by Jane Gilley
‘Christ, I said it was all kosher, didn’t I? Now buckle up.’
Stacy clicked her seat belt in place, praying today was going to work out according to her plan and then hung on to the edge of the seat as the driver squealed his tyres as he turned sharply and they sped off down the road. Stacy had practised over and over what she was going to say but she knew she’d only get one shot at it. It had to be hard, impactful, and leave everyone concerned under no doubt what was going on.
When they arrived at the house, Tony told Stacy to stay in the car while he did a quick recce. Stacy knew a lot hinged on this and began biting her nails again. She’d spoken to John at length about what she was going to do today. He’d warned her off, initially. ‘And you can’t just barge in. If you’re not invited in, you can’t go in, Stacy. It’s as simple as that.’ But he’d told her Tony knew the ins and outs of the law and as long as she followed his advice she would probably be okay, providing things didn’t turn nasty. But if things became unpleasant she was to apologise and leave straight away.
‘I don’t want you doing this if truth be known,’ he’d said. ‘But I’m starting to understand how you need to do some of the things you need to do.’
She’d smiled at him. ‘It’ll make you a better copper, understanding crazy people like me.’
He’d given her one of his cosy big hugs then and she’d melted into it. They’d turned a corner in their relationship thanks to darling Tibs. He’d brought them together – reluctant hero and antsy girl. It certainly hadn’t seemed like a match made in heaven at first. But something had clicked between them, and to Stacy’s utter surprise it was working out.
Tony returned to the car. ‘Right. They’re all in there. Now, just to let you know, and as far as I know, there’s no wife or girlfriend on the scene, in any respect any more, to make matters worse. Apparently he’s been single for quite some time. So if you’re going to do this, go for it now. They sometimes leave at different times.’
Stacy did feel a bit uneasy at that.
She clambered out of the car and straightened her jacket. She hoped her first words would put the cat amongst the pigeons and create enough of a disturbance to stop them throwing her out straight away. She’d practised what she was going to say and she’d allowed for various questions. But she would soon see how things panned out. At best it might open a line of communication between them all. At worst, well, even if Andy started a slanging match with Dora it had to be better than no response from them at all.
***
Stacy’s mouth felt dry as she knocked on the door. She couldn’t believe she was actually going to do this but she was so desperate to help Dora – she couldn’t sit quietly and not make an effort, even if she tried and failed. She, of all people, knew that families made mistakes with each other. But she was halfway to putting her own family back together again. Even Peter and Marvin had thanked her for that.
She waited a few seconds, smoothing her jacket again nervously. She could hear them talking, inside the terraced house that belonged to Lauren’s grandmother. Tony had already checked out the family’s movements, when Dora had employed him, so he knew that Lauren usually went to see her grandmother with her father on a Sunday afternoon.
Lauren’s grandmother, a tall elegant lady with steel-grey curly hair, opened the door.
‘Oh hiya. Sorry to bother you. I’m a friend of Lauren’s and I’ve just popped round to see her with some news. May I come in?’ Stacy began, confidently.
Lauren’s grandmother shrugged and allowed Stacy to step inside. So far, so good.
‘Friend of yours, poppet, with some news, she says.’
Lauren was the spit of Dora, Stacy thought, as the girl looked up from where she was sat with her father at a table. It looked as though they were in the midst of a board game. Her long curly hair was naturally blonde and she had a round face with laughing eyes. And Stacy could see why Dora had fallen for Andy’s boyish good looks. He still had a full head of hair, also blonde, and was trim and slim. They were a very attractive family.
Right, Stacy. Just go for it.
‘Okay, guys, I won’t beat around the bush. So, Andy, did you ever tell Lauren why her mother left her? Have you told your own mother the true story?’
BAM! Yep, that hit the spot as the three of them reacted by blinking and staring, beseechingly, at each other.
‘What?’ Andy struggled to say, as he started to get to his feet. ‘Who are you?’
