Watching Her

Chapter 2

Lucy hummed to herself as she poured the hot water into the mugs and then gently stirred the contents, scared as if she was going to break the delicate porcelain. She very gently squeezed the teabags on the side of the cups and gently carried each one out separately and dumped them unceremoniously in the sink. Then carefully splashed in the milk on the top. She flicked her now dry long hair over her shoulder and then picked up two of the teacups and matching saucers and placed them in front her parents. They were practically shot glasses for hot fluid, compared to the large tea and coffee mugs she was used to.

"Thank you, mum, dad for helping me unpack and put away!"

The portly greying Graham Gilmartin smiled at his daughter. "It was the least we could do for you, other than cutting the grass at home, I didn't have much planned, and the grass can wait until next week!"

"Graham, it will be sunny on Tuesday; you can do it then Graham." Wendy stated as a matter of fact "Thank you for the tea, Luce!" She smiled and brought the blue dainty 1970's flower print teacup to her mouth "We should take you to John Lewis and you can get some real mugs!" she shook her head and slurped.

"Maybe next weekend mum?" Lucy replied, glancing at her dad who had kept them all in storage for all these years and then also took a sip.

"They are perfectly okay for her to get started with!" Graham responded defensively.

Wendy rolled her eyes as she had heard that before "So how was your first few nights in the house been?" she asked.

Lucy smiled at both parents "Oh not too bad, going to have to learn all the noises, which pipe groans, which window rattles, it will be all good fun, the wind blowing the letter box was interesting at three thirty!"

"So, you had a good night then Luce?" Wendy raised an obviously recently dyed brown eyebrow which matched her recently dyed and styled hair.

"Yeah, I did."

"Goody, we popped into town on the way in, to get a replacement for that bulb at the top of the stairs you mentioned on the phone, we both thought you'd trip over in the night!" Wendy butted in.

Lucy chuckled "I was fine! But thank you.

"I will get up there and put it in shortly!" Graham nodded as he stroked his short moustache.

"Oh, thank you Dad, and I actually have a rather random question for you, how much did Granny smoke?" Lucy asked before picking up and gulping her tea.

Wendy instantly turned to her husband "Grey, I told you we should have cleaned and polished all the furniture before delivering; it must all absolutely reek of the goddamn smoke!" She snapped glaring at her husband and then sniffed the air.

"Hmmm, it's been away from the smoke for years, I am sure it's just a bit musty Wend."

"Dad, how much did she smoke?" Lucy asked, holding the mug to her lips.

"Luce, unfortunately I am sad to say a lot, she never got over dad dying with that surprise heart attack, and then her brother Ollie died a few months later."

"Oh!" Lucy said and then nervously bit her bottom lips and put the cup down on the saucer.

"Yeah, she was never far away from her trusted pack of Silk Cuts, no...that was Uncle Ollie what where they now ...what did she call them...B&H's...that's right...Benson and Hedges Golds, I can never remember even though I was surrounded by them for years, why do you ask?" Graham ran his hand through his greying balding hair.

"Oh, I don't know, I just don't really remember her too much, her dying when I was very young and all. I now have all her stuff and I can't remember her much."

Graham nodded, "She was kind to you, spoiled you rotten, I thought she would love that you have got all her furniture. She was kind, wasn't she Wend. But yes, I am sure there are pictures of you on her lap, now thinking back it's awful she was there with her cigarette clamped between her lips or even in her hand. It was the late 80's everyone still smoked, it wasn't frowned upon. Wend, when we get back, we will dig in that cardboard box when we get home."

"Oh, okay, I also just found her ashtray in the dressing table that we carted upstairs yesterday."

Graham's eyes widened "I am so sorry, I thought it was empty as I went through and binned or given all a lot of that crap to a charity shop." He glanced at Wendy as if to grovel as he spoke to say sorry for not binning anything at all.

Lucy chuckled "It's fine dad, I've even got your grandfathers lighter up there. Shall I go and get it?" She asked, pushing the chair back.

"Oh, I remember, the gold one, mum showed me once, he got engraved before he went off to war. It was so different back then, everyone smoked."

Wendy tutted "Right enough of this reminiscing about smoking, otherwise we will end up opening a bloody stinking tobacconist, shall we get on? This furniture isn't going to move itself." Declaring tea break over in her rather straightforward way.

Lucy gulped the last of her drink and noisily put the cup down and then corrected the position in the saucer, "Yes mum!" she saluted with a grin and stood up to attention.