by Annie Weir
Bless!
I ask Gaynor which park she means and she tells me about Hammond’s Pond at Upperby, off Blackwell Road. I have no idea where she means, but I show interest and chat for a while until it gets too cold for all of us.
As we part I ask whether Joanna is working today and she says no, and that she has gone down with the cold that’s going round.
‘I had it a few weeks ago,’ I say. ‘It knocked me out for a fortnight.’
She makes a face and says she hopes Joanna won’t be ill for that long as she has to work on Friday evening and all day Saturday. I say that I have to work on Saturday too but if it would help I could sit with Ricky on Friday evening. She hesitates, not wanting to appear to mistrust me but clearly not able to let Ricky go to a stranger.
‘That’s really kind of you, Judith. I know Joanna likes you a lot; she’s told me about Spanish class. But I couldn’t ask you to…’
‘To what, Gaynor? I’m not suggesting I take Ricky anywhere but if it would help I could come to Joanna’s house and sit with him until his bedtime; just so that she wouldn’t have to run around after him or entertain him.’
‘Would you really? I’d prepare his tea and get him into his pyjamas early. It would really be just babysitting from about five-thirty until nine-thirty, and he will go to bed at seven.’
‘It’s no problem, honestly. I’m not doing anything tomorrow night. I’m on the early shift at work so will be finished by three. Just tell me where to be and I’ll be there for five-thirty.’
‘Oh thank you, Judith. I’ll prepare you some dinner as well.’
Well, well, well, there’s a turn up for the books. The thought of babysitting fills me with dread but we can read books or something, or whatever one does with four-year-olds in the evening.
Friday 13th November 2009
I make sure that work is uneventful today so that I can get away on time. Maureen disappeared for about an hour during the morning and we think Mary Morris was having a chat with her about the two mistakes with money in the last month. Her eyes look bloodshot when she comes back in so I tactfully don’t look at her. That’s not difficult of course. There are no problems with banking or cash reconciliation today and there won’t be for a few more weeks then her carelessness may take a more sinister turn. I haven’t quite decided what to do yet so I concentrate on being the perfect cashier.
I get the No. 76 bus from the car park at Stanwix all the way to Cumrew Close. I follow Gaynor’s directions and turn down the narrow lane past a small play area into the next close. Joanna lives at No. 8, a fairly small terraced house with a crazy paving path leading to a new white UPVC door. As I approach the front door Gaynor opens it and ushers me in. Ricky runs up to say hello then runs up the stairs to tell his mum (or ‘mam’ as he calls her) that I have arrived. We were never allowed to call our mother ‘mam’.
‘Come back here, Ricky,’ Gaynor calls after him, ‘leave your mam to sleep.’
He peeps in on her to confirm that she is actually sleeping then bumps back down the stairs on his backside.
‘He’s had his tea,’ she tells me, ‘but he can have some pudding and a drink of milk between now and seven. That’s all though; Joanna is very strict about that.’
‘Fine with me,’ I agree pleasantly. Then to Ricky I say, ‘What books do you like to read Ricky? If you haven’t got any I can read you some of my book. I brought it with me.’ This sets him off giggling as usual. Really, it’s like feeding candy to a baby as the saying goes.
Gaynor is wearing her M&S uniform and seems happy that Ricky and I are getting along well. She gets ready to catch the next bus into town.
‘I’ll be back shortly after nine-thirty. I get a lift back so I don’t need to wait for the bus.’
‘OK,’ I say, ‘we’ll be fine. I used to babysit for my niece when she was small. Please don’t worry.’
As the evening goes on, Ricky plays me up a bit asking for sweets and more drinks but I stick to the rules. I wouldn’t like to be caught out on a technicality. There are plenty more mistakes that I am likely to make, but not following instructions isn’t one of them. We read books and play with his wooden train set then at seven I watch him clean his teeth, rather badly, then watch him sneak in to give Joanna a soft kiss goodnight so as not to wake her up. She is awake though, and gives him a weak hug.
‘Judith,’ she croaks, ‘thank you so much for this.’
‘No problem,’ I reply quietly, ‘but can I get you anything?’
‘No, I’m OK. I’ll go straight back to sleep now I know Ricky’s in bed.’ Her head sinks into her pillow.
‘I’m going to eat the meal your mum left me then read my book. She’ll be back in no time. See you Monday night.’
She nods and I shut the door quietly behind me.
‘Judith,’ whines a little voice, ‘please may I have a drink of water?’
‘No, Ricky, time to go to sleep.’
‘But I need one.’
‘If you still need one when Granny gets back you can ask her,’ I say firmly to imply that is the end of the conversation and go downstairs.
Gaynor has paid for a taxi to take me home and it arrives at the same time as her so we have little time for small talk. I assure her that everything is fine, she thanks me again, and I thank her for the taxi.
Monday 16th November 2009
Joanna doesn’t turn up at Spanish. I explain to Senor Rossi and he teaches us some Spanish words for common ailments. It is not as amusing as last week.
Saturday 21st November 2009
It’s a busy day in the cash office. They reckon that people are starting to stock up for Christmas already. We have had Christmas goods in for a few weeks so I suppose it must be true. I think about Christmas; mother in the nursing home now, sister not speaking to me, niece embarrassed by me. It’s going to be great. I was in two minds when Maureen discussed the Christmas rota. On the one hand, I feel like flying away somewhere hot like I did last year but on the other hand the other staff will want time off with their children and I can command favours later as payback. I can earn some extra money doing overtime too, and am less likely to spend it if I’m cooped up in here all day and every day.
