Diary, 12May
Dear diary,
I still cant believe what happened with Karl. We had been chuckling about that unwashed village girl together, and I walked out of the kitchen, fuming at my husbands thoughtless joke.
Forgive me, Ivy, he muttered, his brows knit, cursing under his breath while he smoked a shaky cigarette. I dont know how I ended up in a bed with Biscuit.
A few weeks ago a new family moved into the flat opposite ours: Nathan, his wife Lucy, and their fiveyearold daughter Violet. Were both thirty, our son is six, and the newcomers are about twentyfive. Living on the same floor has made us chat more often than before.
Lucy is the picture of a countrybred ladyproud of her tidy home and forever in the kitchen. Cakes, scones, and pies have a place of honour on her table, and she breezes in like a barrel of freshbaked goods. Karl and I teasingly called her Biscuit because of her generous curves. Her kitchen walls are lined with jam jars and tins, a sight I could never match.
I liked to think of myself as a pretty, wellkept woman, while Lucy drifted around in a faded dressing gown, a tiny bun perched on her head. Nathan, thin as a reed, was always well fed, as was chubby Violet. Those were Lucys only assets, yet we became friends. Nathan was often away on longhaul truck routes, having met Lucy in a tiny backroad shop where she set her eyes on the lanky stranger. He never stood a chance of slipping unnoticed.
Nine months later Lucy gave birth to a baby girl. Nathan brought Lucy and the newborn into town. When I introduced the sudden family to my mother, she flatly denied that country folk Lucy or the new granddaughter were anyone shed accept. Nathan had to rent a separate flat.
Karl never stopped criticizing Lucys looks.
How can a woman not love herself? he would say, shaking his head at me.
Then Karls mother fell ill and was bedridden. At first we took turns looking after her, but soon we decided a proper carer was needed. Lucy volunteered.
Ill help out for a few weeks, she said, and I need to buy my husband a rubber fishing boat as a surprise. Please keep it from Nathan. She was delighted at the idea of earning a little extra.
Lucy, dont stuff my motherinlaw with food, I warned her, shes lost her appetite.
Soon after, work sent me on a lengthy assignment abroad. I handed instructions to Karl, to our son, and to Lucy, then flew to another city.
A month later I returned. Karl avoided my eyes, and Lucy kept her distance.
Mum, could you make the same tasty potatoes as Aunt Lucys? And I loved her meatloaf, my son called from the doorway, puzzling me.
Did Aunt Lucy feed you? I asked, wary.
Yes, she brought Violet over and took Dad away, he replied.
I began to suspect something. Nathan was on a route, I was on a job trip
That evening, after a hearty dinner for Karl, I pressed for the truth.
Karl, I know everything. The boy told me everything, I said, though I hoped I was just making up stories.
There was nothing, Karl replied, his face unchanged.
Come on, relax. Its all in your head. Im not going to accuse you of anything, I sighed, trying to calm my nerves.
But Karl started visiting his mothers flat more often, lingering there for long stretches. I went to see his motherstill neat, calm, but alone. I knocked on Lucys door.
A weary Lucy opened, and in the background my exhausted husband lay in bed.
I, trying to keep my composure, turned and walked back home, my mind reeling. Karl, who had once called Lucy a sloppy hen, was now cozy with her!
I couldnt muster genuine jealousy toward the kitchen maid. When Karl rushed past me, I pointed disdainfully toward the bathroom.
Take a shower. Wash up properly! Got a laugh out of that? Ill tell Nathan everything. Hell have a word with you, I threatened, laughing at my own fists. I imagined skinny Nathan waving his fists at Karls nose.
Lucy eventually confessed her affair to Nathan. I have no idea how the trucker reacted, but a week later that family moved out. As they left, Nathan, spotting me, said with a grin,
Its no surprise. Who could resist my Lucy?
Months slipped by. One afternoon I ran into Biscuit again.
Hey, love! Still holding a grudge? she laughed. Its all the same old village gossip around here. I havent lost a penny, and your husbands still smiling. You travel a lot on assignments, you knowcant leave a hungry bloke hanging, Lucy chided, gripping the hand of a little girl who looked uncannily like my Karl.
I nodded, feeling the weight of the past lift just a little.
Ivy.
