The Middle Ground

With their mum gone, how could Millie and Pat ever hope to get along?

- JULIE DAWN BAKER

IT had been a mistake to go to the supermarket with Pat, Millie realised. They weren't the sort of sisters who ran little domestic errands together.

Theirs was not a warm, fuzzy relationship. It never had been.

Even as children they had disagreed. About everything.

When she was alive, their mother used to reminisce about a time when her girls played together "like little angels".

She would refer to that brief period as "the golden years" although, truth be told, it was probably a matter of months rather than years.

As well as having different personalities, the sisters looked nothing alike.

Pat was tall, and her blonde hair which was only blonde thanks to her hairdresser - was neatly cut into a sleek bob.

If you had to describe Pat in one word, it would probably be "elegant".

Millie, on the other hand, was shorter and cuddlier.

Her dark hair was now streaked through with grey, and allowed to curl whichever way it wanted.

If you had to describe Millie in one word, you'd find it hard. She wasn't someone you could confine to a single word.

Unless it was "eclectic".

Yes, Millie's tastes were varied. She loved jazz, Beethoven, the Stones, and rap.

She read widely, but not often, because she was usually too busy doing other things: digging her garden, wild swimming, hiking and biking, or organising a local litter pick.

Pat preferred to stay closer to home, filling her days with Pilates, lunches with friends, and reading.

She liked a good historical romance and belonged to a book club.

Pat enjoyed tending the pots on her balcony, but that was the extent of her gardening now.

She'd been happy to move to a small apartment in the local retirement community because it was easy to keep clean and tidy.

Clean and tidy were high on Pat's list of priorities.