Chapter 23: Middle Name

Marianne's POV

The register office has a waiting room with eight plastic chairs and a poster about the bin collections.

Pauline wore her good hat.

She sat on the end chair, bolt upright, with her handbag on her knees and a Tupperware of flapjacks inside it.

"I've told them I'm the grandmother," she whispered.

"Pauline, you can't."

"Somebody has to be."

Joss had stopped on the steps outside.

He said it was not his room, and he would be there when we came out.

Poppy sat between us with the baby in a clean white sleepsuit and her best jeans on.

She'd had her hair cut on Wednesday, short at the neck, and she kept touching the place.

Nobody said much.

A door opened and a woman in a cardigan said, "Gledhill?"

We went in.

The registrar had a desk, a screen and a big book, and she smiled at the baby without asking any questions.

"Mother's name?"

"Poppy Gledhill."

"Father?"

Poppy sat very straight.

"There isn't one," she said. "Leave it blank."

"You're sure."

"I've never been surer."

The woman typed.

"And the baby's name, love?"

My sister turned her head and looked at me.

I had thought about this on the way over, in the Micra, with the heater on.

I had worked out what I would say if she gave it as Ewan.

I had worked out what I would say if she gave it as anything else.

"Not yet," Poppy said to the woman. "Could you give us a minute?"

"Of course."

The registrar went to look at her screen very hard.

"Mari," Poppy said. "I need to say something and I need you not to be nice about it."

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