‘He’s got something to hide, that one. Trust me.’
Benny shot her a look that said, ‘Don’t believe her’ and she muffled a laugh. This man was growing on her by the second! And despite her dislike of Mr Russell, even she knew herself what her Nan was like: anyone who refused an offer of baked goods had something to hide in Nessa’s book.
‘Look, it’s almost half past the hour!’ Benny exclaimed and lifted himself from his position on the sofa. ‘I really must dash. I’ve stayed here much too long.’ He turned to Heather to give her a mischievous look. ‘It’s all your fault, luring me in here when I had a job to do! I say, she takes after you splendidly, Nessy. You’re both a bad influence!’ He chuckled and gave Heather a nip on the arm as he passed.
She turned to her Nana who smiled warmly back at her.
‘Now, young lady. If you did want to go to that car boot tomorrow, I’ll come and fetch you myself. We can’t have you missing it two days in a row, can we?’
‘Benny, that’s very kind. If you don’t mind going out of your way again? I know you have other customers waiting.’
‘Nonsense. No one rides that thing anymore.’
‘Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
Benny smiled before he jumped to attention yet again and declared, ‘But really, I must go now. So many people ride the bus these days, I must have tens of people waiting for me right now!!’
Chapter Seven
Heather stood at the gate of the field and breathed in a good lungful of fresh air. It was Sunday morning, a brilliant day for a car boot sale and she had brought along with her plenty of old tote bags, ready for all of the treasures she intended on finding.
Since arriving in Meadowbrook, she hadn’t started any of her work and it was pressing on her mind that she shouldn’t rely on her Nan’s gratuity for too long. She had minimal savings and needed to be able to support herself while she was away from her London studio.
She had a routine for places like this. She always found that if she searched too hard for one particular thing she’d never find it and got so stressed in the process, so it was better to find a place of zen from where she could view every item without pre-expectation. For some, an old wooden children’s toy in desperate need of repair was just that, but to her it was a number of things: fit for a children’s mobile, an embellishment on a wall planner, something to be repurposed as a book stop…
The early start was also a great way for her to clear her head and access her creative side. She’d always had a flair for the dramatic, ever since she was a child, and today was no exception. She had worn her favourite pistachio pea coat and underneath, a green sixties dress complete with Peter Pan collar. She’d tried to take care drawing on big flicks with her eyeliner but had had to rush as she knew Benny could arrive at any moment. She was sure that they were uneven but it was too late now. And she was only in small town Wales. Nobody would even notice.
With a spring in her step, she began to make her way to the row of cars where she could already see people beginning to put out their wares for sale. It was going to be a good day; she could see the sun starting to peak out from behind the clouds, which reflected off the hoods of the cars nearest to her. The grass below her feet was wet with dew and she liked the way the flecks of liquid danced on her patent black boots as she walked through the long grass.
Already, she could see in the distance one of the cars had a marionette dress hanger and she simply had to look at it, but as she began to stride towards it she was stopped by the sound of someone calling her name.
Who could that be? No one here knew her. Unless it was Benny. Had she left something on the bus?
‘Heatherrrr,’ the voice continued. She spun around to see who it was.
Little Ruby stood there before her in a prim red pullover, a huge hot dog bun nearly the size of her face in one hand and a dribble of what she presumed was ketchup on her cheek.
‘It’s Heather!’ she exclaimed with a smile on her face.
‘Yes, it’s me. And how are you today, Ruby?’ she greeted her warmly. ‘And is your gran around?’ she looked around the area around her for Gwen but couldn’t see her.
‘No, she’s working silly.’ Ruby giggled.
‘That makes a lot of sense. She’ll be in the café, I take it. So, you’re here with your mum?’
Ruby nodded. ‘She bought me a hot dog. See?’ She held out the half eaten bun so Heather could take a look. Ruby had eaten most of the sausage from inside so it was mainly bread, covered in the ketchup that remained.
