Research shows that even standing in a power position such as tall, legs slightly apart, hand on your hips, Wonder Woman-style – will flood your system with testosterone, making you feel powerful and confident.
Dawn pulled her shoulders back and bookmarked the ‘Confident Women’ website she’d been reading. Right, enough was enough. She needed to confront Joyce about her length of stay. It was now eight months for heaven’s sake. And far from benefitting from her mother-in-law’s company, Dawn felt that she was totally outnumbered. They were definitely in cahoots over something and she feared it was the beginning of the end of her marriage.
Joyce was in the kitchen when she found her, ‘tidying up’ again.
‘Oh, hello dear, I found all these napkins and thought I’d make—’ She stopped mid-sentence and stared at Dawn. ‘Whatever are you doing, dear, standing with your legs apart and hand on hips. Is this some sort of new yoga you’ve learnt?’
Honestly! ‘No, Joyce, it’s not. I – well, look, anyway we need to chat about your stay.’
‘Yes dear, I know.’ Joyce patted her hair down and smiled. ‘I was just thinking the same thing myself and I’ve arranged for Ethel to look after Purdey a little longer – he’s only next door. Ethel says it’s quite lovely. He goes back to my house through the cat flap from time to time but always back to her in the evening.’ Her brow furrowed. ‘I hope he will sleep at mine when I get back. I hope he doesn’t get too used to it.’
‘Joyce – stay longer? I wanted to—’ she remembered her power position and pulled her shoulders back again ‘—actually I wanted to ask how long you were staying.’
‘Oh. Right well, Eric said to stay “as long as you like”. I thought you two had discussed it?’
‘No, not really, we haven’t discussed much lately,’ she said tightly.
Just as Dawn was wondering how a power position helped you to suggest to your mother-in-law that she cut her stay short, her phone rang. The screen flashed up that it was Daniel.
‘Hi, Daniel, how are you?’
‘Yes fine, listen, have you seen Charlie at all? She’s not answering my calls.’
‘Not really. We’ve only managed to chat briefly.’ She went through to the lounge, out of nosy old Joyce’s earshot.
‘It’s just that I dropped her off at her house on Sunday and since then I haven’t heard from her. She said she might have mastitis. I don’t know how serious that is.’
‘No, she’s fine. I spoke with her yesterday – she was just—’ Dawn didn’t want to dwell on how dreadful Charlie sounded, and after she’d told Dawn about Daniel’s new girlfriend, she had been sobbing on the phone. But Dawn didn’t want to let Daniel know they’d been gossiping about him. ‘Look, she’s fine, she went to the doctor and it wasn’t mastitis; however, she’s awash with hormones, Daniel, and it must be really hard for her, you know, giving up the baby – and everything. It’s just the baby blues – quite normal.’ She thought she’d said enough. ‘Maybe send her a text?’ She added as an afterthought.
‘I have Dawn, but—’ But before Daniel could say any more, there was a screech from Alice upstairs and Dawn dropped her phone just as Joyce put her head round the door with a face mask on. ‘Was that Alice, dear?’
‘Yes,’ said Dawn, pushing past her and heading up the stairs.
Joyce followed. ‘She said she was having a shower. She never takes showers, though.’ Joyce’s voice sounded doubtful. ‘I’ve been in the other bathroom and I heard a noise.’
‘A shower? Well, no she usually has a bath.’ Dawn flew up the stairs two by two. Maybe she’d fallen over?
They both ran to the bathroom door and banged on it. It was locked. The children were told never to lock the door in the shower room. Dawn’s heart started to pound.
‘Alice! Are you all right? What are you doing?’ Dawn bellowed. Suddenly there was a loud hissing sound.
‘Alice! Have you got the cat in there??’
‘No! OK, yes! But it’s fine.’
‘A-L-I-C-E – what are you doing?’
‘If I tell you, you will get mad.’
‘No, I won’t.’ Dawn tried to control her breathing.
‘You won’t get all cross and take away my treats on Friday like you normally do?’
Was she normally that stroppy? It must be the stress.
‘No, I won’t.’
‘Alice dear, we were worried about you, when you screamed,’ Joyce added.
‘Well I’m just doing something to the cat. I thought he’d like it, but I’m not sure now.’
‘Alice, darling,’ Joyce said calmly, ‘Mummy and I are worried about you in there with the door locked. Now open it, there’s a good girl. You know not to lock the bathroom door.’
‘But you lock the door, Nanny.’
‘No, I don’t, darling, I never lock the door – you know that – in case my arthritis plays up and I need help. Mummy and Daddy know that!’ She smiled at Dawn.
‘Yes, you do! You locked the door that weekend, when Mummy and Daddy were away and that man was here. You locked the door in the bathroom then.’
What man? Dawn turned to stare at her and she noticed some lumps in the avocado face mask. Joyce looked like Kermit the Frog.
‘Right, I think I need a little lie-down now. Alice has given me a headache, and I need to rest to let this mask do its magic.’ Joyce bustled off leaving Dawn watching her retreat purposefully down the hall in a pink chiffon blouse.
She’d had enough. ‘Alice!’ She banged again. ‘Open the—’
Slowly the door creaked open and Alice’s head popped out.
‘What have you been doing?’ Dawn pushed the door back and saw a blue stain all over the bath. Then she looked at her previously white cat as it belted past her, an interesting colour of soggy blue.
‘Alice!’
‘Sorry.’ Alice looked up at her and squished her nose up. ‘I thought kitty would like his hair dyed. Like Nanna does, that blue rinse-y thing. I found it in the cupboard. I tried it, for fun. But kitty didn’t like it at all – he’s quite sad.’
Dawn looked at the blue stains the cat had made – all over the carpet – and sighed. Suddenly, she caught sight of the bedraggled cat hurtling down the stairs and into the hall.