they’d given her.
They resented that. Honestly. They were angry with her
for that
sometimes.
But they didn’t
they didn’t drive her away.
They didn’t.
*
It wasn’t Laura
in the garden
under the apple tree. Of course it wasn’t.
It was some other girl. It was Becky Shaw,
although she didn’t know that then.
She was looking at Ginny with,
she wouldn’t say insolence,
although some people would call it that.
It was confidence.
There was a challenge.
A way of setting the shoulders.
As if to say, what?
What’s your problem, Mrs?
That was the face she had on her.
What’s your problem?
It wasn’t rude, as such. It was more,
she couldn’t imagine what problem Ginny might have,
seeing her sitting in the garden like that,
under the apple tree, eating an apple.
She wanted to get a rise, and Ginny didn’t give her one.
Ginny thought that might take the wind out of her sails.
She said good afternoon, and she got on with the jobs