9
Yellow Submarine was just starting when Brenda leaned over and shouted, “Take you home now dear?” So Nan leaned over for the big handbag, a bit stiff because she’d been sitting for a while. The napkin slid off her lap onto the floor. Brenda found her keys and waved to Nora, pointed at the door and mouthed, “I’ll be back”. There was a couple dancing with linked arms who had to move for Nan and Brenda to get through, and more who had drifted from the dance floor to the carpet. Brenda took hold of Nan’s elbow and held it close to the soft roll at her waist past the dingalingaling of the machines and the bar and through the glass door to the big carpark and the wind, which was a bit of a shock. A hard late afternoon light made it look like somewhere Nan had never been. Inside Brenda’s car it was warm, though it smelled of new-car chemicals. Brenda drove and talked at the same time, at first about Nora and Donnie and how good Jessica was at school, and then how it was so nice to see Shirl and Barry making it official finally after that last disaster and how Benny was pretty well behaved today though sometimes he could be a bit sooky, and then again about how Nan was lucky she had a place with Barry and Shirl, and Barry’d be so useful when it came down to selling her flat. Must be lovely to have the family around her, she said. Nan said actually she was much better now just as Brenda was recommending a physio because even old people need to keep fit. Nan said she knew that, but then Brenda was talking about macrame and craft lessons. The day was losing colour and some of the cars had their lights on, everything blurring in the gray. At the house Nan said, “There’s Boof.” He was running up and down, crouching on his front elbows and jumping up and away and back again, backwards and forwards to the front door until the women got there and Brenda took the key from Nan to open up. He squeezed past and into the house and stood over his bowl so Brenda laughed and said, “You sit down at the table here, Nan, and I’ll feed this hound. Like a cuppa?” But Nan said no, it was a bit late for a cuppa, and waited while Brenda opened up the fridge for the dog food and drawers for a spoon with a quick look at it to check it was clean, and scooped a pile into Boof’s dish. Brenda said, “There,” and then very loud, “Will you be right now, dear? D’you need anything?” But Nan said no, and thanks, and Brenda gave her a quick kiss and a ta-ta and went.