His mother started to realise she’d been duped, too. ‘You said you were a friend of Lauren’s! You said you had news?’
‘Well, yes, I think Lauren’s old enough to take this news now. She’s what? Eighteen or nineteen? That classes her as an adult. So let me tell you what the situation is between your parents, Lauren. Okay, starting from the beginning, your lovely mum belonged to a wealthy family who were engrossed in their hotel empire and couldn’t understand why your mum didn’t want what they had. After experiencing working in their hotels she decided she didn’t want to work for them so she went travelling and then met your dad. Your dad and your mum moved in together, had you, and it was good for a while, she tells me. Dora finally had something that belonged just to her and she started to plan for your futures together. But, unfortunately, not long after you were born your mum experienced postnatal depression. Your dad probably couldn’t deal with it, which is understandable because it can be very debilitating and stressful. But then your dad decided to have a small dalliance. Like men often do. Isn’t that right, Andy?’
Lauren glanced nervously at her father.
‘Now look here!’ Andy finally snapped, jumping up. ‘Whoever the hell you are, it doesn’t matter what happened. The point is that Dora left her daughter. Dora left us!’
Stacy knew she had to remain calm. ‘It doesn’t matter what happened? People don’t leave each other for no good reason. Dora loved you, Andy. You let her down. Dora wasn’t well and so she left Lauren with you because, at that time, she really couldn’t cope with a young child whilst she was trying to get to grips with her illness, as you know, Andy. She even came back to try and work things out with you again on Lauren’s third birthday but you’d met someone else by then and Dora didn’t want to stress her daughter out further. So she left feeling insecure and let down all over again,’ Stacy explained. She could see she still had time to get her final point across before Andy or his mother threw her out.
‘But worst of all is that you never let Lauren see the letters did you? You never gave her the chance to get to know that her mum really loved her and only wanted the best for her.’
‘L-letters? Did she send me letters, Dad?’
‘She sent letters to both your father and your grandmother. And I’m guessing they’ve never let you see them, have they?’
Stacy allowed her words to settle for an instant. Andy’s mum looked dumbstruck and she sat down again.
‘So it was you who had the affair, Andy?’ she said quietly. ‘That’s not what you told me.’
Stacy let out a nervous laugh. ‘Let me tell you a story about families. Now I have a family, Lauren. Who doesn’t? Families come in all shapes, sizes, colours and creeds. My parents let me and my brother down by squashing our spirits. They didn’t even give us love. I won’t go into all the nonsense about that. But believe me, I’ve realised there is no perfect family. Families make huge and grave errors with each other. That is how life is, Lauren. It’s hard enough trying to make sense of your ruddy family without the extra crap that’s piled onto you out there in the big wide world. But … Do you know what goes some way to making it all better?’ Stacy paused to let her words sink in.
‘Love is what can help make it better. Acceptance is what can help make it better.’
Tears started to prick Stacy’s eyes as the depth of her own situation started to hit home. Her family was still so messed up. Things had started to improve but there was some way to go yet. She felt drained. She felt as though she was always trying to put
people back together. But where was it getting her? She looked sadly at the small family in front of her.
‘Your mum, Lauren. Your wonderful, funny, amazing mother sent you letters to try and explain her actions. She watched you from a distance hoping for a way in, hoping for the opportunity to finally be reacquainted with the daughter she has never stopped loving. All I’m asking from you, Lauren, is one thing – give your mum a chance. And to you, Andy, I will say this. All this started with you and what you did. So you really need to be the one to fix this.’
Was Stacy imagining things or was Andy nodding slowly? Lauren’s hand slipped into his as she looked up at him, questioningly, with the same big blue eyes that Dora had. He wouldn’t look at her.
