Where the Memories Lie

 

Nadia rolled her eyes at me, tapping her watch.

 

‘Yes, I know. I’m not Super Woman like you.’ I gave her a mock glare, shutting the front gate behind us.

 

We swung an immediate left onto the path that led to the woods and Poppy dashed towards the trees. Nadia let Minstrel off the lead and she chased after her.

 

‘I’ve just seen Rose Quinn coming out of the village shop.’

 

Nadia scrunched up her face with sympathy. ‘She had a few bottles clinking away in the carrier bag. Buying alcohol at this time of the morning is just so sad.’

 

‘She’s an alcoholic, so I suppose she doesn’t care what time it is.’

 

‘It must be terrible losing a daughter like that and Katie never getting in touch. I couldn’t bear it if Charlotte ran away from home and I never saw her again. No wonder she started drinking.’

 

‘Rose never cared about Katie. I think Rose was actually glad when Katie ran away. They never got on.’ I tutted. ‘And she was an alcoholic long before Katie left.’

 

‘Have you tried to get her into an AA programme through the surgery?’

 

70

 

Where the Memories Lie

 

‘Yes, but Rose doesn’t want anyone’s help.’

 

‘What a shame. If she really wanted to, I bet she could stop drinking. Plenty of alcoholics do, don’t they? It’s like smoking. Lots of people quit. I did. And they say nicotine is even more addictive than heroin.’

 

‘Smoking was the hardest thing in the world to give up,’ I said, remembering the first cigarette I’d had with Katie when I was about fourteen.

 

She’d brought a packet to school with her and dared me to smoke one at the end of the huge school playing field. It was almost the end of our lunch break and there were a few kids still sitting by the hedgerow, making the most of their last minutes of freedom. If a teacher was looking out of the window at us, they would never be able to see the smoke from that far away, but it still felt scary, rebellious. She lit one up with her back facing the school building, took a practised drag and slowly blew out smoke towards the ground.

 

‘Go on, you have a go.’ She handed it to me.

 

I glanced around. Two second-year girls were dusting themselves off and walking back to class. A couple of fifth-year boys were bundling on top of each other, grass in their hair and on their clothes.

 

When I took a drag, I’d nearly choked as the disgusting smoke filled my lungs. Coughing and spluttering, I blew it out as quickly as I could, swaying on the ground when the nicotine head rush made me dizzy.

 

‘Whoa!’ I put my hand on the grass to steady myself.

 

‘Lightweight!’ Katie roared with laughter.

 

I shrugged and took another drag, trying to look sophisticated.

 

Anything she could do, I could do, too.

 

‘Where did you get them from?’

 

‘Stole them off my Dad. He won’t even notice.’

 

I blew out more smoke, trying not to cough.

 

‘Here, save some for me!’ she said when I got halfway through it.

 

71

 

Sibel Hodge

 

I handed it back and ran my tongue around in my mouth, which now tasted like an ashtray. I was stupid enough to think I’d never get hooked. No one could ever get addicted to something that tasted that bad, right? How naive.

 

‘Anyway,’ I waved a hand through the air at Nadia, ‘Rose has been an alcoholic for probably thirty-plus years. It’s unlikely she’s going to change now.’

 

‘Maybe it was a good job Chris didn’t stay with Katie, then.

 

Can you imagine if we’d ended up with Katie’s dad as an in-law?

 

Jack always gave me the creeps. If I ever saw him out in the village, he always had this leery look on his face.’

 

I groaned in agreement. ‘Oh, he was awful! It was pretty rare for me to go round to Katie’s house because she never wanted to be there, ? understandably, with Rose and Jack both drinking heavily.