‘Did you hear that?’
‘Yes, he must think you’re an intruder. Have you tried talking to him?’
‘I can’t hear myself over that racket and I doubt he can either. I don’t know what to do.’
‘It’s OK. We’ll figure it out. I’m heading your way now.’ Nora turned around and it wasn’t long before she reached Jay’s house, where he was lying on the front path trying to talk to Bruce through the letterbox that inconveniently was at the bottom of the front door.
‘Thank goodness,’ said Jay, looking relieved as he got to his feet. Bruce was still barking inside. ‘Look at this.’ Jay put his key in the door and had only opened it a crack before the door was slammed shut by the force of the dog on the other side.
‘You have to admit he’s an excellent guard dog,’ said Nora. ‘In some areas it’s thought that homes with dogs are a third less likely to be burgled.’
‘Very reassuring,’ said Jay, raising his voice to be heard over Bruce. ‘But I’m not a burglar.’
‘Here, give me the keys and let me try.’ Nora crouched down to the letterbox because that was as far as she was prepared to go. She opened it. ‘Bruce.’ The dog continued to bark. Nora leaned a little closer and shouted, ‘Bruce!’ The barking paused.
‘That’s amazing,’ said Jay. Which set the barking offagain and Nora glared at him. Sorry.’ Jay held up his palms and backed down his own front path.
‘Listen, Bruce. I’m coming in and you need to be a good boy.’ The barking stopped. Nora put the key in the door and opened it a fraction. A big black nose instantly appeared. ‘Get ready to grab him if he runs out,’ said Nora to Jay, who took up an exaggerated goalie pose. Nora put her hand through the gap in the door and started petting Bruce while talking to him gently. She then slipped inside the door and shut it behind her. Bruce tried to jump up but she commanded him to sit. When he eventually did, she gave him a big fuss.
‘You are such a good boy.’ Bruce flopped on to his back in the hope of a tummy rub. ‘Let’s see how much of the house you’ve eaten.’ She went to investigate and Bruce followed dutifully at her side.
‘Er, hello,’ came the faint voice from outside. ‘Any chance you could let me in please?’
Nora shut Bruce in the kitchen and came back to let Jay in. ‘Oh thank goodness,’ said Jay, seeming genuinely relieved. ‘I thought he’d eaten you.’
‘Bruce is a pussy cat.’
‘I wish he was. Actually I wish he was a guinea pig. I’m sure they’re a lot easier to manage and far less likely to gnaw on my leg bone while I’m sleeping.’
‘You still having that dream?’ asked Nora.
‘Yeah,’ said Jay with a whole body shiver.
Sometimes Nora couldn’t help smiling at Jay. ‘The good news is Bruce hasn’t done any damage. Well, nonethat I can see. Relax. You’ve got this.’ She handed him back his door keys. ‘Night.’
‘Bye,’ said Jay, holding the keys to his chest.
‘Night, Bruce!’ called Nora and the dog started barking. She took that as her cue to leave. As she stepped outside her phone beeped with a reply from Liam.
I’m single too. It sucks.
*
Dixie was almost tearful at the sound of Nora’s voice. It had only been a couple of days but she was starting to understand why lonely people went to the supermarket daily just so they could speak to someone. Dixie was a talker. Sometimes she overshared but she was one of life’s chatty people and spending hours alone in a defunct campervan was not something she was enjoying.
‘Nora, how are you? How was Crafting and Cocktails? How are Jay and Renee?’ she asked.
‘That’s a lot of questions,’ said Nora with a chuckle. ‘I’m good. I had a bit of a drama with Benicio and a cannabis house but I’ll tell you about that in a mo. I’ve tracked down another ex called Liam. Renee made a lethal Martini that could strip paint so when you get to that stage with Elsie, let me know and we’ll send you some. Jay is having a battle of wills with Bruce and the dog is currently winning by a mile. I think that’s everything from my end. How about you?’
Dixie stalled for a second. She had a choice to make. Nora was her closest friend. Could she tell her the truth? She certainly felt like offloading everything would make her feel better. But was it going to help? She feared Nora would try to fix things and the only way to do that was for Dixie to give up and she definitely didn’t want to, well, not just yet anyway. Although sitting there with only a tealight for company, she suspected she wouldn’t be able to hold out for much longer. She took a deep breath and put a smile on her face. She’d once worked briefly in a call centre where they insisted that everyone smile while they were on calls because they believed it made a difference to how you came across. It was the weirdest place she’d ever worked. Rows and rows of depressed minimum-wage individuals all grinning into space.
‘I am still fabulous. We’re great, me and Elsie. We are enjoying escaping the rat race and appreciating the simpler side of life. It’s quite a revelation, being on my own. Although, I’m not entirely sure I am on my own because I keep finding notes under the windscreen wiper. I’ve had two so far. One told me to move Elsie and the second one threatened to have her clamped. How rude is that?’
‘Um, it’s not nice, but I’m thinking that maybe you should just move on to somewhere friendlier,’ suggested Nora.
‘But that would be giving in to the system,’ said Dixie with conviction. ‘I won’t be bullied by the patriarchy.’
‘Is it a man leaving the notes then?’
