Perfectly Ordinary People(58)

‘I’m guessing that you must know why they divorced as well?’

‘Of course,’ Ethel said. ‘I was there.’

‘Can you tell me?’ I asked. ‘Because no one has ever talked about that either.’

Ethel nodded thoughtfully. ‘They . . . I suppose you could say – and it’s a bit of a cliché – but they wanted different things.’

‘What sort of things?’

‘Oh, all sorts of things. It had been a . . . a bit of a . . . a marriage of convenience. That’s what people say, isn’t it?’

‘Because of the baby, you mean? Was it what people call a shotgun wedding?’

‘The baby was part of it, definitely. But there were lots of other circumstances too.’

‘What, like money and housing and the war?’

‘Yes. Stuff like that.’

‘I see,’ I said.

‘I doubt you do,’ Ethel said, mysteriously.

‘Because?’

‘Oh, I just mean that it’s a very long story. You can’t describe fifty years in five minutes.’

‘No,’ I said. ‘I’m sure. But at least this is giving me some idea. But you all stayed friends? Even after the divorce?’

‘Oh, totally,’ Ethel said. ‘They were everything to me. Everything.’

‘Did they stay friends too?’

‘Yes,’ Ethel said. ‘Yes, they were very close, always.’

‘I . . .’ I said. But I was struggling to find my words.

‘Um?’ Ethel prompted me after a moment.

‘I suppose . . .’ I stammered. ‘Look. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not criticising them at all in any way. But they didn’t seem that close to Dad. And if they weren’t . . . well, it doesn’t sound like it’s because they were cold-hearted people or anything.’

Ethel laughed at that, a laugh that morphed into a cough. ‘Cold-hearted?’ she said, when she was able to speak again. ‘No, they weren’t cold-hearted at all. They were the most loving, kind, caring people I’ve known. The sacrifices they made for each other, for me, for your father, were just huge.’

‘Right,’ I said. ‘So why was there so much distance?’

‘With your father?’

‘With all of us.’

‘Oh,’ Ethel said. ‘That’s a bit more complicated to explain.’ She turned and looked out at the street for a moment until we were both startled by the door bursting open behind us. A woman edged her way in with her Zimmer frame, bumping tables as she passed by.

‘I guess not everyone is meant to be a parent,’ Ethel finally said.

‘You mean . . . Are you saying the pregnancy was unplanned?’

She smiled broadly then. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Yes, you could say that.’

‘So they didn’t really want Dad in the first place?’

‘Oh no, no . . . no, dear. I wouldn’t say that at all,’ Ethel said. ‘They loved your father deeply. We all did. He was a wonderful child.’

‘But?’ I said. ‘I’m sensing there’s a but.’

‘I suppose I’d say that they weren’t ready. So it was hard for them. Having a baby rather cramped their style.’

‘He cramped their style?’ I repeated, a bit shocked at her turn of phrase. ‘That must have been hard for Dad, if he sensed that.’

‘Not as hard as it could have been, believe me.’

‘I’m sorry, but I’m not sure I follow.’

‘Well, they escaped from Alsace, dear. Nazi-occupied Alsace. God knows what would have happened to them all otherwise. A lot of people died, either in the streets or in the camps.’

‘Right,’ I said. ‘Of course. I don’t really know much about that either, I’m afraid.’

‘Well, we can save that for another time,’ Ethel said. ‘But know that they gave up a lot to keep your father safe. And like I said before, it takes two to tango.’

‘Meaning?’ I said.

‘Meaning that, no matter how nice they are, not everyone ends up being a huge fan of their parents.’

‘So you’re saying that Dad didn’t do much to stay in touch with them either?’

‘Yes,’ Ethel said. ‘I’m sorry, but it’s also a part of the reason there was so much distance, as you put it.’

‘Oh, please, don’t apologise,’ I told her. ‘Because I can totally believe that’s true.’

‘Also – and it’s not a criticism – but your mother’s family did suck him in a bit,’ Ethel said.

‘Yes, they do have a tendency to do that.’

‘And I think that, truth be told, he preferred them. He preferred her family to his own.’

‘Was that upsetting for Genny and Chris? It must have been, mustn’t it?’

‘It wasn’t nothing to them. But like I said, they had their own lives to live. Raising children is a big deal. It’s a huge deal. People, children especially, tend to think they’re the whole thing. But they aren’t. People, parents, do have other desires and ambitions.’

‘Like opening this place?’ I asked, glancing around.