Mothers and Daughters by Minna Howard

not,’ she retaliated. ‘I’ve always wanted to try it and Dad would never have let me. No that’s not true, he would have let me but he’d have been so anxious I wouldn’t have enjoyed it, and I may seem old from where you are, but I don’t feel it and Dad’s death has made me feel that I must do things I’ve always wanted to do now while I’m fit, before it’s too late.’
    ‘But his other granny…’ Laura wailed.
    ‘That’s up to her,’ Alice said childishly, annoyed that Laura had not stood up for her. In a more rational moment she might have realized that Laura must keep in with Douglas’s family, but it rankled that they expected her to be just like Douglas’s mother, the other granny. ‘I thought that everyone was worried about Johnny being so withdrawn and if the thought of paragliding has brought him out of himself, surely that’s a good thing, darling?’ She tried to keep her voice calm.
    ‘He’s overexcited about it now.’
    ‘Oh Laura, at least that shows he’s got some spirit. The psychobabble talked about children today is utter madness; whatever they do they are “labelled” with some weird condition. I read recently that many of these so-called conditions are made up, perhaps by doctors coining in money from anxious parents. Things like high spirits, mischievousness, all normal, childhood behaviour, are turned into a disability.’
    It was exasperating that Laura was being sucked into this new family. Alice imagined Elspeth, who was some years older than she was, as a sour, dried-up old woman jealous of the young or perhaps of anyone having a good time, though Elspeth, like her, was a widow, living with the terror of loneliness. Her son’s first marriage had broken up and she must feel afraid that it could happen again, or that Laura, his new wife, might spirit away her grandchildren. She should feel empathy towards her instead of irritation.
    Laura got up and paced the room. ‘You don’t understand, Mum. His other grandparents, on his mother’s side, are to some extent; set in their ways too, though they don’t interfere like Elspeth does, and at least they are predicable. You used to be like that when Dad was alive. I knew you were at home or working with Margot, or at your art course, calm and mostly in a good mood, but now you’ve changed, got all these mad ideas, test-driving a car you’re never going to buy, talking of paragliding, extreme skiing and goodness knows what else. You’re going to be a grandmother and…’
    ‘But I’m still young, even if you think I’m not, Laura.’ Evie’s description, ‘glammy granny’ echoed in her head. She hated the fact that these people were judging her before they’d even met her, though she was guilty of doing the same thing herself.
    ‘I expect Zara and Johnny’s grandparents are at least in their sixties, not that that is old today, Laura, but our life has changed forever now that Dad’s gone. I love you, we are still a family, but I want my independence to do things
I
want to do without everyone getting upset.’ She stretched out her hand to Laura but she didn’t seem to notice, so she went into the kitchen, Laura following her.
    ‘I don’t feel I can rely on you any more,’ Laura muttered, piercing Alice’s heart.
    ‘Of course you can, darling, but now I won’t be sitting here with Dad, nor am I going back into the nursery with Evie’s baby. I’ll help out, of course I will, but I’ve things I want to do and you and Evie must respect that and, to a certain extent, fit into my life. I want to travel,’ she said a little wildly, wishing she had someone to travel with, feeling that her children and Douglas’s mother were determinedly spinning a web to trap her and tie her tightly to them.
    ‘You’ve got to meet the other grandparents, Mum,’ Laura said, watching Alice load up the dishwasher. ‘Douglas’s ex in-laws live in Surrey. Naturally they want to keep in touch with the children, they promised