The Testimony of Taliesin Jones (28 page)

BOOK: The Testimony of Taliesin Jones

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Hi
s
p
arent's
b
edroom
i
s just
h
is fa
ther
'
s
r
oom
n
ow,
b
ut
h
is
m
other's
pr
esence
i
s t
here
i
n
t
he
co
lour
of t
he b
e
d spread, the c
urtains
a
nd th
e wa
llp
aper.
S
he
s
till
so
mehow
ow
ns thi
s
r
oom
.
Th
e
dr
essing
t
able, eve
n
wi
thout th
e
h
ai
rbrush
a
n
d
m
atching s
ilver-backed h
and
mi
rror,
sh
ould
h
ave
h
er groom
in
g
in fr
ont o
f it
.
The
to
p
drawe
rs of th
e c
hest
s
till
co
ntain som
e o
f hi
s
m
other's
und
erwear.
H
e
th
rows
th
e
l
ingerie o
nto th
e
b
ed.

Th
e
d
ouble
b
ed
i
s
b
adly
m
ade,
th
e s
heet h
anging
l
ower
th
an
th
e co
unterpane. Hi
s father
's
s
ide
of t
he b
ed is i
ndicated b
y
hi
s
blu
e
n
ylon
p
yjamas o
n t
op o
f th
e
p
illow.
H
is s
lipper
s
a
re
o
n th
e
fl
oor a
nd th
ere is a
n
ewspaper a
nd
a farmi
ng m
agazine o
pen
at a
n
a
rticle
a
bout p
roperty va
lue
.

Hi
s
m
other's s
ide
of
the b
ed
i
s
unruffl
ed a
nd
Ta
liesin w
onders
i
f a
t n
ight
his
fa
ther
sp
read s
o
uth
is
l
egs in
to
the coo
l p
atches o
f b
ed w
here h
is mo
ther u
sed to s
leep.
Ta
liesin
ca
rries th
e
r
emainder
o
f
hi
s
m
other
'
s
lin
gerie
d
ownstairs a
nd
fin
d
s
hi
s
f
ather e
mptying more dr
awers.
It
see
ms
t
hat hi
s
m
other
h
as
h
oarded
th
ings away i
n
s
trange pl
aces
.

T
aliesin
h
olds
o
ut th
e
intim
ate
b
undle.
H
is
fa
ther t
akes
th
e
lin
gerie
pi
cking
o
ut
a w
hite br
assiere
w
hich h
e
h
old
s
up
a
nd e
xamines
f
or
a
m
oment as
th
ough
r
ecalling so
mething
.

'How man
y
peopl
e
did
y
ou have at your wedding?' Taliesin
as
ks.

'T
oo
m
any
.
W
e
didn
't
h
ave
enough drink. For ever
yone.'

'
How
o
ld w
ere y
ou wh
en
you got married?'

'
Too y
oung.
Tw
enty-three.'

At tw
enty-three
you
co
uldn't b
e
a wise man.

Th
e
tel
ephone
rin
gs.

'Will
yo
u
ge
t that
?
It'll b
e
your mother. She
'll
w
ant
to know
a
bout th
e
trunk
.
'

Tali
esin
pi
cks
up th
e
phon
e a
nd it
's
his mother.

'
Taliesin i
s
that
yo
u?' Hi
s
moth
er's v
oice is ob
scure
throu
gh a
t
elephone a
nd
s
he
s
ounds further
a
way th
an
W
est
H
aven.
Sh
e co
uld b
e
in B
ombay
or Br
azil.

'
Hi Mum
.
'

H
e
pi
ctures
h
er
in th
e
off-white satin of the fair
y
album, smilin
g
lik
e
th
ere's
n
o
tomorrow.
'
Darling, I'm
g
lad
yo
u've an
swered.
Ar
e y
ou
we
ll?' She sound
s
n
ervous,
a littl
e
j
abbery
.

'Y
eah,
I'm fin
e.'

'
Has your
fa
ther run
g
th
e s
tation
a
bout the trunk, do
you kno
w?'
H
e
n
otices
how
s
he
s
ays '
your
father.
'
It
's
all part of h
er
di
sassociation.

'
I d
on't
kno
w
.
D
o yo
u
wa
nt m
e
to a
sk
him?'

'No, no, don
't
wo
rry.
How are you
?'

'I'm fin
e,
Mum.'

'How'
s
Jon?
'

'H
e's
fin
e.
H
e's
work
ing
down the f
arm. '

'
How
is sc
hool?'

'
Fine
.'

'And
a
re
y
ou pr
actising?'

'Y
eah
.
'
H
e
li
es.

'
Toni
says
h
ello
.
H
e says
h
e's
looking
forward to m
eeting y
ou at Chri
stmas.
And L
eo s
ays
hello
.'
'S
ay
h
ello
back
.'
'T
al sa
ys hello back, Leo
.
Well look Darling
,
t
ell
your f
ather
th
at
I
c
an pick
up the trunk tomorrow. Th
ere a
re
s
om
e
fi
sh
kniv
es.
Th
ey're
in th
e
top
draw
er
o
f
th
e
sid
eboard
In
th
e s
itting r
oom.
We can l
eave
th
e
furnitur
e '
til
Eas
ter
o
r
so
methin
g.
I'm
go
ing to l
eave
yo
u th
e
pi
ano.
Te
ll
yo
ur f
ather
t
hat h
e
d
oesn't
n
eed
to send th
e
trunk until tom
orrow.'