Free Iris and Ruby by Rosie Thomas

you?’
    An exasperated sigh and a shrug. ‘She said she was about to call the police and report me missing. She said I am irresponsible, and thoughtless, and if I can’t think of her I could perhaps consider my little brother, who was worried sick about me. I don’t think he was , by the way. Worrying about people’s so not Ed’s thing. She said I should go home and behave better and get a job and dah dahdah, be a different person. Get a personality transplant maybe. I’ve heard it all before, about five zillion times.’
    ‘She was worried,’ I repeat.
    I’m on unsafe ground here, caught between what I know I ought to say and what I feel. Which is recognition and a certain amount of sympathy.
    We look at each other over our whisky glasses.
    ‘You see, the trouble is that I’m crap at everything,’ Ruby quietly says. ‘At least, all the things that Lesley and Andrew rate. Not that I’d admit that to very many people, actually.’
    ‘I don’t think you are,’ I tell her.
    ‘Thanks.’ Her tone is dismissive but her eyes implore me.
    ‘All right,’ I say slowly, because it is dawning on me that I do rather want her to stay. At least, I don’t want her to go right now. It’s not that I am lonely, but I would like to hear her talk some more. ‘I will telephone Lesley again, and ask if you may have her permission to spend a few days with me.’
    She hugs her knees and rocks on the stool. ‘Fantastic.’ She grins.
    I finish my whisky first. My hands are steady now.
    Lesley answers the telephone. ‘Hello?’
    ‘It’s Iris,’ I repeat.
    ‘Mummy, tell me what’s really going on?’
    I never felt comfortable with mummy; it was Lesley who always insisted on it.
    Into the space I say careful sentences about it being apleasure to meet Ruby, how Lesley would be doing a favour to me if she were to allow her to stay for a few days in Cairo. Now that she’s here, I say, we might as well turn it to advantage. The Egyptian Museum. An outing to the Pyramids at Giza. Maybe even further afield, ancient history, archaeology. And so on.
    Although nowadays I hardly leave the house, I find myself almost believing that Ruby and I will make these excursions together.
    ‘If you agree, that is, Lesley. You and …’
    Her husband; second husband, not Ruby’s father. I have met this one two or three times but I find that I can remember nothing about him, not even his name. It’s impossible to work out whether it is my forgetfulness that is to blame, or his unmemorableness.
    ‘Mummy, what are you laughing at?’
    ‘I’m not laughing.’
    She sounds uncertain. ‘Are you sure it won’t be too much for you, having Ruby there?’
    ‘I don’t think so. If it turns out to be, I promise I’ll say so.’
    ‘Well … it’s kind of you to do this for her. Thank you. After she’s just turned up like that, uninvited. Andrew and I had no idea, one minute she was here and the next she’d vanished. It never occurred to me … she bought an air ticket, just like that, took her passport …’
    ‘Enterprising of her. But she’s not a baby, is she? Young people skip around all over the world these days. And as I said, she’ll come to no harm here. Boredom will set in before too long and then you’ll have her home again.’
    ‘I expect so. We’ll see.’ I can hear that Lesley badly wants Ruby to go home, but she knows better than to insist on it. I find myself admiring her adroitness. ‘Thanks again for taking her in.’
    ‘What else would I have done?’
    ‘I don’t know, Mummy.’
    The bridge of careful words begins to creak and sway, and we both step hastily backwards.
    ‘I’ll make sure she behaves herself,’ I say.
    ‘I’ll call again tomorrow,’ Lesley insists.
    We quickly end the conversation. Now, and for the next few days, I am responsible for Ruby. When I return to the other room she is holding up the bottle that Mamdooh left on the tray.
    ‘Top-up?’ she asks.
    Lesley looked around the quiet,