Contents
Chapter 41
Overview
Teen Mabel, secretly involved with Mr. Loukas, agrees to visit the train station with Daphne to see boys. Beforehand, they attempt a glamorous makeover using Mabel’s late mother’s cosmetics, spiraling into hysterical laughter. The fun ends abruptly when Mabel’s father arrives, furious, exposing strict household tensions and curtailing their freedom.
Summary
On a sweltering Saturday, teen Mabel reflects that having both a best friend and a lover doesn’t erase boredom. Daphne proposes the beach, tennis, then the train station—code for seeing boys. Mabel resists, blushes when Christos is mentioned, and privately guards her secret relationship with Mr. Loukas.
They decide to go to the station and, at Mabel’s urging, “tart up” first. In Mabel’s parents’ bedroom, Daphne excitedly applies Mabel’s late mother’s makeup—layers of powder, blush, lipstick, blue shadow, and heavy liner—while Mabel is flooded with the scent and memory of her mother.
Daphne continues enthusiastically, overworking Mabel’s hair with teasing, pins, spray, and finally Mabel’s father’s Brylcreem. The reveal is disastrous: swollen-looking lips, raccoon eyes, bright pink cheeks, and hair slicked flat and wet. Shock turns to shared hilarity; the girls collapse, wheezing with laughter.
Amid the chaos, they fail to hear the front door or footsteps. The joy ends when Mabel’s father appears, roaring, “What the hell is going on in here?” His fury instantly silences them, reasserting the household’s strict authority and puncturing the girls’ brief, carefree rebellion.
Who Appears
- Mabel (Elsie)Teen narrator; secretly involved with Mr. Loukas; initiates makeover before a station visit; laughs hysterically until her father intervenes.
- DaphneMabel’s best friend; suggests the station; enthusiastically over-applies makeup and Brylcreem, triggering comic disaster and shared laughter.
- Mabel’s fatherArrives unexpectedly, furious at the chaos, abruptly ending the girls’ laughter and asserting strict authority.