2 p.m. The last remaining tiny bathmat of security has been pulled from under my feet. Magnanimous offer to pay caring surprise visit met by odd-sounding Dad on end of phone. The last remaining tiny bathmat of security has been pulled from under my feet. Magnanimous offer to pay caring surprise visit met by odd-sounding Dad on end of phone.
"Er . . . I"m not sure, dear. Could you hang on?"
I reeled. Part of the arrogance of youth (well, I say "youth") is the a.s.sumption that your parents will drop whatever they are doing and welcome you with open arms the second you decide to turn up. He was back. "Bridget, look, your mother and I are having some problems. Can we ring you later in the week?"
Problems? What problems? I tried to get Dad to explain but got nowhere. What is going on? Is the whole world doomed to emotional trauma? Poor Dad. Am I to be the tragic victim of a broken home now, on top of everything else?
Monday 6 February
8st 12 (heavy internal weight completely vanished - mystery), alcohol units I (v.g.), cigarettes 9 (v.g.), calories 1800 (g.). alcohol units I (v.g.), cigarettes 9 (v.g.), calories 1800 (g.).
Daniel will be back in the office today. I shall be poised and cool and remember that I am a woman of substance and do not need men in order to be complete, especially not him, Am not going to message him or indeed take any notice of him whatsoever.
9.30 a.m. Humph. Daniel does not seem to be here yet. Humph. Daniel does not seem to be here yet.
9.35 a.m. Still no sign of Daniel. Still no sign of Daniel.
9.36 a.m. Oh G.o.d, oh G.o.d. Maybe he"s fallen in love in New York and stayed there. Oh G.o.d, oh G.o.d. Maybe he"s fallen in love in New York and stayed there.
9.47 a.m. Or gone to Las Vegas and got married. Or gone to Las Vegas and got married.
9.50 a.m. Hmmm. think will go inspect make-up in case he does come in. Hmmm. think will go inspect make-up in case he does come in.
10.05 a.m. Heart gave great lurch when got back from loos and saw Daniel standing with Simon from Marketing at the photocopier. The last time I saw him he was lying on his sofa looking completely nonplussed while I fastened my skirt and ranted about f.u.c.kwittage. Now he was looking all sort of "I"ve been away" - fresh faced and healthy-looking. As I pa.s.sed he looked pointedly at my skirt and gave me a huge grin. Heart gave great lurch when got back from loos and saw Daniel standing with Simon from Marketing at the photocopier. The last time I saw him he was lying on his sofa looking completely nonplussed while I fastened my skirt and ranted about f.u.c.kwittage. Now he was looking all sort of "I"ve been away" - fresh faced and healthy-looking. As I pa.s.sed he looked pointedly at my skirt and gave me a huge grin.
10.30 a.m. Message Pending flashed up on screen. Pressed RMS to pick up message. Message Pending flashed up on screen. Pressed RMS to pick up message.
Message JonesFrigid cow.Cleave.
I laughed. I couldn"t help myself. When I looked across to his little gla.s.s office he was smiling at me in a relieved and fond sort of way. Anyway, am not going to message him back.
10.35 a.m. Seems rude not to reply, though. Seems rude not to reply, though.
10.45 a.m. G.o.d, I"m bored. G.o.d, I"m bored.
10.47 a.m. I"ll just send him a tiny friendly message, nothing flirtatious, just to restore good relations.
11.00 a.m. Tee hee. Just logged on as Perpetua to give Daniel a fright. Tee hee. Just logged on as Perpetua to give Daniel a fright.
Message Cleave Message CleaveIt is hard enough as it is, trying to meetyour targets without people wasting myteam"s time with non-essential messages.PerpetuaP.S. Bridget"s skirt is not feeling at allwell and have sent it home.
10 p.m. Daniel and I messaged each other all day. But there is no way I am going to sleep with him. Daniel and I messaged each other all day. But there is no way I am going to sleep with him.
Rang Mum and Dad again tonight but no one answered. V. weird.
Thursday 9 February
9st 2 (extra fat presumably caused by winter whale blubber), alcohol units 4, cigarettes 12 (v.g.), calories 2845 (v. cold).
9 p.m. V. much enjoying the Winter Wonderland and reminder that we are at the mercy of the elements, and should not concentrate so hard on being sophisticated or hardworking but on staying warm and watching the telly. V. much enjoying the Winter Wonderland and reminder that we are at the mercy of the elements, and should not concentrate so hard on being sophisticated or hardworking but on staying warm and watching the telly.
This is the third time I have called Mum and Dad this week and got no reply. Maybe The Gables has been cut off by the snow? In desperation, I pick up the phone and dial my brother Jamie"s number in Manchester, only to get one of his hilarious answerphone messages: the sound of running water and Jamie pretending to be President Clinton in the White House, then a toilet flushing and his pathetic girlfriend t.i.ttering in the background.
9.15 p.m. Just called Mum and Dad three times in a row, letting it ring twenty times each time. Eventually Mum picked it up sounding odd and saying she couldn"t talk now but would call me at the weekend. Just called Mum and Dad three times in a row, letting it ring twenty times each time. Eventually Mum picked it up sounding odd and saying she couldn"t talk now but would call me at the weekend.
Sat.u.r.day 11 February
8st 13,alcohol units 4, cigarettes 18, calories calories 1467(but burnt 1467(but burnt off by shopping) off by shopping)
Just got home from shopping to message from my dad asking if I would meet him for lunch on Sunday. I went hot and cold. My dad does not come up to London to have lunch with me on his own on Sundays. He has roast beef, or salmon and new potatoes, at home with Mum.
"Don"t ring back," the message said. "I"ll just see you tomorrow."
