It didn’t look good. They had been waiting for ages outside another place earlier, and when the landlord finally did show up, he’d told the eagerly awaiting potential tenants that the place had already been let. It was such a waste of time – they could spend days at this. She had to get the bus back home to Kilkenny tonight, and it looked like Karen would be staying on her friend Gerry’s couch for a while longer, after yet another luckless session today.
Time was running out.
Since deciding to get a place together Jenny had hoped that they would be able to find somewhere easily. Since her unceremonious return from Australia, she had been keen to get settled in Dublin. She and an ex had planned on backpacking for a year, but she’d returned early after they broke up. While her former employer Alliance Trust Bank couldn’t rehire her in her previous role, she was offered a position at one of the Dublin branches, starting soon.
Jenny welcomed the change of scenery. It would feel like a backward step to return home to the small close-knit town in which she and Karen had grown up, so she’d been delighted when her friend suggested they get a place together in the city. For her part, Karen had been living in a houseshare but was keen to move on.
“I’d rather stay in an igloo than remain with those control freaks,” she’d told her. “If I leave so much as a wet teabag in the sink, they make me feel like I’ve committed a mortal sin. And you’d swear that any dirtydishes would up and disappear forever if they didn’t get scrubbed right away.”
The childhood friends had never lost touch, and since Jenny’s return, the bond between them was even stronger. Now that she was back, she was keen to get going with her new life and forget all about Australia – and her ex.
Karen worked for an insurance multinational based nearby and until she and Jenny found a place, she was staying on her friends’ couch.
“Hold on a second, here’s one,” Karen said now. “It’s only a phone number, but by the looks of it I’d say it must be close by.”
“Let’s call and find out. There’s no point in staying here.” Jenny looked back at the growing number of despondent flat-hunters remaining.
“Hello, I’m enquiring about the place advertised in the paper?” Karen said into the phone. There was a short pause. “It is?” She smiled and gave a thumbs-up. “Leinster Square, yes, I know where that is.”
Jenny felt a tingle of anticipation.
“Guess what?” Karen said, hanging up. “It’s in the ads today by mistake. The landlord isn’t due to show it until next week because it’s being redecorated, but he’s there now and he says he’ll let us have a look.”
The girls jumped in a taxi and were outside the house within five minutes.
“It doesn’t look bad at all,” Jenny said, examining the freshly weeded and well-tended flowerbeds on eitherside of the path. “And the fact that he’s decorating is a good sign too.”
Impatient, Karen pressed the buzzer a second time and had just released her finger when a large heavyset man answered the door with a smile.
“Hello, you’re the lady I was speaking to on the phone just now, is that right?”
At least he was friendly, which made a change from some of the other landlords they had met so far – all surly individuals who weren’t exactly great conversationalists. They had tried to engage in chat with some of them and if they were lucky had got the odd grunt in reply. This man, however, with his thinning hair and bright eyes, had an amiable demeanour.
He opened a dark blue door on the top floor. “This is the flat. As you can see, the furniture is all over the place while it’s being painted, but I’m sure you get the general idea. One of the bedrooms is through there, and the other is just over that way, beside the bathroom. Have a good look around now, don’t mind me.” He made his way back downstairs, leaving the two alone in the living room.
They looked at each other excitedly.
“This is miles better than anything we’ve seen so far – and a bedroom each? I thought we’d have to share.” Jenny went into the tiny bathroom, which was brightly tiled in blue and green. “It’s a little over our budget, but I’m sure we could manage. What do you think?”
She had shared a grotty room with others in Sydneyand was desperate for some privacy. But maybe Karen would be happier sharing a bedroom if the rent was cheaper.
Her friend grinned. “Of course, we should take it. Let’s go ask when we can move in.”
5
Aweek or so later, Karen watched Jenny try to smooth down her unruly curls. She had to admit, her friend looked very smart, dressed in a burgundy jacket and matching skirt, the rich colour nicely setting off her blonde hair. “Are you nervous?”
“I suppose I am a little bit,” Jenny replied, deciding finally to clip her hair back from her face, still frowning at her reflection. “I don’t know – do I look untidy? Oh, I wish I had straight hair.”
Karen laughed through a mouthful of cornflakes. “You do realise that women all over the world routinely pay a fortune for curls like that? I love the suit – the executive look is really you.”
So it should be,Jenny thought. It had cost an absolute fortune in Jigsaw. She wished she could just get today over with.
The first day was always the worst.
Later that evening,Jenny returned in a state completely at odds with the poised professional who’d left earlier that morning. Red-faced and drenched in sweat, her hair had spilt loose from its clip and her curls were matted against her forehead.
“What on earth?” Karen gasped, taking in her wretched appearance. Her first day couldn’t have beenthatbad surely?
