Watch With Mother by Lesley Haycock
They did quite a lot of people watching, the mother and the daughter, walking as well. “Keeps you fit”, Mum would say, and Daughter would nod in agreement.
“Hold on tight” Mum would say “we don’t want anyone falling”, and Daughter would hold on a little tighter, just in case.
Today it had been raining. Although the rain had stopped the pavement was still mirror wet, reflecting crooked buildings and spring time sun. It was a little slippy underfoot. Mum and Daughter walked carefully, chatting in a chummy fashion about nothing in particular. Admiring the rain-soaked daffodils and smiling up hopefully at a watery blue sky. “It’s going to be a lovely day” pronounced Mum, and Daughter nodded in agreement. Now that Mum had said it, it probably would be. Things had a way of working out like that for Mum. She was that sort of person, reflected Daughter, things happened for Mum. “Will it ever be like that for me?” Daughter wondered, “Probably” she concluded “after all, Mum says it runs in the family”. She smiled a wee smile to herself and tried to give Mum her full attention. Mustn’t let her thoughts wander off too much or Mum would end up talking to herself again. It wasn’t that Daughter deliberately ignored Mum, it was just that she had a head full of her own thoughts, her own worries, her own life. After all she wasn”t a wee girl any more. Sometimes she suspected Mum didn’t see that. Not that it mattered much. Mum was Mum and they got on well most of the time. Like today, nothing much to do and loads of time to do it. They daundered along, arm in arm, happy in each other’s company and happy with the day.
The girl stepped out of a nearby building and crossed the road towards them. She was stunning, immaculate, beautiful. Her hair glowed in a corn ripe halo against the sun. She walked well. No looking at the pavement. No arms crossed over the body or hands shoved deep into pockets. No hunched shoulders. She looked where she was going and looking the way she did she was definitely going somewhere.
“Just look at that girl” said Mum quietly to Daughter, “isn”t she beautiful?”
“Lovely” agreed Daughter, “what she’s wearing is fabulous”
“Isn’t it?” Mum enthused “It’s so nice to see someone wearing colour and putting an outfit together so well”
They continued to talk as they walked, keeping their voices low but finding themselves unable to look away from the beautiful creature before them.
The girl drew level with them and turned.
“’R youse two talking about me?” She demanded. Her tone was harsh and challenging. Her chin jutted forward belligerently.
“Oh God, please no” prayed Daughter, “please don’t you could get hurt!”
Mother drew herself up to her full four foot eleven and a half inches (the half inch is very important) “Yes” she replied “we were talking about you”. She smiled at the girl in what could be taken for a pleasant way-if you were not very bright. The girl was not very bright. She saw weakness. She began her attack.
“Listen you old *****”
“We were just saying how beautiful you are” said Mum talking right over the top of the girl.
Daughter tried very hard to look like a wobbly building or a wet daffodil. She did come quite close. She looked like a wet something, but she was still visible. Mother tightened her grip on daughters arm in a reassuring way but Daughter was not reassured. “Oh this could be bad. Please don’t hurt her. Please don’t hurt her!”
“Yes” Mother repeated “Beautiful, that’s just what we were saying”
The girl looked a little at a loss, but only a little, after all this was only her due. People were there to admire her. She might let them off with a warning. Her shoulders began to relax.
“But I take it back!” said Mother quietly, almost too quietly, it took a moment for the statement to register in the girl’s mind.
Mother continued “I take it back because” she leaned in close towards the girl’s face, “now I can see your meanness of spirit.”
It was true; Daughter could see the tight meanness of the girl’s mouth. The sharpness of the eyes and the nails just a little too like claws. The girl was not beautiful, she just had looks and of course, as Mum often said, looks fade.
The girl froze; she had no idea how to react. This was totally outside her frame of reference. Daughter looked at mother beseechingly. Mother smiled
“O.k. sweetheart no hex today. I won’t hurt her”. She snapped her fingers under the girls” nose and the girl walked away looking dazed and confused. Not for long. What had happened made no sense to her and so she forgot it and went on her way. Her and her looks.
Daughter let out a breath she did not know she was holding. “You would think,” she mused “that I would have grown out of being embarrassed by my mother, I am in my forties for God’s sake”
Mum was already a few steps ahead. Daughter hurried to catch up.
“One of these days, Mum you are going to take a tumble”
“True sweetie, one day, perhaps” Mum patted Daughter’s arm and held on more firmly, “but not today darling, not today!”
It turned out to be a lovely day. It would not have dared be otherwise.
