Good Girl
“I know everyone knows.” I snap back. Though why the hell she’s not screaming bloody murder at me I don’t know.
“What do you think Dominic will do when he gets home? Do you think he’ll still let us stay here?” She cries.
“What are you talking about?”
“My affair. The papers have it as headline news.” She hisses dumping the bag and crossing to where she’s left a tabloid and she picks it up waving it about.
“You haven’t read it have you?” I say.
“Of course I haven’t. I know the actual details so why do I need to read what they’re calling me?”
I gulp. Oh shit. She thinks it’s about her. I could almost laugh in this moment at the absurdity of this.
“I’m pregnant Eden.” She says.
“What?”
“I’m pregnant. It’s Colin’s.”
“You, you can even get pregnant?” I don’t mean to be nasty it’s just I thought women her age had hit the menopause already. I guess I’m wrong.
“I’m thirty nine. I’m not a geriatric.” She hisses.
“Alright.” I reply. “So let me get this straight, you’re pregnant with Colin’s baby and you what, think that I’m just going to go with you?”
“Where else will you go?” She snaps slamming the paper back down and grabbing her case again. “Dominic won’t want you around.”
“Is that so?” He says walking in and I feel my body react as he gets closer to me. I can’t even help it. It’s visceral. It’s instinctive.
Mum’s face goes pale, paler. “Dominic….”
He looks at the suitcases. “So you’re leaving, are you?”
“I think it’s best.” She says.
“Yeah you’re right.” He says.
She looks at me again. “Go and pack.”
“No.” Dominic and I say together.
She turns to glare at him. “What the fuck is this? She’s my daughter.”
“And some mother you make.” He says. “You barely notice she exists except to belittle her. You didn’t even check to see if she was alright after that car crash so don’t pretend that you care now.”
“I was busy.”
“Busy fucking your boss.” I snap before I can stop myself.
Dominic looks at me with wide eyes.
“Shut up.” Mum snaps before looking at Dominic. “She’s my daughter. She’s coming with me.”
“She’s not going anywhere.” Dominic says and instinctively I step back into him and he wraps his arms around me.
She stares at us dumbfounded. “What is this?” She snarls.
I don’t know why he does it, why he chooses that moment, but he kisses my head, in the same reassuring way he did back at the police station.
“You…” She shakes her head slightly. “You..”
I’m not even trembling. I thought I would be. I thought that when this moment came I’d be so scared of her reaction but I realise that I don’t care. I don’t care what she says. And having Dominic’s arms around me makes me feel that there’s nothing she can do either.
“You slept with my daughter?” She says. “You, you fucked my daughter?”
Dominic lets out a noise like a growl. It sounds protective, domineering. My heart jumps as he does it and I squeeze his arms as I wrap my hands around them.
“And you.” She says pointing her finger at me. “You filthy little whore. Bet you were more than happy to spread your legs, to steal my husband out right from under my nose.”
“He’s not yours.” I snarl before I can stop myself.
“You’re disgusting. Both of you.” She shouts. “She’s a child Dominic. A child. What kind of sick fuck seduces a child?”
“Get out.” Dominic says. “Get out of my house.”
She shakes her head.
“That’s why you were in her room the other day wasn’t it? You were fucking her while I was in the house?”
“Get out or I’ll throw you out.” Dominic says.
She screws her face up, grabbing her suitcases and rolls them behind her, as she half runs from us both.