Family of Women (50 page)

‘Yes, they’re marvellous. Philip’s going back soon.’

‘How’s Iris?’

Roy nodded. ‘All right. It’s not been easy, ht= p
a easy, htwhat with the polio and that, losing John, and then how Philip’s been. She just . . . well, as I say, it’s not been easy.’

There was a silence. Even though they had been talking it was still impossible to say anything very much. Why exactly was he here? Violet wondered. He was still married to Iris, so it was not about her, he had not come back to revive what they had had. The only other reason he could be here, then, was to see Carol.

‘Shall I go and get her?’

‘Your daughter?’

She stood up. ‘Yours, as well.’

‘All right, baby?’ Eva greeted her. ‘Coming in for a drink of tea, or something stronger? She is fine, fine – she is playing cards.’

‘Thanks, Eva, but I can’t tonight. I’ve got a visitor and I need to pop back with her.’

‘OK then. Carol! Your mother’s here!’

Carol liked being at Eva’s.

‘She’s teaching me Polish,’ she had told Violet some time ago. ‘I asked her. She said, “Why you want to learn Polish? No one speaks Polish except in Poland.” But I said I wanted to.’

Violet had taken one look at some written Polish, which seemed to be all consonants and no vowels, and said, ‘Oh, my word. I don’t think I could do that.’

Eva said Carol had a good ear, and they parted from each other with a kiss and words in Polish.

‘See you tomorrow,’ Violet said. ‘Sorry to rush off.’

‘Why didn’t you stay?’ Carol said crossly. ‘You normally do.’

‘There’s someone at home – an old friend from the war,’ Violet said. ‘I just wanted you to see him, that’s all.’

‘Oh,’ Carol said, indifferently. ‘Mom, when are we going to get a television?’

‘When we can afford it.’ Violet pushed open the front door.

Roy was standing in the back room and she could see he was nervous.

‘Carol, this is Roy – we saw him at the garden party, d’you remember?’

Carol nodded, though she didn’t seem very sure.

‘I’m going up to my room. Isn’t Linda back?’

‘No – she’ll be in any minute.’

She looked at Roy as Carol’s feet were heard on the stairs. They smiled ruefully at each other.

‘I s’pose I’d better be off,’ he said.