fifteen-year-old Sapphire coping with her grief over her dad and trying to sort out her mum at the same time. She vividly remembered the feeling of dread she hadwhen she returned from school to find her mum still in her pyjamas, unable even to get dressed.
Sapphire sat down in front of the screen and clicked on the Internet icon. Immediately an error message popped up. This was just what she needed after the day she’d had.
‘Have you done it yet?’ her mum demanded coming back into the room, ‘I have to get back online.’ There was a sense of urgency in her voice.
Sapphire shook her head, ‘I’ve no idea how to do it.’
‘I thought you were supposed to know all about that kind of thing,’ Christine replied, a little tetchily.
‘Well, I don’t – isn’t there someone on your course you could ask?’
Now Christine looked positively agitated, ‘I really need to go online tonight, I’ve got some things I have to do.’
God, what could possibly be this urgent? Sapphire sighed, realising that she would get no peace from her mum until the problem was sorted. She reached for her mobile. There was nothing for it – she would have to call Jay and ask him to help even though that would entirely go against her principle of not introducing her boyfriends to her mum. But she needed her mum off her case.
‘Babe! Are you okay?’
He sounded so pleased to hear from her. Too pleased, Sapphire thought.
‘I’m fine, I just wondered if you might be able to help me out with something.’ Of course, Jay being the sweetie that he was, agreed to come right over. There was just the little problem of introducing him to her mum.
From the moment Jay walked in it was toe-curlingly embarrassing.
‘So you’re Sapphire’s new boyfriend then?’ Her mum’s first question.
‘Not that new, it’s been three months.’ Both Jay and Christine looked at Sapphire accusingly.
‘Well, I’m sorry, Jay,’ Christine replied, slightly sulky, ‘She never tells me anything.’
‘Can we just get on with fixing the computer and cut the guilt trip, Mum?’ Sapphire asked.
Christine shrugged and muttered something about checking on dinner. As soon as Sapphire thought she was safely out of earshot she put her arms round Jay and kissed him, ‘Sorry, I just like to keep my private life separate from my mum, she always ends up asking so many questions and it does my head in.’
‘Whatever,’ Jay replied, ‘I don’t get what your problem is. I told my family about you.’
‘We’re just more dysfunctional than you,’ Sapphire tried to joke.
But Jay still looked pissed off. ‘So I am your boyfriend then? And not just your fuck buddy?’
‘Of course you’re my boyfriend,’ Sapphire replied.
God! What was wrong with being a fuck buddy! Why did she seem to have picked the only man in Brighton who seemed to want more!
Jay had Christine back online within ten minutes. Inevitably, as if Sapphire hadn’t suffered enough, Christine invited Jay to stay for dinner.
‘Prepare for the interrogation,’ Sapphire whispered as Christine served up spaghetti bolognese.
As soon as Christine sat down she started the questions. ‘So where are you from, Jay?’
Sapphire cringed inside; surely her mum wasn’t going to make a comment about Jay being mixed race?
‘Brighton born and bred.’
‘What about your parents?’ Christine ignored the furious looks Sapphire was shooting at her. What had she done to deserve such an annoying parent?
‘Mum’s from London and Dad’s from Luton.’
‘Oh.’
‘My granddad was Jamaican.’
Please let there be no more questions like this, Sapphire prayed. But then her mum surprised her. ‘I always think mixed race people are very good-looking. Oh, is it okay to say mixed race? Sorry, it’s just that living in Brighton you don’t meet that many—’
‘Ethnic minorities?’ Sapphire quickly put in just in case her mum was going to say something way unPC.
‘It’s fine to say that. I