BR - In the Open Part 2

In the morning, Beth insists on leaving all the evidence behind for Edna to find. You don’t like that very much, but you also don’t want to fight your girlfriend. You aren’t sure how much of last night’s conversation she remembers; she’d been getting quite sloshed earlier in the evening.

But you suspect that she does remember because she’s not herself. No… the problem is that she is herself again. Her infectious, pixie-like glee has returned. It just seems out of place because of how she’s behaved so far since coming home.

You creep into the house and find Shauna in bed, alone. Edna, smooth operator that she is, left in the night and did not return to her own home. She’s probably in a hotel, probably smiling to herself about manipulating you and Beth and getting some hot action from Shauna.

It was hot action. You try not to think about it. Things will be very awkward now. Beth’s mother is so sweet. You like her. But you’ve seen things that you can’t unsee.

Beth is being so weird. She takes the first shower, and when you get out she’s in the kitchen, making breakfast. That draws Shauna out of her bedroom, and you listen to the shower running as you sit in the kitchen, watching Beth cook. The way that she makes scrambled eggs is so bizarre. English people are weird.

“She’ll put the wash on next,” Beth predicts without looking up from what she’s doing at the stove.

You sit there with your cup of tea, full of milk and sugar, which is starting to grow on you. It’s not better than coffee, but you don’t mind it.

The shower stops. Barely a minute later, you hear the washing machine come on.

“Doing linens,” Beth says, stifling a laugh.

Yes. Her mother is hiding the evidence of last night’s hookup.

Shauna appears, every bit as chipper as her daughter. A night with Edna appears to have been just what she needed. You’re starting to see where Beth gets it. Shauna’s wearing a robe and smelling like half a bottle of body wash.

“Tea, mum.”

“Thanks, love. Oh. Haven’t seen you cook in an age,” Shauna replies mildly.

“We’re hungry.”

“I heard you lot met some lads last night,” Shauna says, seating herself beside you. You squirm uncomfortably and clutch your teacup.

“What?” Beth looks over her shoulder with a frown. “Oh. Where’d you hear that?”

“Edna.”

“You saw Edna?” Beth asks nonchalantly.

“She came round last night for Luther. Always does.”

“I love that show,” you confess.

“Course you do. It’s brilliant. Now, what about these lads? You were out late,” Shauna says, letting it hang shamelessly.

“Nothing happened, mum,” Beth says with a sigh, putting food on plates.

“Come on, Elizabeth. You can tell me. Nothing I didn’t do when I was your age.”

“Mum, stop it. Eat your breakfast.”