Afterwards we are heading to dinner with Jude. We’re not seeing each other, but we do see each other, if that makes sense. He’s split with Henny (I still hate that name) and is dying to get back with me, but I am remaining an international woman of mystery and not making my mind up yet. It’s been too much of an emotional year. I’m certainly not going to rush back into anything with him. He’s not met Rose and Alan before, but he has of course heard all about them.
We take our seats. I sit wedged between them, like I’m eight years old. And sometimes that’s what it feels like, being with them. They spoil me and bicker over me. I’m still a novelty to them; they’re still only just getting to know me. They both offer me a sweet at the same time and I take one of each at the same time and for some reason this makes them howl with laughter. So loudly the woman in front turns and scowls at Rose.
Rose glares at the woman and rasps, ‘What’s the matter, love? Have I got a welly on my head?’
We tried to trace Samantha, but as yet have drawn a blank. I’m not so bothered about meeting her now, because Rose feels like . . . well . . . like a mum and dad all rolled into one. There’s no word in the English language, as far as I’m aware, that means ‘mum and dad all rolled into one’.
‘There is,’ Alan always says. ‘Rose.’
More laughter.
Rob is coming back later this year to show off his new family. He’s sent me a couple of polite emails. He seems very bright, and incredibly handsome. He’s forty-five now.
‘And not a grey hair on his head, the bastard!’ Rose always says proudly.
Sometimes when we’re out, people – staff in restaurants, say – might refer to Rose as my mum. It was a bit embarrassing the first time, but I think she quite likes it. Maybe I’ll be comfortable saying that one day; it’s just a word, a name. For now when people ask who she is, I just say, ‘My friend Rose.’ She seems happy with that too.
A text comes through on my phone. I check the caller ID. It’s from Iggy. I open it quickly. It says:
Happy birthday, Pips. Love I and C x
I smile. An usherette is on me like a ton of bricks from the aisle.
‘’Scuse me? Phones off, please?’ she shouts.
‘Ooh, which charm school did she go to?’ Rose says out of the corner of her mouth.
I smile.
‘And did you see the size of her arse?’
I look back to clock it, but just then the lights start to dim and the sound of a helicopter fills the theatre. The orchestra strikes up. The lights dim to nothing.
I feel Rose slipping her arm through mine. We hunker down in our seats.
Another story is about to begin.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jonathan Harvey comes from Liverpool and is a multi-award-winning writer of plays, films, sitcoms and Britain’s longest-running drama serial.
Jonathan’s theatre work includes the award-winning Beautiful Thing (Bush Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Duke of York’s. Winner: John Whiting Award. Nominated: Olivier Award for Best Comedy), Babies (Royal Court Theatre. Winner: Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright. Winner: George Devine Award) and Rupert Street Lonely Hearts Club (English Touring Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Criterion Theatre. Winner: Manchester Evening News Award for Best New Play. Winner: City Life Magazine Award for Best New Play). Other plays include Corrie! (Lowry Theatre and National Tour. Winner: Manchester Evening News Award for Best Special Entertainment), Canary (Liverpool Playhouse, Hampstead Theatre and English Touring Theatre), Hushabye Mountain (English Touring Theatre, Hampstead Theatre), Guiding Star (Everyman Theatre, Royal National Theatre), Boom Bang a Bang (Bush Theatre), Mohair (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs) and Wildfire (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs). Jonathan also co-wrote the musical Closer to Heaven with the Pet Shops Boys.
For television Jonathan created and wrote three series of the BAFTA-nominated Gimme Gimme Gimme for the BBC, two series of Beautiful People (winner: Best Comedy, Banff TV Festival), the double-BAFTA-nominated Best Friends, Von Trapped! and Birthday Girl.
Jonathan has also written for the shows Rev (winner: BAFTA for Best Sitcom), Shameless, The Catherine Tate Show, At Home With the Braithwaites, Lilies and Murder Most Horrid. To date he has written over a hundred episodes of Coronation Street.
Jonathan’s film work includes Beautiful Thing for Film Four (Outstanding Film, GLAAD Awards, New York; Best Film, London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival; Best Screenplay, Fort Lauderdale Film Festival; Grand Prix, Paris Film Festival; Jury Award, San Paolo International Film Festival).
But perhaps most telling of all he also won the Spacehopper Championships at Butlins Pwllheli in 1976.
His novels are All She Wants, The Confusion of Karen Carpenter and The Girl Who Just Appeared.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Continued thanks to Wayne Brookes, Camilla Elworthy, Jeremy Trevathan and all at Pan Macmillan who continue to believe in me and publish my books and give me nice dinners. I am incredibly grateful. Also to my agent Gordon Wise for steering me in the right direction. And of course to Michael McCoy and Alec Drysdale for looking after the other side of things.
Thank you to Tim Berners-Lee for inventing the internet. Without it I would have had to go to the library and read books and newspapers to gen up on the issues involved in this book. Nor would I have had the distraction of Facebook or Twitter and the lovely people therein who say things about my books, which is always lovely. Or often rude.
A book is written in isolation but researched in company and to the following people I thank you for letting me pick your brains at various points along the way, or for letting me use your funny anecdotes, or just plain being encouraging and lovely: Jan McVerry, Carmel Morgan, Damon Rochefort, Lee Anderson, Kathy Burke, Emma Clarke, Paris Lees, Annie Wallace, Angela Sinden and Richard Foord. Oh and not forgetting the 4 o’clock Club – put my lights on if I’m not there!
To Alan Toner (Irish Alan) for letting me use his name. Well, he practically forced me . . . And to Jojo Moyes for offering sage advice, over a very nice lunch, about writing dual time-frame novels.
I started playing around with writing Darren’s diary many many years ago, before I had written anything else really. I showed these scribblings, done in an exercise book in biro, to my friend Patti Burton who was so encouraging to me before anyone else was. She probably doesn’t realize this, or even remember it, but thank you Patti for your belief then and now. And finally I have found something to do with his story!
This book is about a woman searching for her family because she feels she doesn’t belong. I’m lucky enough to come from a strong, loving family and I appreciate how rare that can be, so thank you to Maureen, Brian, Tim, Shona and all the Harveys of Liverpool.
And finally to Paul Hunt. The wind beneath my bingo wings. Thank you for, well, everything.
First published 2014 by Pan Books
This electronic edition published 2014 by Pan Books
an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
Pan Macmillan, 20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR
Basingstoke and Oxford
Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.com
ISBN 978-0-230-77180-2
Copyright © Jonathan Harvey 2014
The right of Jonathan Harvey to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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