Page 14 of Family Secrets in Inishbeg Cove

She felt uneasy sitting here drinking tea; she didn’t enjoy lounging around doing nothing. She always liked to be busy. At home, if she wasn’t working, she’d start cleaning or go for a walk or do something. She was always active and never liked to sit still.

‘So, girls, what are your plans?’ she began tentatively.

The girls looked at one another blankly. ‘Plans?’ Lucy asked in confusion.

‘Well, now that the funeral is over…’ she began. ‘Don’t you both need to get back to work?’

‘Well, I’m using up some leave I’m owed,’ Lucy began, ‘but when that runs out, I’ll be working remotely. My boss has been great – said I could take as long as I need.’

Madeleine pursed her lips together distastefully. She wasn’t a fan of remote working; too many people clocked off early or worse, were watching TV when they should be doing work. When people worked from home, there was no collaboration. Not to mention the impact on office culture – people didn’t know how to communicate face to face with one another any more. All the younger crew in her agency wanted to work from home, complaining about long commute times and work–life balance. In her day work was work, but this younger generation was so much softer. Did they think work was supposed to a holiday camp? Then reality smacked into her. That wasn’t her concern any more.

Madeleine turned to Faith. ‘Well, what about you? Surely you need to go back to your job?’ Last she knew, Faith was working as an administration assistant in a food manufacturing company. Madeleine had lost track of how many jobs her free-spirited daughter had had over the past few years. She had tried various admin roles; she had been a Special Needs Assistant – Madeleine had thought she might stick with that as she seemed to enjoy the job, but then she had left and started working in a mobile phone shop. Her daughter never seemed to stay long in one place, no matter how many times Madeleine had advised her that employers didn’t look favourably on job-hopping.

Faith shook her head and wouldn’t meet her gaze.

‘Are you working remotely too?’ Madeleine probed. Judging from the expression on Faith’s face, there was something her daughter wasn’t telling her.

Faith shook her head again. ‘I quit my job to take care of Nanna.’ She whispered it so quietly that it took Madeleine a minute to work out what she had said.

Madeleine was incredulous. ‘You did what?’

Faith gulped before continuing. ‘I handed in my notice three months ago when we knew Elizabeth was very ill and I wanted to care for her. I hated the place anyway.’

‘I thought you were working remotely! You mean to tell me you’ve had no job for the past three months?’

Faith nodded. ‘I’m sure I’ll pick something up soon.’

‘Darling, why didn’t you tell me?’ Madeleine was shocked.

Faith shrugged. ‘I don’t know. It’s not that a big a deal.’

‘You’ve been unemployed for the last three months with no other source of income. I think that is a very big deal. You should have told me. Your whole career trajectory could be ruined by this break.’

‘Well, maybe I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d react like this,’ Faith replied churlishly.

Stay calm. Breathe, Madeleine told herself.

‘Have you revised your CV? Have you had a look at who’s hiring? The job market is tough out there right now – you need to really focus all your time and energy on it.’

‘We’ve just buried Nanna, Mum!’ Faith cried. ‘I will do it when I’m ready. There’s no rush.’

‘But financially how are you managing?’

‘I have some savings.’

‘You don’t want to eat into savings. Savings are a nest egg for a rainy day. You need to get an income urgently. And it’s not just about earnings – what about your other benefits, like healthcare or your pension?’

Faith shrugged. ‘I didn’t have either anyway. I can’t miss what I never had.’

Madeleine placed a hand to her head, stricken. ‘Oh, my goodness. If there was one thing I thought I’d drilled into you girls, it’s the importance of financial security. You need to start thinking about what you’re going to do with your life. You’ve no financial independence. You need to consider a career change. You’re too passive, coasting along seeing where life takes you – you need to be proactive.’

‘Not everyone wants to climb the corporate ladder! Relax, Mum, you sound more stressed than me. I’m not worried, so you shouldn’t be either.’

‘Well, how will you ever be financially secure or get a mortgage unless you have a solid income?’

‘I don’t mind renting. I don’t think I’d like the pressure of having a mortgage hanging over my head.’

‘Come on, Faith. I’ve been around long enough to know that life can change in an instant. It’s peace of mind to have your own home and a steady job with regular income. Financial security is one of the best things you can do for your future self.’