The Library of Lost and Found(65)

“That sounds ace,” Martha said.

And Thomas and Betty shared a small, rare, smile.



* * *



“Why should I do what the Lord of the Manor wants?” Zelda asked when Betty phoned her. “I’m guessing this is all for his benefit, and no one else’s. Does he want to show off or something?”

“It’s for both of us,” Betty pleaded, even if there was truth in her mother’s words. “I know he has certain ways, but it’s our wedding anniversary, Mum. I know you’ll want to see Martha and Lilian. Anthony is looking forward to seeing you again, too. Please come.”

“I’m not sure. George and I may have plans.”

Betty closed her eyes. She dug a hand into her hair and massaged her scalp. “Can’t you can rethink them? It’s been too long since we saw you.”

“And whose fault is that? Not mine.”

“Please don’t make things difficult for me, Mum.”

“But he’s controlling you.”

“It’s not like that, honestly. Thomas looks after me and the girls and, well, if we have to do things his way, maybe it’s worth it.”

Zelda fell silent for a while. “When those girls get older, you’ll be left on your own with him. He’s the type who can’t cope alone.”

“He’s not as bad as you make out. Thomas and Lilian get on. It’s just Martha…”

“And me, too. He hates me.”

“No, he doesn’t.”

“Humph. Well, I’ve noticed Martha is changing. She doesn’t write as many stories as she used to.”

“She’s a teenage girl, Mum…”

“She’s picking it up from you, Betty. The way you are. How can she grow into a confident young woman when she sees you kowtowing to Thomas? You’re always making your lists of things to do, to keep him happy. She’ll end up like you.”

Betty felt a tidal wave of upset rising inside her. She tried to put a stop to it before it broke to the surface. “Don’t say that, Mum. Martha’s nothing like me. She’ll leave home and meet someone. She can be something I’m not.” Her last words rose upward. She needed to believe that her daughters would make different decisions to her own. “All you have to do is come around for tea. Be friendly with Anthony and civil with Thomas’s parents. It will help to fix things between us all.”

“I’m not the one who’s broken them.”

“Please, Mum. Just show up on time and behave. Is that really too much to ask?”

“Hmm.” Zelda hesitated. “I’ll try my best. Do you remember that story Martha told us, about a tiger and a unicorn?”

Betty smoothed a hand over her hair, relieved that things were agreed. “Not really. She shares them with you more than me.”

“I’ll tell it you now,” Zelda said. “I think it’s relevant.”

The Tiger and the Unicorn

A girl lived in a house at the edge of a forest. She had two best friends, a tiger and a unicorn. The tiger was fierce and strong. Though other people found him scary, he made the girl feel safe and protected.

Her other friend was a unicorn. She was magical and fun. They rode through the forest together with the wind in the girl’s hair. The unicorn was mischievous and liked to play pranks.

The girl loved them both but found it exhausting, to keep her friends separate all the time. She thought how wonderful it would be if the three of them could learn how to be content together.

However, the tiger sniffed when she suggested this. “I am a beast. I have my own ways. If I eat the unicorn, I cannot be held responsible because it’s in my nature to do it.”

The unicorn shook her mane and whinnied. “The tiger is no fun,” she told the girl. “I’ll be bored in his company. He always tries to be in charge, and we won’t be able to do what we want.”

The girl was torn, because she loved them both. She didn’t want to offend either of her friends so she continued to spend time with them individually. However, when she was with the tiger she acted in one way, changing to suit him. And when she was with the unicorn, she acted in a different way.

Soon she began to feel that her personality was being split in two, and she just wanted to be herself.

One day, as she walked through the forest, she met a third creature, a bear. He lay on the ground and lazily scratched behind his ear. “You look troubled,” he said to the girl. “What’s wrong?”

The girl sighed and told him her problem, that she had two friends and they were making her choose between them. “Real friends wouldn’t do that,” he said. “They might be different, they might not mix, but they would never make you choose.”

The girl nodded. The bear was right, so the next day she spoke to the unicorn, and then the tiger. She told them the same thing. “We must find a way to all get along, so I can be myself. Or else we’ll have to go our separate ways.”

The unicorn tried her best. She tried to be friendly to the tiger and was there when the girl wanted to play. But the tiger could not change. He sulked and wanted the girl to himself.

One day, the tiger ate the unicorn up whole. As he sat smacking his lips, the girl broke down in tears and asked him why he couldn’t respect her wishes. “Because I couldn’t help it,” he said. “Because I am a tiger.”