‘Mmm! That does look nice. And where night Mum be?’ She didn’t want to pry but her maternal instinct was kicking in. Ruby really wasn’t of an age to be on her own, but she supposed it was a very small community. No doubt everyone knew who she was.
But just as she was beginning to fret, she saw a slightly harried looking woman making her way towards them. She was talking speedily into her mobile phone and gesticulating with her free hand. She didn’t look happy.
As she neared where Heather stood, she gave her a rude look and said into her phone, ‘I’ll have to call you back.’ Then turning to Heather, she said, ‘What do you think you’re doing?’
‘I’m sorry, what?’ Heather asked. What a rude woman!
‘What are you doing with my daughter?’ The woman looked angry and she quickly pulled Ruby around to her side in an unprecise movement. Ruby let out a little sqwark in protest, but her mother didn’t see – or even care.
‘Mommy, this is—’
But she cut her off. ‘I could have you arrested, you know. You can’t just go up to any child, like that. A stranger. What were you thinking?’
‘Excuse me!’ Heather burst out, annoyed that this woman and her opinions were ruining her good mood. ‘First of all, who are you to leave your daughter unattended in such a busy place like this? You’re simply asking for something to happen.’
‘All the same, you must learn that you can’t just go up to—’
‘And secondly –’ Heather decided to interrupt her, just as she had been so rudely interrupted first ‘– I am not a stranger. If you’d have said hello like any normal human being, I would have told you that I’ve already met Ruby before, as well as Gwen, who I’m guessing is your mother.’
‘Mommy, this is Heather. Heather drew me a picture.’ Ruby smiled sweetly up at her mother.
‘Oh,’ the woman faltered.
‘I was worrying where you were, to be honest,’ Heather continued. ‘I thought it wasn’t right for Ruby to be here all on her own and I was looking to see if I could see who she was with.’
The mobile in the woman’s hand started to trill and she gave an exasperated sigh. Not answering it, she gave Heather a withering look and said, ‘I’m so sorry. This ... this thing –’ at this she gestured at her phone ‘– has been going off all day – work calls, you know – and I’m so fed up of it! I’m supposed to be out spending a nice day with my daughter and the office just won’t leave me alone. I didn’t mean to take it out on you. And I shouldn’t have left her on her own. But you’re still a stranger to me. I don’t know you and Ruby will talk to anyone she pleases...’
‘It’s quite alright,’ Heather said, though she was still annoyed at the sheer rudeness of the woman. She knew plenty of people like this from London. People who always had their head in their phones and didn’t pay attention to what was going on in the world around them, didn’t prioritise anyone – not friends, family, partners – over whatever it was that was holding their attention on that little screen
And almost as if on cue, the phone began to ring again. The woman gave a small shriek in response.
‘Not again!’ She pressed a few buttons and then flapped about trying to push away some stray hair that had been dangling in her face that had stuck to her forehead by the beads of perspiration that sat there. But in her rushing, she didn’t realise she’d got ketchup from Ruby’s hot dog smeared on her cheek. ‘Now, if you don’t mind, I have a
very busy day and Ruby wants to—’
‘You’ve got a little bit of something...’ Heather started. ‘Just a bit of ketchup here.’ She gestured to the spot on her own face where the glob lay.
‘What?’ And so proceeded what looked like a mirror image battle where the woman tried and failed to understand what Heather was trying to tell her.
‘Oh, just come here.’ Heather produced from her pocket her freshly laundered hankie – hand-embroidered with her initials – and dabbed it on the woman’s cheek. The woman was so taken aback she simply let Heather grab her face and as soon as she pulled away, seeing the mark on the soft linen, she sighed in realisation.
It was as if she immediately softened, as if Heather had activated some reset button. The woman’s shoulders suddenly dropped back from where they’d been hunched and her arms visibly relaxed from where she’d been holding them so rigidly.
