英语短篇小说 A Tray of Ice Cubes(9)

英语读物

in dealing with customers, to have her words written for her in advance, but after a while she found that it damaged her ability to talk spontaneously outside the workplace. She wanted scripts for every social encounter, and had to work hard at relearning her ability to converse. Now, with Daphne, she longed again for guidance from head office.

“I m out of my Depth, Daph.”

“I m alright, India love. Get back to your prep. I ll sort my old man out

somehow.”

India went back to her prep, magicking cartons out of nothing. Daphne went back to slicing her tomatoes. They never, for the rest of their lives, say anything to each other on this subject again.

-3-

The World s Worst Weddings is on. Daphne is watching it alone. Colin is having a lie-down upstairs.

Daphne isn t finding the programme funny this week. She is watching it but the laughter isn t coming. Those toppling wedding cakes just look sad now. The windy wedding days, flooded marquees, runaway carriages. One clip in particular makes her wince – when a groom faints during the ceremony, falls into his wife-to-be and knocks her to the floor.

But she watches the programme anyway, even though she hasn t found it funny for weeks. It is November now. Last year this programme saw them into winter, took them up to Christmas. But Daphne wonders if she ll watch it again.

Colin is watching it on the portable upstairs, which produces a stereophonic effect. The laughter from the programme is thus given a strangely haunting quality, as though it is not coming from the television, but from the house itself.

Daphne, as the programme finishes with a curious note of triumphalism, barely notices the call coming from upstairs. Colin s weak voice comes down to her

“Daph, love.”

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