‘No,’ she said, ‘nothing like that.’
‘But it’s so bad it makes you feel you need to leave?’
‘Sometimes,’ Fern said. ‘When I first decided to go there, it looked so nice, and everyone seemed to look after everyone else, and I didn’t have anywhere else to go because my parents…well, that’s a story I don’t want to go into…’
Zoe gave an internal shudder. She didn’t know Fern’s past, but she sensed it hadn’t been a happy one. It was easy to see now why she’d felt joining the commune might be her salvation. The fact it hadn’t turned out that way broke Zoe’s heart.
‘You really want to leave?’
When Fern nodded, Zoe asked, ‘OK. What do you need from me? How difficult do you think it will be? Can you just pack your things and go? Or is it harder than that? Would someone try to stop you?’
‘I don’t know. People have left before, but they didn’t talk to me about it before they went.’
‘So you didn’t know they were going beforehand?’
‘No. I’d just wake up in the morning and someone would say that person had gone, and that was that. It doesn’t suit everyone to live like we do.’
‘I can imagine. I’m sure it seems idyllic until you get there.’
‘I’ve got nowhere to go, that’s the thing. I thought maybe you’d know somewhere I could stay for a bit. Like a homeless shelter or something.’
Things had to be miserable if she was ready to go into a homeless shelter. Zoe considered her options. She had contacts at schemes that could help, but that would mean Fern leaving the area. Zoe wasn’t so sure that was what she needed, and it didn’t sound as if there was any danger of the other members of the commune coming after her. There had to be a way she could help and still keep Fern in Thimblebury.
‘When are you hoping to leave?’ she asked finally.
‘I thought today.’
‘Could you hang on a day or two? I need to talk to some people to see what I can do.’
‘I suppose so.’
Zoe didn’t like asking her to go back to the commune. Even as she suggested it, she racked her brains for another way. ‘I mean,if you’re desperate to go now, I do know of a women’s refuge. It’s not really where I’d place you ordinarily, but it might be a stopgap until we can work something else out.’
‘You mean where women go when they’ve been beaten up?’
‘Well, some are victims of domestic violence, but there are other reasons they could end up there. It’s a safe haven, somewhere to give them a breather while they sort their lives out ready to move on. The staff there are amazing – you’ll really like them.’
‘It feels like a commune to me. Loads of people living in the same house, except I don’t know any of these ones. I’m not sure. I was hoping you’d know how I could get a house. Like one from the council. I thought because I’m pregnant I’d go to the top of the list.’
‘You might, I couldn’t say, but it’s not that simple. You’d still have to go on the list, and that doesn’t happen overnight. There are forms to fill in, people to speak to. And where would you go? There are no council properties in Thimblebury, so you’d have to leave the area.’
‘I’ve thought of that. I suppose I would.’
‘That doesn’t bother you?’
‘I like it here, but I would be further away from the commune if I left, so that might be better.’
‘In an ideal world, what would you want?’
‘I’d want a house here in the village. Maybe a job where I could keep my baby with me while I did it. Like something from home. Or somewhere with cheap childcare…’
‘Hmm…’ Zoe opened her laptop. It was quite a shopping list, and she’d asked the question not because she thought she’d be able to give Fern everything she wanted but so she’d have a starting point. ‘I need to chat to some people to see what can be done. But there might be a place for you to go and sit today while I sort something out. Unless you’d rather go back to thecommune, perhaps sneakily pack some things while I try to get things in place for you?’
‘I think I’ll do that,’ Fern said finally. ‘I’ll come back later.’
‘Make it much later,’ Zoe said. ‘I’ve got some other things to do, and I might not be able to reach the people I need straight away.’
‘OK.’ Fern got up. ‘It feels weird,’ she added.
