Nancy
closed her eyes and quickly took tack. She would do the defensive freeze-out. An
infallible method of dissociating oneself from an embarrassment who happened to
share the same gene pool, the script went, ‘Where have you been, young lady?’
‘Messin’.’ ‘I’ve been searching for you everywhere.’ ‘What do you expect me to
do about it?’ ‘Get into that car right, that’s what I want you do to!’ ‘What,
right this minute?’ ‘Don’t try that tone with me; wait till I tell your
mother!’
Victims
of Nancy’s freeze-out had mounted somewhat in the past few years and Nancy had
grown most adept.
‘Hi,
Mrs. Clements,’ Mark piped.
‘Hello,
Mark. It’s a little cold to be sitting out here like that. You’ve met my niece?’
Nancy
peeped at her aunt from between the fronds of her hair.
‘I
wasn’t sure what soup you’d like, Nancy so I opted for vegetable.’ Millie
proffered a flask – an old-fashioned model with a plaid pattern. Dumbly, Nancy
took it. ‘There should be enough in there for two.’
‘Thank
you, Mrs. Clements,’ Mark contributed.
Nancy
lifted her chin just as Millie’s smile tempered to a faraway kind. The
coattails of Millie’s brown trench-coat flapped in the breeze on her retreat to
the Smart Car.
‘Is
that your aunt, then?’ Mark asked.
‘I’m
only stopping a few weeks,’ Nancy found herself repeating.
‘She
lives in that weird little bungalow up Stafford Hill, doesn’t she?’ …I mean,
it’s not that weird.’
Nancy
had to agree, the bungalow appeared to cant to the right due to how the road
sloped in front. Idly she opened the flask. A barley-potato and onion infusion
eddied into the parky atmosphere. The combination brought piquancy to the other
which spurred a deep longing. She poured a little into the plastic cup and took
a sip. On its transit, the broth steamed the back of her throat with seasoning
and little garlic. In its wake, Nancy felt a fool. Why was she sitting here?
Back home, her campaign would have fitted. I’m
running away, that’s all. Its shit at home; I don’t wanna talk about it. Her
aunt, who happened to be embarrassing, had provided a flask of soup on a chilly
evening and possessed a photo of her and her daughter in a mawkish hug. Thanks to
Millie, Nancy’s campaign had become redundant.
Mark
asked, ‘so, if you ain’t from round here, where you from?’
Nancy
shrugged. ‘Oh, just outside.’
‘Outside?’
‘I
mean, Glebe Hollow, a little place outside Coventry.’ A weariness suddenly
overcame her. She slipped from the bench.
‘Me
and some mates’ll be here tomorrow. Wanna meet up?’
Nancy
screwed the lid. ‘To do what?’
‘I
dunno, doss.’
Nancy
smiled tightly. ‘Yeah. Sure.’
Mark
lifted his can to her. ‘See you tomorrow unless it blows a gale.’
Nancy
walked to her aunt’s weird little bungalow.
She
learned to buy Mayfair or Park Lane first. Next, go for Oxford Street, Euston
Road or Piccadilly. Don’t worry if a set cannot be acquired, but purchase to block
the other from getting a set. Purchase houses and hotels as soon as the
opportunity arises. Acquisition of all four train stations guaranteed frequent
payouts. Going to jail isn’t so bad in the latter stages, as payouts can be
avoided while the other player remains vulnerable.
Within
any nine-square grid, select a square that possesses numbers that lay
diagonally, vertically, horizontally or within the grid itself. Eliminate each
to find the number that should inhabit that square. Each number from one to
nine should only appear once in each grid. If the answer cannot be found, move
onto another square.
Do
the edges first. Sky, grass and sea colours can easily be distinguished. The
remaining pieces can then be more easily found to fit somewhere. Find pieces of
similar colours and/or patterns to create blocks that can then be fitted
en-masse to the remainder of the puzzle.
Separate
vowels from consonants. Use each letter once to make words of four letters or
more. No plurals, no foreign words. See if the nine letters contain common
suffixes or prefixes such as ed, ing or pre to make additional words. Try
spelling backwards as well as forwards to find new words.