Alphabet Weekends - Elizabeth Noble [109]
They both laughed.
Natalie threw herself impulsively on to her father’s chest. He put his good arm round her, and patted her. ‘I love you, Dad. And he’s a good man, isn’t he?’ A loud, sustained grunt.
Natalie lay there for a while, and pretended that her father was her father again, and that he could still make everything all right for her.
There was a message on the answer-phone for her when she got home. For a second, when she saw the flashing light she thought of Simon, but then she heard Tom’s voice and smiled. No introduction, no preamble. No sulking. He was amazing. He really was.
‘Need a favour. Call me back. I’m still at the office by the way.’
She dialled the number, and he answered. ‘How’s your dad?’
‘About the same. We had a good talk.’
‘I thought he—’
‘He can’t. I talk. He listens. Makes him pretty much the perfect companion for me.’
‘I’ll remember that. Right, that favour. I need you to swap letters with me.’
‘No way. Got something in my head already for V.’
‘Liar.’
‘Okay.’
‘Anyway, it wouldn’t be as good as my V, which is why I need you to swap.’
‘But we’re due this weekend. Doesn’t give me much time to think of one, does it?’
‘You’ll manage. You’re a genius.’
‘Okay, you win, with your empty flattery. I’ll take U.’
‘You’ll be glad. You’re gonna like V…’
And then Natalie phoned her mum. That was a new habit. She’d say to her dad, as she was leaving, ‘I’ll call Mum when I get home.’ And he would smile his sideways smile of thanks. And so then she would call.
‘Hi, Mum. How you doing?’
‘I’m all right, sweetheart. Been to see your dad?’
Natalie supposed it was pretty obvious. The pattern. Although, honestly, she was starting to look forward to chatting again to her mother. It didn’t feel like the sort of game it had been in recent years. ‘Yep. He’s looking good today.’
They’d stopped saying ‘better’, because he wasn’t. There’d been that first slow, steady climb, just after the stroke, and now he was on a plateau. Didn’t mean that there wasn’t any more getting better to do, just that, for now, there was no change.
‘I know. I saw him this morning. How are you, love?’
She didn’t want to tell her mother about Simon. There was no need, now, anyway. ‘I’m really good, Mum.’
‘Really?’
Natalie thought for a moment. ‘Yeah. Really good. I feel pretty sorted. I suppose you might even say optimistic.’
‘I’m pleased, Natalie.’
It still felt like her mum was just emerging from a coma she’d been in for the last goodness knows how long, a little bit like she was a stranger. But it was improving…
‘How’s Tom?’
‘He’s fine. Why do you ask?’
‘I saw Bridget the other day… and she was saying…’
‘What was she saying?’
‘Just that you two have been spending quite a bit of time together recently.’
Natalie didn’t immediately respond.
‘I’m sorry, love, I didn’t mean to pry…’
‘Oh, for God’s sake, Mum, you’re not prying. Don’t go all brittle on me again.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘And stop apologising. Nothing to be sorry about. Yes, we’ve been seeing each other a lot lately. Yes, it might even be going somewhere. I suppose I feel a bit weird, talking about it. Not just to you. The whole family. It feels like you all want it to happen so much…’
‘I only want it to happen if it’s the right thing for you, Natalie.’
‘Thanks, Mum.’
‘He’s a lovely boy, but that doesn’t count for toffee if he isn’t the right boy.’
‘But how do you know if someone is? That’s the great debate, isn’t it? The endless conversation I’ve been having with my sisters and my mates all year. Don’t suppose you’ve got a fail-safe method?’
Anna laughed. ‘Fail-safe? No such thing. I’ll just say this, sweetheart. Something my mum said to me, the night before I married your dad. She said that if I couldn’t imagine a life without him in it, didn’t want to contemplate spending the rest of mine without him, that he was probably the right one for me. I couldn’t. I still can’t.’
‘Oh, Mum, I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t be. I’ve had more happiness than most people. I’m still lucky, Natalie. I have you, and your