What"s going on? I went round the corner, shaking, for some Silk Cut. Got back to find message from Mum. She too is coming to see me for lunch tomorrow, apparently. She"ll bring a piece of salmon with her, and will be here about 1 o"clock.
Rang Jamie again and got 20 seconds of Bruce Springsteen and then Jamie growling, "Baby, I was born to run . . . out of time on the answerphone."
Sunday 12 February
8st13, alcohol alcohol units units 5, 5, cigarettes 23 (hardly cigarettes 23 (hardly surprising), surprising), calories 1647. calories 1647.
11 a.m. Oh G.o.d, I can"t have them both arriving at the same time. It is too Brian Rix for words. Maybe the whole lunch thing is just a parental practical joke brought on by over-exposure of my parents to Noel Edmonds, popular television and similar. Perhaps my mother will arrive with a live salmon flipping skittishly on a lead and announce that she is leaving Dad for it. Maybe Dad will appear hanging upside-down outside the window dressed as a Morris dancer, crash in and start hitting Mum over the bead with a sheep"s bladder; or suddenly fall face downwards out of the airing cupboard with a plastic knife stuck in his back. The only thing which can possibly get everything back on course is a b.l.o.o.d.y Mary. It"s nearly the afternoon, after all. Oh G.o.d, I can"t have them both arriving at the same time. It is too Brian Rix for words. Maybe the whole lunch thing is just a parental practical joke brought on by over-exposure of my parents to Noel Edmonds, popular television and similar. Perhaps my mother will arrive with a live salmon flipping skittishly on a lead and announce that she is leaving Dad for it. Maybe Dad will appear hanging upside-down outside the window dressed as a Morris dancer, crash in and start hitting Mum over the bead with a sheep"s bladder; or suddenly fall face downwards out of the airing cupboard with a plastic knife stuck in his back. The only thing which can possibly get everything back on course is a b.l.o.o.d.y Mary. It"s nearly the afternoon, after all.
12.05 p.m. Mum called. "Let him Mum called. "Let him come come then," she said. "Let him b.l.o.o.d.y well have his own way as usual." (My mum does not swear. She says things like "ruddy" and "Oh my G.o.dfathers".) "I"ll be all right on my b.l.o.o.d.y own. I"ll just clean the house like Germaine sodding Greer and the Invisible Woman." (Could she possibly, conceivably, have been drunk? My mum has drunk nothing but a single cream sherry on a Sunday night since 1952, when she got slightly tipsy on a pint of cider at Mavis Enderby"s twenty-first and has never let herself or anyone else forget it. "There"s nothing worse than a woman drunk, darling.") then," she said. "Let him b.l.o.o.d.y well have his own way as usual." (My mum does not swear. She says things like "ruddy" and "Oh my G.o.dfathers".) "I"ll be all right on my b.l.o.o.d.y own. I"ll just clean the house like Germaine sodding Greer and the Invisible Woman." (Could she possibly, conceivably, have been drunk? My mum has drunk nothing but a single cream sherry on a Sunday night since 1952, when she got slightly tipsy on a pint of cider at Mavis Enderby"s twenty-first and has never let herself or anyone else forget it. "There"s nothing worse than a woman drunk, darling.") "Mum. No. Couldn"t we all talk this through together over lunch?" I said, as if this were Sleepless in Seattle Sleepless in Seattle and lunch was going to end up with Mum and Dad holding hands and me winking cutely at the camera, wearing a luminous rucksack. and lunch was going to end up with Mum and Dad holding hands and me winking cutely at the camera, wearing a luminous rucksack.
"Just you wait," she said darkly. "You"ll find out what men are like."
"But I already . . . " I began."
"I"m going out, darling," she said. I"m going out to get laid." laid."
At 2 o"clock Dad arrived at the door with a neatly folded copy of the Sunday Telegraph. Sunday Telegraph. As he sat down on the sofa, his face crumpled and tears began to splosh down his cheeks. As he sat down on the sofa, his face crumpled and tears began to splosh down his cheeks.
"She"s been like this since she went to Albufeira with Una Alconbury and Audrey Coles," he sobbed, trying to wipe his cheek with his fist. "When she got back she started saying she wanted to be paid for doing the housework, and she"d wasted her life being our slave." (Our slave? I knew it. This is all my fault. If I were a better person, Mum would not have stopped loving Dad.) "She wants me to move out for a while, she says, and . . . and. . . . " He collapsed in quiet sobs. slave? I knew it. This is all my fault. If I were a better person, Mum would not have stopped loving Dad.) "She wants me to move out for a while, she says, and . . . and. . . . " He collapsed in quiet sobs.
"And what, Dad?"
"She said I thought the c.l.i.toris was something from Nigel Coles"s lepidoptery collection."
Monday 13 February
9st 1, alcohol units 5, cigarettes 0 (spiritual enrichment removes need to smoke - ma.s.sive breakthrough), calories 2845.
Though heartbroken by my parents" distress, I have to admit parallel and shameful feeling of smugness over my new role as carer and, though I say it myself, wise counselor. It is so long since I have done anything at all for anyone else that it is a totally new and heady sensation. This is what has been missing in my life. I am having fantasies about becoming a Samaritan or Sunday school teacher, making soup for the homeless (or, as my friend Tom suggested, darling mini-bruschettas with pesto sauce), or even retraining as a doctor. Maybe going out with a doctor would be better still, both s.e.xually and spiritually fulfilling. I even began to wonder about putting an ad in the lonely hearts column of the Lancet Lancet. I could take his messages, tell patients wanting night visits to b.u.g.g.e.r off, cook him little goat cheese souffles, then end up in a foul mood with him when I am sixty, like Mum.
Oh G.o.d. Valentine"s Day tomorrow. Why? Why? Why is entire world geared to make people not involved in romance feel stupid when everyone knows romance does not work anyway. Look at royal family. Look at Mum and Dad.