Chasing Daisy

it’s Martin.
    My mother immediately looks fearful at his words, but I feel brave. ‘We’re speaking in Italian . It’s our language.’ I motion to my mother and me.
    ‘It’s not your language,’ he spits. ‘That’s not how I raised you.’
    I try to stay calm. I know he just feels threatened because he doesn’t understand.
    ‘Hello, Martin.’ I change the subject.
    ‘Hello!’ He scoots past my father and comes into the living room. ‘Two more days to go before the big day. I don’t have an office for you, but I thought you could perch in the corner of mine for the time being. Keep me company.’
    ‘Thank you for the offer.’ I try to keep my sarcasm at bay, but I’m speaking through clenched teeth. ‘But as I’ve already told my father, I’ll have to politely decline.’
    ‘Daisy,’ my father interrupts. ‘Do not disobey me.’
    ‘She’s a feisty one!’ Martin rubs his hands together with glee. ‘But I like a challenge.’
    ‘That’s enough!’ I raise my voice and leap to my feet. ‘I am NOT coming to work with you, I’m going back to England.’
    ‘You are doing no such thing,’ my father says angrily.
    ‘Just try and stop her.’ That was my mother speaking and the sound of her deadly calm voice makes us all spin around. ‘Martin, can you wait in the office, please,’ she says.
    ‘Why?’ my father demands to know.
    ‘Thank you.’ My mother gives Martin a pointed look as he scuttles away.
    ‘How dare you embarrass me like that!’ my father erupts.
    My mother ignores him. She turns to me and speaks in Italian. ‘What time is your car coming?’
    ‘I just planned on hailing a taxi downstairs.’
    ‘But you should have taken the car!’ she exclaims.
    ‘What are you saying? What are you saying?’ My father is glaring at each of us in turn. He looks almost comical.
    ‘A taxi is fine,’ I tell my mother. ‘I’m going now,’ I say in English to my father. ‘I have a plane to catch tonight.’
    ‘Don’t you dare,’ he warns. ‘You will never get another cent from me. Don’t you dare!’
    ‘I don’t want your money,’ I say, and for once my voice does-n’t shake. ‘I want to make it on my own.’
    ‘What?’ he barks. ‘By washing dishes? Peeling potatoes?’
    ‘If that’s what it takes.’
    ‘You’re a disgrace!’
    ‘Goodbye, mother.’ I turn to look at her.
    ‘I’ll see you out,’ she says.
    ‘Get back here!’ my father shouts as we both exit the room. ‘Get back here!’
    ‘He doesn’t mean it,’ my mother says as the elevator whooshes downwards.
    ‘He does. And it doesn’t matter, because I meant what I said.’
    She nods. ‘I know. You’re just like your grandmother in that respect.’
    At least I know she’s my blood, I think sadly.
    ‘What will you do? He’s going to be very angry when you go back up.’
    ‘He will be. But he’ll calm down. And Candida has cooked a lovely leg of lamb so that will cheer him up.’
    What an odd thought.
    It’s raining when I board the plane, and as it zooms off down the runway and soars up into the sky, I only catch a glimpse of New York before we fly through the clouds. I lied to my mother. It will be a long, long time before I come back again.

 
Chapter 23
     
    ‘Will you have a glass?’ Holly is holding up a bottle of red wine.
    ‘Sure.’
    Her face breaks into a grin.
    ‘But you won’t need that.’ I point at the bottle opener she’s just grabbed from the kitchen drawer. She looks at me in confusion. ‘It’s a screw top,’ I tell her.
    ‘Aah. . . And you could see that from there?’
    I’m sitting at the kitchen table and she’s at the counter top a few paces away.
    ‘Of course. When it comes to opening bottles of booze, I’m a pro.’
    ‘God, I’ve missed you.’ She cracks the bottle open, pouring out two very large glasses and bringing them over.
    ‘Thanks for letting me stay,’ I say.
    ‘No problem. Stay as long as you like. Oh, I know you’ll want to find a place of your own again, but there’s no rush and no pres
    Right, enough of this.
    ‘Holly, I know about Simon.’ I look her straight in the eyes.
    ‘You what?’ she asks weakly.
    ‘I know you’re having an affair with him.’
    The blood drains out of her face. ‘How did you find out?’ she whispers, sinking into a chair. ‘Does everyone know?’
    I immediately feel sorry for her. ‘No, no, no. Just me. And Luis,’ I add.
    ‘Luis?’ She looks shocked.
    ‘He won’t tell anyone.’
    ‘How do