Lois Meade 03: Weeping on Wednesday (1987)

by Ann Purser

  Something sticking out of her desk drawer caught her eye. It was Mrs Abraham’s journal. She opened it near the beginning, and began to read.

  Walter gave me this diary, and told me to write it every day. He said it would help. And he said to tell the truth, because only the truth would do.

  Lois frowned. As on other occasions, she felt ashamed, as if overhearing a private conversation. Probably why I’ve not handed it over to Cowgill, she thought. Perhaps she should give it back to Walter, let him decide whether to make it public. But no, it had to go to Cowgill. Should have gone before. She read on, leafing through a few pages.

  So here goes. The truth is that I don’t love Walter any more. Edward is everything to me. I don’t need anyone else. Walter knows it, too, though he won’t admit it, won’t let me go. I don’t want him near me any more. There, Walter! You said to tell the truth, so that’s it. All for now.

  Lois realized she was trembling. Poor old man. She opened it again at random. The handwriting was wild, all over the place.

  I wish Walter and Enid would go away and leave me with my Teddy! While she’s here he loves her more than me. He says he doesn’t, but I know different. Always the same, even when they were babies! That look between them! Why did I have to have twins? Walter’s fault…Twins in his family, not in mine. I wish…

  The entry ended with smudged ink. Tears. What a pitiful woman, thought Lois, and shut the diary wearily. She left her office and met Cowgill coming to find her.

  “I think Enid needs help,” he said.

  She looked at him bleakly, handing over the diary. “She always has,” she replied.

  §

  Weeks later, weeks of tension and unhappiness for all of them, and another staff meeting had come round. Monday, midday, and the team was assembled in Lois’s office.

  “Right,” said Lois briskly, “let’s get on with it. I’m interviewing some new possibles, you’ll be glad to hear. Now let’s look at the schedules for next week. Bill…”

  There was a light knock at the door. “Come in,” said Lois, irritated at the interruption.

  “Hello, everybody.” It was Enid, and she came forward tentatively, apparently unaware of their shocked faces. “Move up, Sheila,” she said, sitting down in her usual place. “Sorry I’m late.”

  Lois hesitated. “Are you sure you’re…?”

  “Quite sure,” said Enid quietly. “Now, Wednesday at the Charringtons, as usual?”

  EOF

  Table of Contents

  Lois Meade

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Twenty-Six

  Twenty-Seven

  Twenty-Eight

  Twenty-Nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-One

  Thirty-Two

  Thirty-Three

  Thirty-Four

  Thirty-Five

  Thirty-Six

  Thirty-Seven

  Thirty-Eight

  Thirty-Nine

  Forty

  Forty-One

  Forty-Two

  Forty-Three

  Forty-Four

  Forty-Five

  Forty-Six

  Forty-Seven

  Forty-Eight

  Forty-Nine

  Fifty