‘Gosh, thank you,’ she said and gave a meek smile. ‘Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot. My name’s Claire.’ She held out her free hand.
Heather reached out and shook it, replying with her own name.
‘And, how did you say you knew my mum?’
‘Oh, well I don’t really. I met her in her cafe yesterday. But she knows my Nana very well apparently. Nessa. She’s one of her oldest customers. In age and how long she’s been going there!’
Claire laughed and Heather was pleased that she enjoyed her joke. But then she realised that she hadn’t even heard it and was laughing at something else.
‘Of course! You’re the Heather. My mum’s told me about you and about how you and Ruby got on so well, with your drawing of her bunny. I should have realised sooner. Seriously, we have very few people our age in town these days. And especially people who don’t have your taste in clothes...’
Heather made a modest shrug, not really knowing how to take the compliment. She never did. Where many women her age enjoyed flaunting their clothes on social media and boasting about where they got it from, Heather only really enjoyed her fashion for herself. She’d never got used to people saying nice things about it.
‘Let me make it up to you,’ Claire was now saying. ‘Can I buy you a cup of tea?’
‘I’ve only just got here,’ Heather said. ‘I was eager to have a look around. But maybe a cup of tea some other time?’
‘That would be lovely.’
‘Mommy!’ Ruby interrupted, pulling on her mum’s coat for attention. Heather thought it best not to mention the further ketchup stains that she knew would probably have been left there.
‘Yes, pumpkin?’
‘I really like Heather.’
They both laughed at her cuteness.
‘Can we show her my bike?’
‘Heather’s just said she wants to look around the stalls, Ruby. It’s not a good time.’
‘But I want her to see it!’ she said forcefully.
‘I can look at your bike,’ Heather said, chipping in. And then to Claire. ‘It’s really nothing. If she wants me to see it. Is it by your car?’ She looked behind her, wondering where the car park must be.
Claire sighed. ‘It’s not her bike at all. She’s seen one on one of the stands and has got it in her head that it’s hers now.’ She ruffled Ruby’s hair a little. ‘And what did I say? I said that maybe she can have one for Christmas if she waits very patiently! Isn’t that right?’
‘Yes, Mum,’ Ruby said quietly.
‘But you can still show it to me, can’t you, Ruby?’ Heather said and Ruby’s face immediately perked up again. ‘Is it down this row?’ She gestured down the row of cars right next to them.
Ruby nodded and kicked her boot shyly in the mud.
‘Well, what do you know, I was heading down there anyway! Why don’t we go now?’
As Ruby skipped off down the grassy pathway made from the way the cars had parked, Claire turn to her and mouthed a silent, ‘thank you’.
Chapter Eight
Ruby dragged her down the row between the cars, her little clammy hand grasping on to hers surprisingly tightly. She enjoyed the feeling of assertiveness the little girl provoked in her. She’d been so set on making decisions for herself, planning on how her new life with her Nan – or at least her new life for the time being – would work. How would she make money? Could her side hustle become her main hustle? And was her friend in London, Melissa, able to help her out as much as she promised she could?
But this was nice. For once, she could shut off all of that internal worrying and bury it in the back of her mind. Her only thought was to humour the whimsy of a little girl who was intent on getting the bike she wanted.
With the stand in sight, Ruby began to pick up the pace and let go of Heather’s hand so she could take the last stretch at a run. Her little legs were so cute in their pink wellies and white socks which went up her podgy knees. Heather made a note to check whether she could pull it off just as well when she got back. She had the perfect pair of knee-highs which might work.
‘Do you see it? Do you see it?’ From where she stood at one of the heavy fold-up tables, Ruby was hopping up and down with excitement. ‘Over there!’
‘Ah, you must be Heather.’ A man with a warm face greeted her kindly. How did everyone here know who she was? Did she stick out that much?
‘Hi there,’ she said, putting on a similar warm face, knowing how important it was to be the bright, sunny granddaughter of Nessa’s that everyone expected. ‘Guilty as charged.’
