(121)SHARING THE HURT
Someone stole Hettie’s cup. The one she loved. The only one.
That’s what she said. Not borrowed or forgot to return it. They stole it. And
she narrowed her eyes and her lips tightened to a shut purse and she wished the
world ill. And we all suffered Hettie’s loss.
(122)BACK FROM HIS HOLIDAYS
There’s something George looks forward to. Back from the sun
and the sea and the sand, and all those days folding into one another, and no
thought of work for a week; but coming back and George looks forward to a
decent cup of tea and from his own cup.
(123)FIRST THING
‘I’m not myself,’ Brandon said. ‘Not in the morning. Not right away. Not until I’ve had my first cup. And it must be Tetley’s: four
minutes in the pot before pouring, a little skimmed milk in first, two sugars.’
Till then, his words were all jagged and hard and thrown.
(124)NEVER WAKE A SLEEPING WOMAN
I thought Carmel’d like it. The curtains still closed and
the light of day soft-filtered into the room and the radio turned low and set to her
favourite channel. And I made her a cup of tea. In her favourite cup and just
the way she likes it. But no!
(125)BRENDA’S MISTAKE
There’s a cup Albert prefers. Has grown to love. He thinks
the tea tastes different in that cup, even though the rim is chipped, the
pattern eaten away by the dishwasher and too harsh a detergent. Brenda doesn’t
know. She buys him a new cup, gets rid of the old.
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