most recent groin injury of the team's star striker.
There was more of that sort of thing when he supported Spurs! I suppose that was because they're only next door by comparison. Perhaps with this lot, the physical distance puts a sort of mental distance in his head, so he kind of separates the two things, home and away you might say. Football for him then becoming kind of a Northern thing, wife and kid becoming kind of a Southern thing. I suppose that's the real reason he's so close-mouthed; nothing against me at all. Though what must Phil's place be like then, if that's the case? Littered with Man United regalia I suppose, or perhaps Phil makes him keep it all in his own room, assuming he has one.
That would be sensible, after all Phil has to live with it, even when Don's back down here in his own home. Twice a month he goes up to Phil's for home games. (Only in the football season of course. Once the calendar shows the first week of May, it's goodbye big brother till August, which presumably Phil takes in good part, because we don't hear a peep out of him in the off season. You never know, though, Phil might relish the few months he gets to himself!) Anyway, it's a good arrangement, which seems to suit the both of them.
The other thing that Don does, is, sometimes, when United play down here, he goes to the home ground of whichever London team they're playing, and watches that game. Apart from that, he keeps up to date with their doings by reading the back pages of the paper. He never goes abroad to follow them, like some do. Even when they were in the European Cup competition, he didn't try to do that. I'm glad of that, you have to draw the line somewhere and it would have taken far too much out of the household budget. He's still got his head screwed on, I'm glad to say – family first with football a very close second.
It's funny to think back on it now, but when he first started supporting United I was worried. I was more than worried, to be honest, because, for one thing, I'd never heard of someone changing from the team that they'd always supported since they were a boy, and secondly, I had a funny feeling, a sort of physical feeling of upset about it. As if a very wrong thing was happening and I didn't know what.
And then, unexpectedly, I got over it. I realised it was good for Phil, for a start, to see his little brother on a regular basis, and I suppose I got used to having a little bit of time to myself. Not that I do anything in particular with that time, and not that I feel any less a wife or a mother for that matter being left to myself like that. (Carol still makes her presence felt.) But I do definitely feel a little more like myself as an individual person, and that is quite a nice feeling. It's only now and then that I feel differently about his going off every couple of weeks. Might feel a bit down then. I get over it though, soon enough. And he's back before you know it anyway. It's not worth making a fuss about. Just make sure I've got a nice hot water bottle to take to bed, keep me nice and cosy.
= CHAPTER 2 =
Saturday, February 12. AM
Oh my God! It's her! I can't believe it! Pearl will have to serve her. I just can't do it. "Pearl! Pearl!" (Thank God she's in today!) Oh for Heaven's sake, where is she?
Pearl appears from the back of the shop. She walks coolly past Faith and takes up her usual position behind the glass display counter. Pearl looks alert and friendly as always when a customer appears.
One of the women that Faith saw last Saturday, the older of the two, pushes open the plate glass door and enters the shop. She has a preoccupied frown on her face. She is wearing the same denim jacket that she wore when Faith saw her before. (This time it is buttoned-up to the neck against the chillier weather.)
"Can I help you, madam?" says
There was more of that sort of thing when he supported Spurs! I suppose that was because they're only next door by comparison. Perhaps with this lot, the physical distance puts a sort of mental distance in his head, so he kind of separates the two things, home and away you might say. Football for him then becoming kind of a Northern thing, wife and kid becoming kind of a Southern thing. I suppose that's the real reason he's so close-mouthed; nothing against me at all. Though what must Phil's place be like then, if that's the case? Littered with Man United regalia I suppose, or perhaps Phil makes him keep it all in his own room, assuming he has one.
That would be sensible, after all Phil has to live with it, even when Don's back down here in his own home. Twice a month he goes up to Phil's for home games. (Only in the football season of course. Once the calendar shows the first week of May, it's goodbye big brother till August, which presumably Phil takes in good part, because we don't hear a peep out of him in the off season. You never know, though, Phil might relish the few months he gets to himself!) Anyway, it's a good arrangement, which seems to suit the both of them.
The other thing that Don does, is, sometimes, when United play down here, he goes to the home ground of whichever London team they're playing, and watches that game. Apart from that, he keeps up to date with their doings by reading the back pages of the paper. He never goes abroad to follow them, like some do. Even when they were in the European Cup competition, he didn't try to do that. I'm glad of that, you have to draw the line somewhere and it would have taken far too much out of the household budget. He's still got his head screwed on, I'm glad to say – family first with football a very close second.
It's funny to think back on it now, but when he first started supporting United I was worried. I was more than worried, to be honest, because, for one thing, I'd never heard of someone changing from the team that they'd always supported since they were a boy, and secondly, I had a funny feeling, a sort of physical feeling of upset about it. As if a very wrong thing was happening and I didn't know what.
And then, unexpectedly, I got over it. I realised it was good for Phil, for a start, to see his little brother on a regular basis, and I suppose I got used to having a little bit of time to myself. Not that I do anything in particular with that time, and not that I feel any less a wife or a mother for that matter being left to myself like that. (Carol still makes her presence felt.) But I do definitely feel a little more like myself as an individual person, and that is quite a nice feeling. It's only now and then that I feel differently about his going off every couple of weeks. Might feel a bit down then. I get over it though, soon enough. And he's back before you know it anyway. It's not worth making a fuss about. Just make sure I've got a nice hot water bottle to take to bed, keep me nice and cosy.
= CHAPTER 2 =
Saturday, February 12. AM
Oh my God! It's her! I can't believe it! Pearl will have to serve her. I just can't do it. "Pearl! Pearl!" (Thank God she's in today!) Oh for Heaven's sake, where is she?
Pearl appears from the back of the shop. She walks coolly past Faith and takes up her usual position behind the glass display counter. Pearl looks alert and friendly as always when a customer appears.
One of the women that Faith saw last Saturday, the older of the two, pushes open the plate glass door and enters the shop. She has a preoccupied frown on her face. She is wearing the same denim jacket that she wore when Faith saw her before. (This time it is buttoned-up to the neck against the chillier weather.)
"Can I help you, madam?" says
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