The Lives of Women

And she cries because Karl’s father hits Karl’s mother and men rape their wives and go off with other women and sometimes even go off with their daughters’ friends.

‘Oh, busy as ever, you know. Busy.’

Whatever else about him, I could never say he was mean with his money.

‘But to raise your hand to a blind girl, Elaine. A blind girl. God knows what the Hanleys will say. Do you think she’ll tell? Do you think they saw? Mary sits in the back room of an evening, doesn’t she? Or does she still sit out in that shed reading? Was Ted’s car there?’

‘Here? Oh no, I don’t think so. I couldn’t take that responsibility.’

‘Of course I had. I wasted my life. We only get the one. And I wasted it. Giving it up, to this… to this man I hardly knew. I was twenty-one when I married. I had my few friends, a job I liked. Started at seventeen and was promoted twice, you know. In those days, you had to leave work when you got married. Yes. Give everything away. Your job. Your independence. Even your name. And when he left, I thought – well what a waste of bloody time that was! A stupid, shameful waste. I’ll admit, though, at first I was a little worried about money. How would we manage? But we did manage of course. The new one, you see… well, I didn’t imagine she’d be keen on him throwing too much our way and the thoughts of having to chase after it, month after month… I was cute, though – I told him stuff your maintenance, just sign over the house.’

You know, this is why we divorced – your intolerance, your blatant disregard for my feelings…’

It was the first time I’d met Serena’s father. The first American man I’d seen up close and in action. He was not a handsome man; he was stocky and his feet seemed a little small for his body. His movements were abrupt. But I do remember being struck by his physical confidence, his startling masculinity. The way he looked right into your eyes when he spoke or turned his head to follow the sway of a

But Elaine knows that’s not true: Serena just wants everyone to feel better. Serena just wants to be kind.

Her mother says: ‘I’m not sure about this mixing of generations. I mean, I don’t know how the other women feel but I certainly don’t want my daughter listening to all that adult conversation