Forty-Three Years Ago
He doesn’t see them come in. Al is sitting by the window with his back to them, a little girl on his knee, talking to her. Her body hidden by his; all that can be seen of her is a shock of carrot-orange hair.
“…. Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess, and her name was Shelley. And Princess Shelley wasn't like all the other ordinary princesses. All the ordinary princesses had hair that was blond or brown or black….”
The little girl pipes up, in a way that says she already knows the answer to her question. “What colour was Princess Shelley’s hair?”
Al replies. “Princess Shelley’s hair was bright red and the ordinary princesses teased her about it. But that was only because they were jealous….”
Edward Haswell looks to his teenage son. Richie rolls his eyes
