Carol took a deep breath as she fought back tears. ‘No, I’m not happy, but I don’t want you worrying about me.’ She sighed. ‘I well and truly had my head turned by Pete Riley, the heart-throb of my high school. Maybe I was a little lonely,’ she confessed, as even though her days were full between her part-time job and looking after Maisie, the silence that fell over the house in the evening was almost unbearable. ‘And definitely flattered.’
‘I can understand that,’ Jess empathised. ‘I mean about the loneliness in the evening.’
‘I should have spotted the signs with your dad.’ Carol sighed. ‘We hadn’t exactly been intimate for months on end— Sorry, I’m sure you don’t need to hear that,’ she said, pulling a face.
‘It’s fine, Mum; I’m a big girl now.’ Jess smiled.
‘And when I think about it, he always had his bloody phone in his hand. Even when he went to the bathroom.’ She shook her head. ‘And he was always nipping out somewhere too, now I think about it. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, though. But really, I am fine now, so as I said, don’t you worry about me.’ She gripped her daughter’s hand and squeezed it.
‘Oh, Mum, why shouldn’t I worry about you? You have always looked out for me.’
‘Well, what can I do?’ Carol sighed. ‘I have well and truly burnt my bridges, haven’t I? As you know, I settled a few debts and bought a car out of the money from the house sale. What I have left would never buy me another house, and I would never get a mortgage at my age. Maybe I could look at a one-bedroomed flat, though,’ Carol mused as it was all she needed. She would never live with another man again as long as she lived.
Jess thought of how her mum had always been so generous, paying for lunch if they went out, or bringing little treats for Maisie. Not to mention helping with the initial rent on the flat.She reminded her mum of this. ‘So now it’s my turn to help you. You can stay here, if you really want to come back to Liverpool, until you find a small place of your own.’
‘But you don’t have the room,’ protested Carol.
‘We will manage. You’re my mum,’ insisted Jess. ‘If you can put up with the sofa bed, I actually quite like sharing a room,’ she reassured her. ‘Although I have to tell you, the building is up for sale.’
‘It is? Then I ought to look for a rental quickly in case it is sold,’ she told her daughter. ‘You could stay with me, if need be. I have enough for a deposit on a rented place.’
‘Thanks, Mum, but for now you can stay here. Let’s just take one day at a time.’
‘Okay,’ said Carol. ‘And thank you.’
Jess knew her mum wouldn’t wait now she’d made a decision. She would be looking for her own place as soon as possible; that way she wouldn’t worry too much about Jess and Maisie. Whatever the future held, though, she knew they would weather any storm together.
THIRTY-FOUR
ALICE
Alice was feeling her age today. That was the thing with being old. Her mind was as young as the young woman she once was, high kicking her legs on the stage at the Palladium, but some days her body reminded her of the reality. She still craved adventure, though, and was on a high for a couple of days after the boat trip last Sunday, and the lovely BBQ last evening.
She had vowed to rest during the week, but ended up going shopping into town, as well as giving the apartment a good clean. It had frustrated her that she had had to stop several times to catch her breath, but she was determined to press on.
She really ought to consider getting someone in to clean once a week, but while she was still able to, she would do it. Perhaps a deep clean once a month by someone younger who could pull out the sofa and freshen everywhere up would be something to consider. And change the duvet cover. That had become a rather tiresome task of late and taken forever the last time she did it.
She had sat reading for most of the morning, before her thoughts turned to Mark.
Alice liked Mark a lot, although she did worry about him a little. She found it sad that he was estranged from his family, especially his sister, who it appeared he had once been close to.She wondered whether he would ever pick up the phone and call her. She could not help thinking of all the wasted years between some families who no longer had contact with each other, thinking things would magically sort themselves out one day. The reality being that it would never be the case without honest communication. Maybe even the chance to forgive each other. After all, the Lord himself said that to err is human, to forgive divine.
On her trip into town, Alice had bought a bottle of good whisky, and yesterday she had walked down to Satterthwaites Bakehouse and purchased gingerbread men for Maisie, along with a freshly baked brown loaf. Alice believed in a good breakfast, and most mornings she would eat a bowl of porridge, or a slice of wholemeal toast with scrambled eggs.
She was about to head into her bedroom, when her phone rang. She listened to the voice at the other end for a minute.
‘I am owed a tax rebate, how interesting. Oh, I see, you need my bank details to deposit it.’ She nodded.
She had moved over to the window now and was glancing at the road outside. It was quiet at this time in the afternoon, a brief respite from the sound of cars zipping by, the occasional toot of a horn from an impatient driver. The only sound outside now was the sound of birdsong in the wide, tree-lined street.
‘Well, as I haven’t actually been employed for over thirty years, I find that a little hard to believe,’ Alice told the caller. ‘Even so, if you send me a letter through the post with all the details that would be most satisfactory.’
The caller had tried to respond, but she had already ended the call. It made her blood boil that people could fall foul of scammers in this way and was thankful that she still had her wits about her. It was the downside of online shopping, she supposed, entering personal details that fraudsters might tap into. That was the last time she would add her phone number toanything online, although she supposed it was already out there now and there was little she could do about that.
Whilst she had the phone in her hand, she decided to do something she had been putting off. It was time to make an appointment with her doctor.
As she looked out of the window she thought about her first encounter with the residents. She had first observed Mark at the cemetery from a distance tending his wife’s plot, as she placed flowers on her husband’s grave. She could hardly believe he was the same man who had walked out from Wisteria House the day she stood watching it. It was as if the stars were aligning. She knew Jess lived at Wisteria House, as the day she encountered her on the train Jess had walked up the path of the building as Alice continued on to her dental appointment at a nearby surgery. She had enquired almost at once about renting the apartment, and was relieved that it had still been available. Now that she was here, she had decided to put her affairs in order. Before it was too late.
THIRTY-FIVE
