*
We walked home through the night, arm in arm and I filled her in on the dance and Nelly and Percy.
Just as we reached the front door, the siren began to wail.
‘What good timing,’ I said with a sigh. ‘Is Mr Gold here?’
She shook her head. ‘No. He was called away.’ She looked a little fed up as she said it and I felt sorry for her. ‘We should go to the shelter.’
‘I need to take my shoes off.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘Quickly.’
I pulled off my painful shoes and hurried upstairs in my stockinged feet, where I put on my wellington boots because they were easy, and headed back down. Mrs Gold was waiting obediently by the back door, looking worried.
‘Sounds like it could be another bad one,’ she said.
I shrugged as we made our way outside and into the safety of the shelter. They were all bad, I thought. We were just getting used to it. I wondered where Nelly was and if she was safe. I hoped Dr Barnet would look after her.
Mrs Gold settled down, and feeling the effects of the gin I’d drunk earlier, I got myself as comfortable as I could on the hard bunk. I went straight to sleep and when I woke up the next morning, Mrs Gold wasn’t in the shelter anymore. She must have gone to work early. I got dressed, wondering for the millionth time exactly what it was my neighbour did.
Chapter 8
Stephanie
Present day
I slid down off the wall and wiped the dust from my hands on my thighs.
‘She’s not Irish is she?’ Finn said.
‘Who?’
‘Your nan?’
‘Nope, Londoner through and through. Why?’
Finn began wheeling his bike towards the entrance of Tall Trees and I followed.
‘I met one of the residents the other day and you remind me a bit of her.’ He looked over his shoulder and grinned at me. ‘She wasn’t impressed by my job either.’
‘I wasn’t not impressed. I just questioned whether it was, in fact, a job.’ I frowned. ‘She was Irish, this resident?’
Finn nodded as we went through the entrance of the home and I shut the metal gate behind us.
‘There are no Irish residents,’ I said.
‘Well this lady was definitely Irish, definitely a resident, and definitely not happy to see me.’
‘Oh,’ I said, remembering my conversation with Cyril. ‘I think she’s new. Sometimes they’re a bit prickly when they first arrive. It’s no wonder really, it’s scary for them. Like your first day at school but a million times worse. I usually try to find something they like, or something we have in common and use that to help them feel more at home. One of my ladies likes Earl Grey tea so I always bring her some teabags.’
Finn gave me a little sideways look that I couldn’t quite read.
‘That’s kind,’ he said. ‘You’re kind.’
I ducked my head, embarrassed by the praise. ‘I need to go to the dementia unit,’ I said. ‘That’s where my nan is.’
‘Come and see me before you leave, and I’ll show you those pictures.’
