The White Family by Maggie Gee Read Free Book Online Page B

poked forward like a tortoise.
    ‘He was born in Peckham!’ Now they were both shouting.
    ‘Will you leave it?’ said May. ‘People are looking at us.’ This wasn’t true, but it had an effect. ‘Can you stop upsetting your father?’
    ‘Thinks she knows it all,’ said Alfred, subsiding, suddenly tired, smaller, paler.
    Shirley sat and stared at the floor. ‘I’ll fetch a vase, then I have to be going,’ she said, standing up, not looking at them, flouncing down the pale clinging hem of her skirt.
    They watched her swaying down the ward again. Now most of the beds had collected visitors, clustered round the bedheads, helpless, eager. Amateurs at this, all of them.
    May and Alfred looked at each other. Neither had meant to quarrel with Shirley. They needed them now, their large, strong children, now they were growing older, weaker. ‘You didn’t have to go and upset her –’ he muttered.
    ‘You’re the one who riled her. Saying Elroy isn’t British.’
    ‘I don’t intend to waste time talking about Elroy.’
    ‘You’ve only got one daughter,’ said May.
    Her mild voice sparked him off again. ‘I know that. Do you think I don’t know that? Do you think I don’t want to see my grandchildren? No chance of that, till she settles down.’
    Alfred was deluding himself, as usual. All through Shirley’s marriage he had pretended that Kojo was a temporary fling. May had never told him about Shirley’s miscarriages, had begged her daughter not to talk about them. Partly to protect him from pain. Partly to protect herself from his reaction, for May had longed for Shirley and Kojo to have children, no matter if they were black or white or striped, she knew she would love her daughter’s children and hoped that Alfred would have loved them too, it would have mended everything, brought them all together … But the babies had died. Two in a row. In Shirley’s well-fed, healthy body.
    Shirley reappeared with a fountain of white lilies that turned her into a goddess from May’s childhood encyclopedia …
Newnes’ Encyclopedia
, was that it? Straight out of one of those shiny pictures where all the gods were blond and tall. Shirley was a goddess of fruit and flowers – Ceres? Or was that fertility? Goddess of spring, Proserpina. How could they not be proud of her, and yet she still wouldn’t meet their eyes, lowering the shining lilies down on the grey Formica of his bedside table among the dim clutter of water, clock, glasses –
    Now droops the milk-white peacock like a ghost
    And like a ghost she glimmers on to me …
    Now folds the lily all her sweetness up
    And slips into the bosom of the lake …
    May gazed at her, half-hypnotized.
    ‘Help her, then,’ said Alfred, testily. ‘Can’t you see she can’t do it on her own?’ May heaved herself round in the chair. ‘You could get up,’ he harried his wife. ‘You could do something. I can’t get up.’
    ‘It’s all right, Dad.’ Shirley couldn’t bear them arguing. ‘I’ve got to go, in any case. Enjoy the chocs.’
    ‘You shouldn’t spend your money on me.’
    ‘I like to spend money on my parents.’
    ‘You don’t want to go short.’ He always worried.
    ‘Dad, I’m all right. I – was left well looked after.’
    He knew she was avoiding saying Kojo’s name. ‘You’re a good girl, coming to see me.’
    ‘Don’t give the nurses a hard time.’
    ‘Me?’ He winked, looking suddenly youthful. ‘I’m the perfect patient. You ask Sister.’
    ‘I’ll come and see you again tomorrow.’
    ‘Darren might have got here by tomorrow –’
    ‘Well … I’ll believe it when I see it.’
    ‘Of course he’s coming,’ said Alfred. ‘He’s been talking about coming for over a year … It’s his work. The pressure. Pressure of work.’
    ‘But now you’re ill –’ said May.
    ‘Now I’ve had this spot of trouble, he’ll come.’
    Shirley took pity. ‘Of course he’ll come.’ She touched May’s hand, bent heavily to pick up