Barney Draper came to collect Carrie from our house tonight. He picked her up in his work van and took her to Spirit of Siam for some noodles. Just like they always used to do on Fridays when she was in Year Eight, Nine, and Ten, back when she was a little girl and she wasn’t out with boyfriends and she was basically Barney’s little princess and didn’t give him tons of earache all the time.
Carrie was in Cava-Sue’s old bedroom when Barney tooted the horn, packing her clothes and all her Tabitha Tennant beauty manuals into her wheelie suitcase. I told Carrie she didn’t have to go if she didn’t want to. I told her my mum was only kidding when she said she had to unblock the hair from the upstairs sink. Carrie said thanks for everything and she’s proper grateful but she’s decided to go home to Draperville to begin Stage One of her new life plan.
I said to Carrie that I thought Stage One of her new plan was going to involve standing on her own two feet. Carrie said she definitely has a plan up her sleeve and it did involve all that independence-blah-blah type-thing, but there was no harm in planning it from her own bedroom in Draperville.
I gave her a hug, then I watched as she walked out of the front door and down the path. Barney got out of the van and leaned against it with his arms crossed as she sauntered toward him proper sulkily.
He picked up the pink suitcase without a word and put it into the back of his van. Then they both scowled at each other for a bit, having a sort of stand-off. Then she poked him in the stomach and he burst out laughing, then he grabbed her by the waist and swung her round and round until she started squealing with laughter, then she jumped in the passenger seat and they drove off.
I have no bloody idea what she’s going to do next.