table at the end of the day at home, I make my way down the corridor. “Did you ever get hold of Oliver, darling?” I’d been trying to reach the man at CoTechnic all throughout the day.
“He’s not in my department, love!” Callum bellows back to me just as I enter the kitchen. “I thought I told you that before.” He smiles at me, but I don’t return the grin.
Brenda is here. She’s sitting rigidly straight on a high stool at the counter extension. “How many times does my son have to tell you things, Emily dear?” She barks a laugh as though it will take the sting out of what she’s just said. Callum’s mum always does that. She’ll put me down with words and then laugh it off to make her statements seem hilarious, which they so are not.
“Mum.” Callum grumbles. I know he sees through her laughter too. “I might have forgotten to tell her.”
Setting down her cup of tea, Mrs Stephenson tightens the ponytail in her dark brown dyed hair. She’s always got her hair up and she’s always dressed in a track suit. The woman takes being a personal trainer to the extreme. I think she’d absolutely move into one of the rooms at the Meli Spa if they allowed it. The hotel and gym is like her second home already as it is. “Somehow I doubt that, dear.” Her tea cup tinkles onto the saucer and her voice tinkles with false laughter.
Callum clears his throat as though doing so will clear the awkward air. “Mum’s here to help with the wedding plans, Em!”
The floor seems to drop out from under me. So it’s true. I had heard him correctly last night when he said he told his mother we’re engaged.
“Um.” I mumble. “That’s… that’s…” I can’t bring myself to speak. What am I supposed to say? That’s fantastic? That’s fantastically abhorrent, more like.
“No need to thank me, dear.”
I wasn’t going to thank you, I think as Brenda hops down off her stool.
“The memories of my wedding to your father.” She pauses to look beseechingly at Callum. “That day is burned into my memory…”
Bit dramatic.
“… I’ll help you sort everything out, Emily. Starting with this.” The woman slaps my tummy.
She. Slapped. My. Stomach.
“Here you are.” I’m given a credit card sized object. “A six month membership to the Meli Spa!” She exclaims.
“Emily already has a membership at the Splash for her Zumba Zumba, Mum.”
“It’s just Zumba.” I can’t quite believe I just said that at the same time Brenda did. Irritated, I try to hand the Meli Spa membership card back to her. “Callum’s right, I’m already a member of the Splash gym.”
“Rubbish!” Brenda waves her hand through the air and I step back a bit lest she make any sudden moves towards my curved body parts. “That gym is the public urinal—”
“Mum!” Callum interjects.
“You know it’s true, Son.” She replies quickly. “Chav mums take their brats to that horrible place where the little monsters do more than just wee in that pool.” She laughs, as per…
“They’re not chav… oh never mind. I’m happy with my Zumba class though, Brenda.” I can’t help myself. When I say her name it’s through gritted teeth.
“Fine.” Scooping up her massive gym bag, Callum’s buff mum throws the heavy looking thing over her muscly shoulder with ease. “Keep both memberships and I’ll see you in an hour for your first speed bike session. We’ll whip you into shape for your wedding yet, Emily darling!”
“Oh really—”
Callum cuts me off by escorting his mother quickly out of the house. When he comes back into the kitchen I’m seething with near apoplectic rage. “You told her and now look what’s happened!” I bang the gym membership card down onto the counter. “Ow!” I cry, because that really hurt.
“Emily!” Callum rushes to my side. “Calm down, babe.”
The one thing I hate most in this world is when I’m so angry I’m seeing red, and someone tells me to calm down.
Oh! What’s the point? Taking his advice, I do calm down with a heaving sigh. “I just didn’t want your mum to know, honey. She’s so judgemental of me and—”
“She’s just going through a hard time since…”
Here we go. Since I met him Callum’s always defended his mother’s sorrow at his father dying. Even though his death seems like a long time ago to me, I’m chastised. How can I be so rude to the woman who lost her husband? I feel super guilty