‘Okay I’ve said my piece. Now it’s up to the rest of you to sort this thing out. But the other thing is this: it’s your mum’s fiftieth birthday on Wednesday. The address where we’ll be having her party is on this piece of paper here. I’ll leave it on the table. But I’d sincerely like it if you could all be there. By the way, Dora doesn’t know I’ve come. She’s a proud lady. Oh, and sorry for barging in on your nice quiet Sunday afternoon.’
Chapter 31
The evening of Dora’s fiftieth birthday was blustery, cold and raining but it didn’t matter one iota because everyone she cared for was there with her. Her mother and aunt and new-found friends and the rest of the Afternoon Tea Club were filing into one of the meeting rooms, at Borough Community Centre, chattering and giggling, for the end-of-year get-together with Eileen and Taynor before everyone went their separate ways, after Dora’s party, for their respective Christmases.
It felt cramped in this new room and everyone was fidgeting because, in all honesty, they all had better things to do! They had their party frocks or suits on and simply wanted to party with Dora, next door, and drink something fizzily alcoholic. But when Eileen asked for some quiet, everyone did quieten down.
‘Right now Taynor and I are so pleased to see everyone from the Afternoon Tea Club as well as new faces connected to Dora’s fiftieth birthday party. I can already see that it would be safe to assume that everyone has gained something from what started out as an idea from my mother, who was bored with her afternoons of not very much to do. Would that be correct?’
People clapped, and there were cries of, ‘Hear, hear.’
‘Well, she’s here again, tonight. So please welcome my mother, Veronica!’
‘Yeah Veronica!’ everyone cried.
Raymond had been roped in to help manoeuvre Veronica through the crowds to where her daughter and Taynor stood.
‘Thank you! Thank you, kind people. Well, I never expected to get such a wonderful response to my suggestion that as you get older you still need something to do with your time. I’ve heard some wonderful stories that have sprung from the formation of the Afternoon Tea Club. People making new friends or finding old ones. It has certainly been an eye-opener and I’m so pleased to be here again today to witness some of these amazing unions – all of it because of one small suggestion. But now I’m going to pass you over to my daughter so we can get on with the business of the evening. Over to you, Eileen …’
‘Okay everyone. Right now let’s get straight down to business and then we can be out of here, PDQ! So everyone’s given me feedback regarding their courses, which is great. So with the computing and internet, a lot of you have already dabbled and now just need certain pointers. A few of you haven’t tried it yet but want to learn but can’t do both days. So we’ve decided to change the computer courses and just do the one afternoon on the first Thursday of each month, so we don’t get mixed up with the art classes on the Fridays. And quite a few of you have signed up for swimming and that’s doing well. The art courses are okay and everyone is also happy with the two afternoon tea sessions. Great. So, a revised timetable will be sent to everyone by the end of the year and we’ll get the London trip arranged as well as the price for that and include it with your revised timetables.’
Eileen paused to shuffle through her paperwork. ‘Now! We’re compiling a new database of all your names and contact numbers so from next year anything new will be sent to yourselves directly via email or by phone. We do have a lot of your contacts already, of course. But please let us know of any changes to your personal details and please let us know if you have any other suggestions in order to make the Afternoon Tea Club an even better experience for everyone. So that’s it, folks. Oh and just to let you know Taynor will be going on maternity leave in the coming months, in preparation for the baby she’s expecting around mid to late April next year. So congratulations are in order since she and her husband will be having their first child.’
‘Congratulations, Taynor!’ people shouted.
Eileen chuckled. The people in that room were certainly a lot livelier than they had been at the first Afternoon Tea Club meeting. In fact, her bosses and the community in general had welcomed the whole concept with open arms. More and more people were starting to hear about it, now, and asking about the kind of things on offer for their ageing and homebound community.
‘Anyway, back to the here and now. Before we totter in to enjoy ourselves next door, would anyone be prepared to come up to the front and tell me how they think the Afternoon Tea Club has changed their lives? I will be videoing this for my bosses – wave to the camera man in the corner over there – to prove how successful this whole process has been so far because, as a club, we are certainly going from strength to strength!’
