BR - The house

Beth’s mood only darkens when you finally reach your destination. It was a bit of a ride, which isn’t great in this cramped car after so much time on planes, but the look of horror on Beth’s face when Shauna parks is enough to make it clear that you are not the one having the worst day here.

You join Beth in looking at the building, which is a rich, creamy white with a dark, brown roof. It’s two businesses sharing one structure: what appears to be a small convenience store, and a bar. But there’s a second floor.

This town is adorable. You’ve only gotten to see a bit of it as you drove past, but you don’t know what Beth’s problem is. It seems cute to you.

“Mum,” Beth says faintly, shutting her car door and staring at the place. “You said that you’d bought a house.”

“It is. You’ll see. It’s so singular,” she says, beaming. “And look. Look how easy it is for me to go to the shops and the pub.”

Bizarrely, there are separate structures within this building. It’s obviously very old. Shauna has a kitchen and living room on the ground level, and then a couple of bedrooms upstairs, connected by a very narrow, creaky staircase. There’s no way to get from the house to the shop or the pub from the inside; you have to go outside.

OK, so you kind of see Beth’s point. By singular, but Shauna really means is weird. Maybe she got a good deal on this place.

It’s old, but not exactly terrible. It’s clear that she’s just moved in. The place only has one bathroom, and as Beth wanders the halls in horror, you see Shauna discreetly removing a toothbrush and some other things from the bathroom. She sneakily stows them in a cupboard, then emerges, all smiles. Great. Great. Great. You want to smash your head against the wall, but everything in this entire country is so narrow and claustrophobic that there’s no room to do that.

You can survive this. You got through high school in the closet. You love Beth very much. No one is perfect. It’s fine. You breathe. The house might seem odd, but it does have four bedrooms. Beth’s is full of boxes that must contain her things, which Shauna has moved for her. There’s a guest bedroom that’s a bit bare, but Shauna has obviously made it up nicely for you. And the third unused bedroom has a desk and a lot of books as well as a lot of plants. You aren’t sure what Shauna does for a living, and at this point, you’re afraid to ask.

you miserably, but you don’t have answers. You don’t even know what the question is. Seconds go back awkwardly as you hear Shauna moving around the house.

“Pub?” Beth says.