Are we having a fight?

Kit wished she was there now, she wanted to talk about the golf to her. Why did everyone think it was so normal for Mother not to be around any more?

Clio came around after tea. "Well, what did you decide?"

"Decide?"

"About golf. Aunt Maura wants to know."

"No she doesn't. You want to know." Kit knew that and said it very definitely.

"Well, she would want to know."

"I haven't decided yet."

"What'l we do then?" Clio looked around Kit's bedroom, waiting for inspiration, or an invitation to look at the dance steps of the cha-cha-cha which they had nearly mastered.

The pattern of where the feet should go was worse than geometry with Mother Bernard.

"I don't know." Kit said. She wanted to hear Mother's light step on the stair.

There was silence.

"Are we having a fight?" Clio asked. Kit was full of remorse. She nearly told her best friend that she was just worried because Mother wasn't home.

Nearly, but she didn't.

"Clio didn't stay long." Kit's father was drawing the curtains in the sitting room.

"No, she didn't"

"Another fight?"

"No, she asked that too" Kit said.

"Good, that's a relief."

"Daddy? Where's Mother?"

"She'll be back, love, she likes people not to be policing her."

"But where is she?"

"I don't know, love. Come on noe, and stop pacing the room like a caged animal."

Kit sat down and looked at the patterns in the fire. She saw houses and castles, and big fiery mountains. The same pattern never appeared twice. She looked at her father from time to time.