Shooting in the Dark

Not dishy or attractive. Just interesting.’
    ‘I didn’t say he wasn’t attractive,’ Janet said. ‘He doesn’t spend a lot of time by himself.’
    ‘Thanks. I’ve got an idea of him. I’m trying to build a picture in my head. It’s not easy to do when you’re blind. I’d like to be able to picture us walking along the street, see what other people see.’
    ‘Oh, you look great,’ Janet said. ‘The two of you together, that’s something else.’
    ‘Me with a black eye and him with a broken face?’
    ‘A broken face on a man; what’s wrong with that? And your black eye isn’t gonna last for ever. You seem to know your way around the house OK.’
    ‘It’s still something of an obstacle course for me.’
    ‘Living with men,’ Janet said. ‘Never easy. I’ve got two of them in the house at the moment.’
    ‘Geordie I’ve met,’ said Angeles. ‘He was at the hospital. He seemed nice. I liked him.’
    ‘Oh, Geordie’s great on his own,’ Janet said. ‘The real problem is Ralph, his brother.’
    ‘The one who turned up out of the blue? I thought Geordie was over the moon about that.’
    ‘They were separated when they were children,’ Janet said. ‘I don’t know, maybe they were similar then, but life has taken them in different directions. Geordie’s a bit of a softy; his whole life revolves around me and Echo. But Ralph’s the opposite; he’s on the look-out for the main chance. I just know Geordie’s gonna end up being disillusioned with him.’
    ‘Has he tried anything with you?’
    Janet sighed. ‘The guy’s got more hands than a watch factory.’
    ‘And you can’t tell Geordie because...’
    ‘... He’s finally found the brother who he thought was lost for ever.’
    ‘Oh, dear,’ said Angeles inadequately. ‘It’s all going to blow up, isn’t it?’
    ‘Sooner or later, yes.’ Janet pushed a small piece of apple cake around her plate. ‘I keep hoping that Ralph will disappear, go back to wherever it was he came from. But everything’s really cushy here for him. Geordie would do anything, and he’s living free.’
    ‘Can’t Sam do anything?’
    ‘I haven’t talked to anyone else about this. I didn’t intend to talk to you about it. I’d appreciate it if you’d keep it to yourself for now.’
    ‘Of course, I won’t say anything. But if you think I could help, I’d be glad to do whatever you think. What if we offered him a couple of hundred pounds to disappear?’
    ‘He’d take the cash and come back for more. Besides, there’s no need for you to get involved. You’ve got enough on your plate for now, you don’t need another dirty piece of work messing up your life.’
    ‘So do you have a plan?’ Angeles asked.
    Janet shrugged her shoulders. ‘I’m just gonna see what happens,’ she said. ‘Play it from day to day. But let’s talk about something else. What about you? Geordie said your father was from Argentina? It sounds so romantic.’ Angeles smiled wistfully. ‘I never thought of him as Argentinian,’ she said. ‘Still now, when I think back, there is no nationality attached to him. He hated nationalism. He was my father. He was always around when we wanted him, he’d turn himself inside out for his children. He’d compromise all of his principles to make sure we were happy- Mummy said he spoiled us, and that he didn’t have much choice about it. He saw himself as a provider and if it was in his power to provide, then he wouldn’t see us go without. That was his nature. And he was exactly the same with Mother.’
    ‘Material things?’ Janet asked. ‘Clothes? Holidays? Did you go to Argentina?’
    ‘I wasn’t thinking about material things,’ Angeles said. ‘He was always there for us. He was a physical person; he’d sit Isabel and me on his knee together. When we were very young he always seemed to be sprawled on the carpet, and we’d crawl all over him. When I think about him I have a picture of both of us girls hanging off him; Isabel on his back and me with my arms and legs wrapped around his waist.
    ‘Yes, he bought us clothes and we went away to Spain and France, all over Europe. But not to South America. He wasn’t allowed to go to Argentina and said he couldn’t bear to be on the same continent and not visit his relatives.’
    ‘So, do you have relatives in Argentina? People you’ve never met?’
    ‘I suppose so, yes. Daddy had a brother, and when he married there were children. I have cousins, but I