up of everything. Dammit, I’m a walking j j jinx.’
‘If you were jinxed,’ said Bibi, trying to cheer her up, ‘you’d have been caught pinching those mittens. There, you see? You weren’t, were you? That’s something to be grateful for, for a start.’
It didn’t work.
‘But what am ‘I going to do?’ sniffed Dulcie. ‘It’s too late to go back and pay for them now.
Everywhere’s shutting.’
Bibi peered at the damp price ticket. All this fuss over six pounds fifty.
‘I could pop in there tomorrow,’ she offered, ‘explain what happened and give them the money.
Or you could send them a cheque.’
Dulcie wiped her mascara-stained eyes and sighed. ‘Okay, I’ll do that.’
Bibi straightened up.
‘And are you just going to carry on sitting there,’ she eyed the pile of carriers from Casa Pupo, Jolly’s, Janet Reger and Diablo, ‘like an upmarket bag lady?’
‘I’ll go home in a minute.’
‘Or we could stop off at Leander’s if you like.’
Dulcie looked up at her, astounded.
‘You mean go for a drink? What, both of us ... together?’ Bibi smiled.
‘Well, we could sit at opposite ends of the bar if you preferred, but I think you need to talk to someone about whatever’s troubling you.’ She paused, then bent down to pick up Dulcie’s bags.
‘And now we’ve broken. the ice ...’
Leander’s wine bar was dimly lit and not too busy. It also had plenty of tables tucked away in secluded corners where bedraggled, mascara-stained women could hide without frightening the other customers.
Bibi beamed at the waiter and ordered vodka and tonics, then turned to Dulcie.
‘They still do that amazing white chocolate ice cream. How about it?’
Dulcie shook her head. She was too depressed to eat ice cream.
‘No thanks, just a drink’s fine.’
‘You used to have both,’ chided Bibi. ‘Always. Darling, you were the queen of ice cream! Come on, just have a little bowl...’
Every time she thought she’d stopped crying, Dulcie started again. She was getting through Bibi’s Handy Andies at a rate of knots.
‘I’m sorry,’ she blubbed, ‘it’s because you’re being kind. ‘I still can’t believe you’re even speaking to me.’
Bibi’s expression softened. She and Dulcie had always been so fond of each other. She gave her daughter-in- law’s icy fingers a squeeze.
‘I’ve missed you,’ she said simply.
More tears dripped down Dulcie’s cheeks.
‘Oh, Bibi, I’ve missed you too. I’m so, so sorry about James. I didn’t mean to—’
‘I know you didn’t. You meant well.’ Bibi patted her hand reassuringly. ‘It was a good plan; it just didn’t quite come off.’
The young waiter brought their drinks and a bowl of the famous ice cream for Dulcie. She smiled damply and thanked him. This had been one of her and Bibi’s favourite pit stops during their shopping blitzes, and he had remembered she liked extra wafers and extra-extra roasted almonds.
Unless of course it’s Bibi’s face he remembers and he’s getting me muddled up with someone else .. .
‘I expect you come here with Claire now,’ she said bravely, to prove to Bibi how civilised she could be.
‘No.’ Bibi looked surprised.
‘But ... the two of you do go shopping together. I saw you, that ... er, time outside your house.’
‘Oh, we went once.’ Bibi nodded, remembering. ‘Patrick had mentioned you and ‘I used to shop together so Claire offered to go with me. That was all.’
Dulcie was intrigued by the lack of detail. Bibi was to gossip what Joan Rivers was to face lifts.
So intrigued she forgot to cry, Dulcie took a mouthful of ice cream instead and said, ‘And?’
Bibi sighed.
‘Oh Lord, I’m supposed to be impartial.’
‘Don’t be impartial, it’s boring.’ Dulcie loaded one of the wafers with ice cream and decided she was hungry after all. ‘Tell me why you only went shopping with her once.’
‘Oh, it was a disaster.’ Bibi came clean. ‘I did my best, Dulcie, really ‘I did, but what can you do with a girl whose idea of splashing out is two pairs of tights and a navy cardigan from Littlewoods?’
Dulcie gazed at her, speechless with pleasure.
‘She’s very keen on value for money,’ Bibi went on, ‘and comfortable clothes that won’t fall apart after five minutes. And she likes to decide in advance exactly what she needs to buy, because it saves time.’
‘Saves time ...’ Dulcie echoed faintly.
