"But I don't want to stay with her; I want to live on campus."
The argument had been raging for half an hour but had got nowhere; both sides entrenched in their positions. On the one side, Jenny Archer, 18 years old and starting soon at the University of Sussex in Brighton. On the other side, Cheryl Archer, Jenny's 40 year old mother.
Jenny was 5' 9" tall, athletic and toned. Her shoulder-length blonde hair and pretty face had made her very popular at school; plenty of friends and plenty of suitors wanting to get into her knickers. She'd had a couple of serious boyfriends and had lost her virginity at 17, at a party, to one of them; Andy King. However they had split up as her A Levels had got closer; she was studious and desperate to go to uni; he was the exact opposite; it was inevitable that it would fizzle out.
Cheryl was 5' 10" tall; still lithe and fit, still beautiful, still young at heart. Her and her husband Steve had worked hard to get the nice house on a nice estate near Reading, where they had brought up their two children; Jenny and her younger brother, Michael. Neither Cheryl nor Steve had been to university, a situation which had not only applied to their three siblings but had also applied to all four of their parents.
Now, here was Jenny, the first of the family to attain a place at university; a good one at that; their first choice. Her chosen course was Computing Sciences and she had been offered a guaranteed place provided she achieved the required grades, which she did. The next thing to fix was accommodation.
Hence, the argument.
"We can't afford it, for God's sake. We spent so much on your extra tuition and your sport and everything else. You know I had to take that second job at the hotel for the extra cash but there just isn't enough to pay for halls of residence."
"But my friends are all doing it so I'll have to be left out, missing everything!" Jenny exclaimed.
"All? You mean Clare and Rachel?" Cheryl said, "Look, you'll still see plenty of them, for goodness sake; you'll only be 20 minutes drive away."
"I might as well be in bloody Reading," yelled Jenny, storming out of the kitchen just as her father walked through the front door. She rushed past him, stomping up the stairs to her bedroom.
"Hi Dad, good day?" Steve said, sarcastically, putting down his briefcase. He walked into the kitchen to find his wife sitting at the table, her head in her hands. He kissed her on the top of her head.
"Living quarters?" he asked, knowing the answer before Cheryl spoke.
"She won't listen, Steve." Cheryl answered, looking up at him.
"I know, I know," he replied gently. She stood up and put her arms around him, nuzzling into his neck.
"I'm sorry; not much of an atmosphere to walk into," Cheryl said.
"Don't be silly," he said, pulling her closer, "it's a kids party compared to the office today."
"Oh, bad day?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Not for me," he replied, "but Terry might be looking for another job by tomorrow."
"Oh, God; what's he done now?" she asked.
"He left a folder of papers on the train last month. They found their way to the Telegraph and the story breaks tomorrow." he said, wearily. She stood back, a shocked look on her face.
"Jesus," she exclaimed, "what the hell was in the papers?"
"I don't know and Terry won't tell me but my guess is government stuff. Nothing else that he handles would interest the media."
"Wow, what an idiot." she said. Steve laughed;
"That would be the mildest thing he's been called all day," he said; "The MD called him a cunt."
Cheryl sat back down again.
"Does Sally know?" she asked. Steve shrugged;
"If she doesn't, she will. They have the Telegraph delivered, for Christ's sake. If he isn't telling her right now, it won't just be a new job he's looking for."
They discussed the plight of their friends as Cheryl finished getting dinner. Suddenly, Steve put down the tea-towel he was using.
"I'll go and talk to Jenny," he said. Cheryl looked at him and smiled.
"Thanks, love," she said, "dinner in ten minutes." She moved towards him and kissed him, tenderly.
"Sorry," she said, " I didn't even say hello."
"Oh, hello," he said, laughing. He kissed her and went upstairs.
"Jen, can I come in?" he asked as he knocked on her door.
"Yes, Dad," said a sad voice from inside.
Steve opened the door and walked into Jenny's bedroom, looking round at the order and tidiness; something he knew he wouldn't find in her brother's bedroom next door. He walked over to the bed and kissed Jenny on the head;
"You nearly knocked me for six just now," he said, feigning indignation.
"Sorry," Jenny said, lowering her head.
"It's okay," he said, "I'll live. So; what's going on?"
"It's Mum, she..." Steve held up his hand and interrupted her.
"Hey! This is not on your mother, thank you. It's a joint decision, as well you know. So stop taking it out on her, okay?" He looked at her sternly.
"But it is her!" Jenny roared.
"Enough!" he shouted. Jenny looked shocked. Her Dad hardly ever raised his voice, so she knew to back off.