‘I knew it was you from the pictures Nelly has on her wall. Though the hair is much different to what I expected.’
What? Heather racked her mind to what he could have been talking about and then realisation struck. Of course, her graduation picture was on the staircase. She’d dyed her hair a brilliant red colour shortly before and by the time the big day came, it had faded out to such an extent it looked a lot more pink. She’d had to endure people thinking she was much cooler than she was, an alternative rock chick type of girl who always had a crazy hair colour or piercing going on. When in actual fact she was just Heather. A simple girl with a penchant for the old ways.
She fingered one of the locks of hair that fell round her face. ‘Yep, much more traditional now. I think I nearly gave my nan a heart attack when I showed up back then.’
‘I wouldn’t blame her. You kids nowadays are always doing something crazy.’ He turned down to where Ruby stood next to him, waiting as patiently as she could, but Heather could still see the eagerness showing through the little taps of her feet as she shifted around. ‘And what about you, little Ruby? What crazy things have you been up to since I last saw you, what, fifteen minutes ago? You haven’t gone and got yourself a tattoo have you? Or … a piercing?’
Ruby giggled and shook her head.
‘No? What else? Let’s see. Have you had a little rave down at the burger van?’
‘Mommy bought me a hot dog!’ she said proudly.
‘Well, now that is a lot more achievable compared to what you wanted before.’ He laughed and turned back to Heather. ‘Little Ruby has her eye set on one of the bikes over there. Gave her mum a right good pitch, she did. What a saleswoman!’
‘That’s actually why we’re here. I wanted to see it for myself.’
She looked over to where the man was gesturing and saw a whole host of children’s bikes leaned up against a railing behind the car. They were clearly second-hand and had seen some wear – or love, as Heather thought of it – but they had been cleaned and polished enough that they glinted. And it wasn’t even the sun shining on them, Heather noted, looking up at the sky. The morning sun she’d been enjoying not so long ago had gone behind a cloud and there was an ominous grey patch further along the skyline.
The bikes were in all shapes and sizes, but immediately Heather knew exactly the one Ruby wanted. She could tell because it called out to her as well. It was small and had a turquoise frame. Somebody had wrapped plastic flowers around the handlebars and very limp silver pom poms had be
en pushed inside the ends. She’d seen other children have these on their bikes and the result was a lovely glittery whoosh effect when the bike was in motion, catching the wind in just the right way. For a child, it must be the very best, that feeling that you’re magical.
‘It must be the yellow one, right, Ruby?’ she said, with a cheeky smile.
Ruby shook her head earnestly.
‘The big white one? I don’t think you could fit on it but it’s a good investment.’
‘Indeed,’ the man said, catching on to her game. ‘It’d last you a long time, that one would.’
‘Nooooo,’ she shouted and ran over to the one she wanted.
Her face lit up and Heather smiled as she pulled the bike away from the railing and climbed on.
‘Now, be careful, young lady.’ Claire’s worried face appeared and Heather could see that her phone call had not gone well. Her face was flushed and she was now holding a folder and a notepad, in addition to the bags she had had earlier.
‘What do you think of the bike, Hevver?’ Ruby said, mispronouncing her name in the most adorable way possible.
‘I think it’s beautiful,’ she said, and meant it. ‘If only I had one adult size for me.’ She laughed, knowing that that wouldn’t be a great idea. She was notoriously bad with anything with wheels.
‘Now, if you really are looking for something I know Taylor has some bigger bikes over on his stall,’ the man said kindly.
‘Oh, it’s nothing. I could never pull it off as well as Ruby here. Plus, I really am awful with bikes. We rented Boris bikes in London once, you know, the ones you find parked up in the street? Well, Michael and I had the biggest argument that day because I was so slow. I wouldn’t let him take me on any right hand turns, so we spent most of the day moving in increasingly large circles, just to get to where we needed to be!’ She laughed at the memory.
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