Read Half-truths & White Lies for Free Online Page B

that'. It was far more reliable than an
alarm clock, as was my father's retort, 'Legs fallen off in
the night, have they, Brenda? Sorry to hear that.'
    'Nana.' I approached her single bed in Aunty Faye's
spare room cautiously. 'It's me. Andrea.'
    She looked at me sideways, and then gestured to the
chair beside her. Even confined to bed like an invalid,
Nana had a neatness about her. Her short grey hair still
looked as fresh as when she returned from her weekly
shampoo and set, and she gathered the duvet around
her small frame as she propped herself up. I noticed her
nails had been painted in a dark plum shade and
suspected Aunty Faye's work. It was not her usual colour
and it looked wrong.
    'Well, of course it's you. Good Lord, child, what've
you done to yourself?' She clutched me by the elbow,
pulling me towards her. 'You never had your mother's
looks but you could take a bit more care with your
appearance. Mark my words, you don't want to end up
on your own like that other one.'
    I was a little taken aback by her bluntness. I knew she
was capable of it, but I had never been her target before.
'I broke my jaw,' I explained.
    'What did you want to do that for? Here! Have they
let you back in the house? They tell me there's a
problem with it. What's happened to it? Are the mice
back again?'
    'There are no mice, Nana.'
    'Is it the boiler? It hasn't been the same since your dad
tried to mend it. Just because he can change a set of
spark plugs, he thinks he can do anything with a
spanner.'
    'The boiler's fine.'
    'Why won't they let me home then?' she implored, then
lowered her voice: 'I don't like it here. They're keeping me
cooped up. Faye's got some strange ideas about cooking.
Everything's out of a packet or done in the microwave. I
haven't had a square meal in a fortnight.'
    'I can hear you, Mum,' came a voice from the living
room. 'I'm not deaf, you know. Just got the word "mug"
printed across my forehead.'
    'Shut the door,' Nana mouthed, looking even more
frantic about her predicament. I complied. 'I can't do a
thing without them checking up on me. I'm not allowed
to flush when I go to the toilet because they want to see
the colour of it. They take notes about everything I say.
I can't leave the flat. Am I too hot, am I too cold? You
don't think I'm ill, do you? I don't feel ill. Feel my
head!' She grabbed my hand and pressed it to her
forehead.
    'Do you remember what happened to Mum and Dad,
Nana?' I tried to say softly.
    'Do I remember?' She became short with me and
folded her arms. 'Of course I remember. They gave away
my grandchild.'
    'I'm your grandchild.' I was taken aback. I was her
only grandchild. Thoroughly spoilt, too.
    'I hope you're not going to treat me like an imbecile
too, Andrea.' She was most put out and sounded like her
normal self for a moment. 'The one after you. They gave
away my grandson. And you're worried about my memory! I thought I could rely on you to be on my side.
Now let's stop this stuff and nonsense, have a cup of tea
and then you can take me home.'
    'Are you talking about the stillborn baby?' I repeated
what Uncle Pete had told me.
    'Is that what they told you?' she sneered, before
making a cradle shape in front of her. 'I held that boy in
my own arms. In my own arms.' Then she started
humming softly and smiling, a lullaby for the child that
only she could see. 'We'll all be going home soon,' she
cooed. 'All going home soon.'
    'I'm afraid we can't do that.' I lowered my eyes, not
knowing how I would respond to the challenge that
would inevitably follow.
    'Why on earth not?' She bordered on the aggressive.
'It's my house just as much as it is yours. In fact, I'm sure
a lawyer would say it's almost all mine.' It seemed that
there was some truth in what Aunty Faye had told me.
    I hadn't wanted to lie to her. I had avoided telling her
the news before and I felt that it was only right that I
should make it up to her. But I honestly believed that if
I had told her, she would have been distressed,