Iris didn’t have to stand while her house was unceremoniously emptied. After they were done, Iris wanted to check nothing was left behind and would then follow on in a cab. Kate was going with her to help get her settled and unpacked. Most of the big furniture had already been sold to a second-hand furniture man on the high street and Iris had just kept what would fit into her new flat.