It was seven o'clock on Saturday evening. Jackie stood at the window. A car drove slowly ip to the front door and stopped. A tall man with white hair got out . It was Albert, the husband of Molly 's sister.
'Here's Uncle Albert,' Jackeie said.'Always late.'
She went out of the room and opened the front door. Albert came in and went at once to Molly.
'Oh,dear .I'm very late.I am sorry.' Albert said.'Fifty years old today!What a wonderful dress!'
Molly did not smile .' Thank you , Albert. We're all getting older.' Tonight she wore a long black dress, and the two black dogs sat at her feet.' Everyone is here now. Let's go in to dinner,'she said.
Everyone stood up and went to the table.
' The table looks nice, Jackie. What wonderful flwoers!' Dane said. She was a beautiful girl, with long balck hair and dark blue eyes. She wore a long red dress.
Albert sat down next to Roger. Toger was Molly's son, her seconcd child.He lived in Cambridge, in an expensive house.
'Someone called Peter stopped me down the road,'Albert said.' Who is he?He's very angry with you, Molly.'
'That's Peter Hobbs, from the house across the road,'Jackie said quickly.She loked across the table at Molly.'He lost his job last week and he's angry with everyone.'
'It's Molly he doesn't like,'Albert said.
Molly said nothing. Everyone began to eat.
'How is Anut Annie?' Jackie asked.
'She 's much worse now,' Albert said, 'She satys in bed all the time. She needs a nurse twenty-four hours a day.'
'I am sorry,' Molly said.
Albert stopped eating and looked at Molly.'It's very difficult and very expensive, you know. Annie feels very unhappy because you don't visit her, Molly. She loves you very much. You are her little sister,you know.'
Molly calsed her eyes for a minute. 'I know that, Albert . I am fifty years old, but I am always her"little" sister. Well, we can talk about it later.'
Albert laughed. 'Oh yes, we can talk later. It's always later with you, Molly. Always tomorrow. Never today.'
Jackie watched her mother. her mother was angry with Albert. Molly never liked talking about her sister Annie and she did not like visting her because she was very ill.
'That's a beautiful dress, Diane. Is it new?' Jackie asked.
'Thank you, Jackie. Yes, it's new, and very expensive. I got it on Wednesday, ' Diane said. She smiled at Jackie.
'All your things are expensive,; Jakcie said. She remembered the phone call on Thursday about the train ticket.
'I don;t like cheap things,' Diane said. 'And I'm going to need more money soon. I want to go to America. Can you helpn me,Roger?'
' Oh no' Roger said. ‘Nobody wants to help you, Diane.
You don’t like working, we all know that, but we all want you to get a job.’
Diane laughed. ‘It doesn’t matter, Roger. I
don’t need your help. Mother always helps me. Mother loves me best.’ She
suddenly smiled, a quick, beautiful smile. But her eyes were cold.
Jackie looked at her mother. Molly’s face
was white. Jackie did not understand. Was her mother afraid of Diane? Jackie
wanted her mother to be happy today.
‘Would you like some more meat, Uncle
Albert?’ Jackie asked. ‘Roger, can you give everyone some more to drink?’
Roger got up and began to give more wine to
everyone. ‘This is god wine,’ he said.
Molly smiled for the first time. ‘Yes, your
father loved this wine. He often drank it.’
‘Yes,’ Albert said, and looked at Molly. ‘Expensive,
too.’
‘Would you like to meet Mr Briggs this
weekend, Roger?’ Jackie asked quickly. ‘He’s the new man at the farm. He wants
to meet you.’
‘Briggs? Briggs?’ Molly said, suddenly
angry. ‘Don’t talk to me about that man. I don’t like him. He wants half my
garden for his farm. He needs more land, he says. I don’t want him in my house.
He’s always dirty and he has bad teeth.’
Jackie stood up and got her bag. ‘Excuse me,
I want a cigarette.’
‘Cigarettes! Always a cigarette in your
mouth,’ Molly said. ‘I don’t like it. Cigarettes aren’t good for you.’
Jackie began to smoke. She felt angry but
she said nothing. She wanted her mother to be happy this evening, but it was
very difficult.
Roger drank some more wine. ‘Well, Mother,
perhaps Mr Briggs is right. The garden is very big, you know,’ he said. ‘It’s a
lot of work for you. The house is big, too. You’re fifty now. You need to be
more careful.’
‘Roger! I don’t need a nurse, you know! I
work in the garden every day；I feel happy there.’ Molly stood up. ‘I
know you all want my money. You come here for a free dinner, you don’t want to
see me. You don’t love me. You want my house, and my money. Well, you can all
wait. Nobody is getting more money from me, not before I die!’
‘Don’t say that, Mother!’ Jackie cried.
Molly walked across the room to the door. ‘I
feel ill now. I’m going upstairs to bed.’
Molly left the room. Nobody moved.
‘One day I’m going to kill that woman,’
Diane said quietly.
Roger looked at Diane but said nothing.
Albert moved his head slowly up and down. ‘Ill! She’s angry, that’s all,’ he said. ‘Molly
always gets angry about money. Why can’t she be good to her sister? Annie’s
going to die soon. Molly knows that.’
Jackie finished her cigarette and stood up.
‘Would everyone like some coffee? Come into the kitchen and let’s drink it
there.’