Excuse me. Charlie’s dead.” The green and purple head of the young girl turned momentarily as she swung into the shop. With an impish laugh she called out, “Poor sod, I hope he died happy.”
“Mum! What on earth was all that about?”
“All what? I was only trying to be helpful. Cheeky young thing, ought to have more respect. I don’t suppose you noticed though, did you. Oh no, too busy gawping in that shop window at boots you can’t afford.”
“Mum, listen, I’ve brought you here for a nice day out. If you’re going to start shouting at people, we will have to go home.”
“I wasn’t shouting at anybody I was just….”
“Look, I know you might think it’s funny, but you can’t say things like that to people you don’t know.”
“Things like what? I don’t know what on earth you are talking about. Why did you say that we have to go home? I thought we were going to have lunch here.”
“We are Mum, we are. It’s just that - well, I hadn’t realised how you felt. You know, how deeply it still ran. I mean, it was sixteen years ago that Uncle Charlie died, and he wasn’t really my uncle, was he.”
“Oh my goodness girl. We have got off to a bad start. I think what we need is a nice cup of coffee. Is it too early for elevenses?”
“No, you are right, Mum, come on.”
They had placed their order with the waitress and were trying to decide if Danish pastries would spoil their lunch when the couple at the next table rose to leave. The white haired lady was stood up, her partner holding her coat when, “Excuse me. Charlie’s dead.”
The lady gave a quick start, glanced down then back at Mum with a smile and said, “Thank you very much. That’s very kind of you.”
With that, she manipulated the offending slip up above the hemline of her skirt and went on her way, confident that in appearance at least, she looked, as Mum might say, “all right and proper.”
“Mum! What on earth was all that about?”
“All what? I was only trying to be helpful. Cheeky young thing, ought to have more respect. I don’t suppose you noticed though, did you. Oh no, too busy gawping in that shop window at boots you can’t afford.”
“Mum, listen, I’ve brought you here for a nice day out. If you’re going to start shouting at people, we will have to go home.”
“I wasn’t shouting at anybody I was just….”
“Look, I know you might think it’s funny, but you can’t say things like that to people you don’t know.”
“Things like what? I don’t know what on earth you are talking about. Why did you say that we have to go home? I thought we were going to have lunch here.”
“We are Mum, we are. It’s just that - well, I hadn’t realised how you felt. You know, how deeply it still ran. I mean, it was sixteen years ago that Uncle Charlie died, and he wasn’t really my uncle, was he.”
“Oh my goodness girl. We have got off to a bad start. I think what we need is a nice cup of coffee. Is it too early for elevenses?”
“No, you are right, Mum, come on.”
They had placed their order with the waitress and were trying to decide if Danish pastries would spoil their lunch when the couple at the next table rose to leave. The white haired lady was stood up, her partner holding her coat when, “Excuse me. Charlie’s dead.”
The lady gave a quick start, glanced down then back at Mum with a smile and said, “Thank you very much. That’s very kind of you.”
With that, she manipulated the offending slip up above the hemline of her skirt and went on her way, confident that in appearance at least, she looked, as Mum might say, “all right and proper.”