Courtney hated the idea of imposing on these kind people whose lives she’d burst into so suddenly. But she hated even more the idea of returning to the depressing bedsit room alone and with only her endless troubles for company.
Reaching out, she took her uncle’s hand and allowed him to help her out of the back seat of the car.
“Thank you for this,” she murmured, not trusting her voice.
His smile widened, warm and comforting. “That’s what family is for.”
6
It didn’t take longto empty the bedsit room of Courtney’s belongings. With help from her uncle and aunt, they soon packed her clothes into the suitcases stored on top of the tatty wardrobe, and used half a dozen plastic carrier bags to deal with the rest of her meagre belongings. After a few return trips to the car, everything was loaded into the boot and the spare passenger seat in the back.
Courtney tried to phone her housing officer to let her know she was vacating the bedsit accommodation, but her calls went to voicemail, where she eventually left a message explaining her departure and asking the case worker to contact her soon. When she returned her room key to the duty supervisor, he barely grunted in response before turning back to the television programme he was watching in the grubby office.
Colin and Lorraine were waiting beside the car when she stepped outside. While she’d been checking her room one last time for any overlooked belongings, Colin must have visited the café further along the street, because he held a cardboard tray of takeaway cups.
“I thought you could use this,” he said, handing her one of the cups. “Don’t worry, it’s decaffeinated, and they marked your cup so I wouldn’t mix it up with the others.”
Grateful for the milky latte, Courtney took a long sip while her aunt and uncle sipped theirs. Standing on the street, she took one last look at the bedsit where she’d been living. Despite the circumstances, she was relieved to be escaping the dreadful place.
“Come on, let’s hit the road,” Colin said, getting in behind the wheel.
“Ready to go, love?” Lorraine asked, taking her arm and offering a gentle squeeze.
“Yes, I’m ready. Aunt Lorraine, I can’t thank you enough for this. You don’t know what it means to me.”
Lorraine gave her a warm smile and kissed her cheek. “Everything will be fine, you’ll see.”
Her aunt’s words, so much like those she often heard the ghost of her mother whisper inside her head, brought comfort. As her uncle steered the car into the road and set off, Courtney clutched her coffee cup in her hands and stared out of the window, thinking of all the weeks and months of trauma she was leaving behind, and wondering about what might now lie ahead.
Back in Hamblehurst, Colin and Lorraine took charge.
After a quick conversation with Rosie, who’d already left for work by the time they returned, Colin gave Courtney the choice of remaining at Rosie’s house, where she was welcome to continue staying in the guest room, or returning with Colin and Lorraine to their house across town, where she was also welcome to their guest room, if she preferred that instead.
Unable to make a decision because she didn’t want to put anyone out, Courtney was torn. Colin finally made the decision for her. She would stay at Rosie’s for the time being, where she already felt comfortable, and they’d revisit the arrangement in a few days if necessary, once Courtney was over the shock of losing her job.
While Colin hauled her suitcases and carrier bags upstairs, Lorraine made tea and then the three of them sat down to take stock of things. During the drive from Southampton to Hamblehurst, a new and ugly realisation had dawned on Courtney.
“If the business really has shut down and I have to wait to find out whether I’ll even get paid this month, then I think that might mean my maternity leave is up in the air, too.”
Colin nodded slowly, his expression unhappy. “I was thinking the same thing. What sort of maternity leave were you due before all this?”
“I would’ve got close to my full pay for the first six weeks. After that, it would’ve dropped quite a bit and I would’ve had to return to work as fast as I could because, even with some benefits help, I would’ve struggled to make ends meet. Although, to be honest, with everything that’s happened over the last few months, I hadn’t thought much about that, or about child care or any of those details. I was just concentrating on day by day.”
“That makes sense and it’s a smart approach,” Lorraine said. “Focus on today and let tomorrow take care of itself.”
Courtney said nothing about her worries about affording child care when she returned to work. It was all academic now that she had no work to return to.
“I’ll start looking for another job straight away,” she said between sips of tea. “I’m sure there must be something out there.”
“Listen, I understand why you need to earn money,” Colin said. “But you’re only a few weeks away from having your baby, and you haven’t even got the details yet on what this redundancy means for the maternity pay you’re entitled to. Is it wise to start hunting for a new job when you’ll have to stop working soon, anyway?”
“I don’t have any choice, Uncle Colin. I need money so I can look after myself and the baby too, when she gets here. This close to giving birth, I doubt I can land a full-time permanent job. But I’m sure I can find something temporary, maybe a few hours here and there, to give me some cash in my pocket and tide me over.”
“Let us help you, love,” Colin said. “We would’ve helped cover the costs of a flat in Southampton. We might have been viewing a flat right now had it not been for what happened this morning. Instead of searching around for another job, let us give you some money to keep you going, and that way you can focus on getting ready for the baby arriving.”
Courtney smiled and leaned across the sofa to squeeze her uncle’s arm. “You’re so kind. You both are,” she added, turning to Lorraine. “But I can’t accept your money. I’m already squatting here in your daughter’s house. Isn’t that enough?”
“You’re not squatting,” Lorraine laughed. “But listen, let’s not think about job-hunting or anything like that right now. Just take a day for yourself. We can both see that losing your job has been another blow, on top of all the other things you’ve had to deal with lately. You don’t have to figure anything out straight away, and certainly not today.”