At first no one said anything. Then Dora coughed and walked to the front to stand next to Eileen.
‘Yes, I think quite a few of us have been changed by this experience, haven’t we, guys?’ Dora said looking first at Marjorie and then at Raymond and then finding Stacy, in the crowd, standing next to her new boyfriend, John, and then waving them over. They had also been changed by it, so they walked to the front of the gathering and stood next to Dora.
‘I really didn’t know what to expect when I came along. I don’t think I came to the first meet. I was down here with my mother visiting my aunt when I spotted the flyer and came in for a nose. I had a life but didn’t really know who I was and certain circumstances were beyond my control so I was pretty much in free fall. The people around me, whom you see today, caught me before I fell even further,’ Dora said.
Marjorie took her lead from Dora. ‘Yes, life has been a trial for me too. Same as a lot of people I shouldn’t wonder because we all have our crosses to bear, don’t we, folks?’
There was head-nodding and murmurs in agreement.
‘So I’ve recently had to learn how to live by myself again and I will admit it has been difficult. I also know that I would not have succeeded in this transition if it wasn’t for the new friends around me who I met because of the Afternoon Tea Club. Another thing I’ve learned is that it doesn’t matter who you are or what age you are, you can still make friends. My two closest friends are different ages to me. The age gap between me and the lovely Stacy over there is fifty-six years and the age gap between me and my other friend, the wonderful birthday girl Dora, is thirty-two. I didn’t think that sort of thing could actually work out. But it has. At one time I thought age mattered when choosing friends. But it truly, truly doesn’t, folks.’
Raymond then nodded. ‘I agree completely with what these two ladies have said because I was becoming insular after my darling wife died. I couldn’t see any way forward. My son was a great help but then he had his own problems in life. But by meeting these people around us, I feel I have taken on a new lease of life. We go out for meals. They are supportive. They’re great fun.’
Stacy, standing next to Raymond, also nodded. ‘The best thing I’ve done in a long time was to put my fears of rejection aside and strike out, making the new friends I’ve made here. I had, literally, no one until I met them. They have helped me through my own very stressful and transitional period in my life. And so the Afternoon Tea Club must continue doing what it does best. It joins peo
ple together. And when people feel connected they also feel valued and when they feel valued, it gives them the confidence to reach out and accomplish anything they darn well want to do in life.’
Chapter 32
There was pink bunting, there were streamers; there were all sorts of different shaped and coloured balloons in a net above them. There were helium balloons with huge numbered fifties on them, the DJ was playing music from the 1960s – ‘Sugar, Sugar’ by The Archies was blaring out – and there were retro posters from advertisements of the day, fixed around the walls. The large buffet table was piled high with all kinds of fare from different eras, things like stuffed celery and cherry tomatoes, pigs in blankets, curried prawn vol-au-vents, chicken satay skewers, cold meats, a selection of cheeses, salmon mousse, salads, pineapple and cheese on cocktail sticks, bite-size sausage rolls, vegetarian as well as vegan canapés and little red flags on foodstuffs with peanuts and other allergens. Something for everyone, Dora had told the caterers. There was another table with all the drinks both soft and hard being served by the helpers, who usually only assisted with the afternoon tea sessions. Eileen had arranged that. And Dora’s mum and Philippa had supplied thirty bottles of Champagne – yes the actual stuff, Marjorie was delighted to discover as she’d never tried real Champagne before!
A beautifully decorated white and pink cake took prime position in the middle of the table, in the shape of the number fifty. The helpers were telling people that everybody was going to be cut a piece of the cake whether they went home early or not and if they did leave early to come and find the servers so they could give them their cake.
‘Oh but what a gorgeous spread!’ Raymond said, his eyes almost popping out of his head, as they all filed in from the smaller room in the community centre, after their meeting with Eileen and Taynor.
‘Ooh, it makes me hungry just looking at all that lot!’ said someone else.