‘Are you listening, Judith?’
I realise that Maureen is looking at me and has probably just asked me whether I have finished balancing my cash, or asked what time I want to go for lunch, or one more of her daily questions.
‘Yes,’ I say vaguely, ‘all done.’
‘What?’
‘Yes, I’ve balanced. Isn’t that what you said?’
‘No, it isn’t! You weren’t listening to a word.’
‘I didn’t hear you. Say again.’
‘Didn’t hear me? There’s only us here.’
‘I was miles away. Anyway, I’m listening now.’ I turn and make deliberate eye contact, and hold it for longer than is necessary or polite. She looks flustered, as though she has to brace herself to start it all again.
‘I see you’ve been to the pictures with Ken three times this month.’
I continue to stare at her but I am rather impressed; she has taken me completely by surprise.
‘Pardon?’ I say just to buy a few more seconds of thinking time.
‘You heard. What’s going on?’
‘Yes, I heard, but I meant ‘I beg your pardon’ as in ‘what has it got to do with you’?’
‘It is to do with me, Judith, because it is frowned upon.’
‘What is?’
‘Going out with management.’
Wow, that’s twice in the space of five minutes that she has taken me by surprise. I really am slipping.
‘Frowned upon?’ I sound incredulous. ‘It’s not the Middle Ages, Maureen, or the Industrial Revolution. In fact, it’s the twenty-first century. Who frowns on
it? You?’
‘No, management frowns on it.’
‘Oh, management frowns on management fraternising with the mere mortals. That makes sense.’ I reach for the policies manual that gathers dust on the shelf above Maureen’s desk. ‘Has Ken asked you to speak to me about it?’
‘No, of course not.’
‘Oh, has Mary Morris asked you to speak to me about it?’
‘No, she hasn’t. Stop this, Judith, you know exactly what I’m saying.’
‘Yes, I rather think I do know what you’re saying, actually!’ I start flicking through the pages of the weighty file.
‘What are you doing?’
‘I’m looking for where it says that in the policies manual. In fact, perhaps you would find it for me? I really wouldn’t know which section to look in.’
‘Of course it’s not in the policies manual. Really Judith, I think you try to be difficult sometimes.’
Sometimes? ‘Do you really think that, Maureen?’ I turn on the eye contact treatment again but this time with a softer tone to my voice.
‘No, of course not. Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that, and I know you’ve had a difficult time over the last year or two.’
God, Witch-woman, you don’t know the half of it! I look away to indicate that I may be feeling a little upset and luckily the buzzer goes and we see Sal on our CCTV monitor waiting to be let in.
Monday 23rd November 2009
Joanna returns to the fold that is the Spanish class tonight with a box of chocolates for me. It’s a thank you present for babysitting and is a nice thought. She isn’t to know that I don’t much care for chocolates, but it gives me an excuse to appear nice so I share them with the whole group
‘You must come for dinner one night, Judith, so that you can be a proper guest in my house instead of the babysitter.’
‘Thank you, Joanna. I’d like that,’ I say as we walk away from Trinity School to our respective homes.
‘We’ll arrange it really soon. Oh no, look at the time! I’ll have to run or I’ll miss the bus. Bye.’ And with that, she literally runs all the way up the road towards the bust stop. God, the energy, I think as I turn towards the underpass and start the long ascent up the hill, over the bridge and into the estate that I call home.
Wednesday 25th November 2009
Ken and I go to see Lesbian Vampire Killers, which he tells me is supposed to be hilarious. I think it’s pathetic but don’t say so. I didn’t really want to go out at all tonight as he is getting a bit too friendly, wanting to hold my hand and put his arm round me in the cinema. I thought he was going to try to kiss me last week but he didn’t, thank God. The trouble is I need to keep this going for a while if I am going to irritate Maureen for a bit longer. I really need her to dislike me a bit more and put the other staff in a difficult position regarding loyalties. That’s the trouble with you, Judith, you don’t know when to stop with your stupid pranks! My mother’s voice again, but I’m on a roll and I can’t stop quite yet. I don’t mean any real harm; I really don’t. Anita and Sal quite like me now and have told Maureen that they don’t know what her problem is with me. Ken told me that. He overheard them in the canteen. Careless talk, Maureen, is something you will never accuse me of. I pretended to be a bit upset at that and say I don’t know why she doesn’t like me. I don’t tell him about her little chat with me. If he finds out I can pretend I was too embarrassed by it to tell him.
Chapter 6
Hexham, November 2008
Monday 3rd November 2008
Judith knew that she should have spent the weekend preparing to interview for Kate’s replacement but she couldn’t regret having spent the time driving around in her shiny new red sports car. She had driven across to Newcastle and then up to the Northumberland coast. It wasn’t warm enough to have the top down, but still exhilarating. Now normal life kicked in as she re-read the CVs of the three people she had decided to interview. The interviews weren’t until the next morning but she needed to have a good tidy up so they knew the standard expected and then she pursued the idea of having an in-tray sort of exercise for them to do with the mountain of filing that grew bigger every day. She left the telephone on voicemail so that she wouldn’t need to answer it. As she unlocked the door at nine o’clock the postman came in with the usual bundle of mail.
‘Morning. Someone waiting to see you,’ and he stood aside to let in what could only be described as a little old lady. She looked vaguely familiar, and Judith racked her brain to remember who it was.
‘Good morning, Mrs…’ she started, hoping that the woman would identify herself. Instead she looked around then sat down in the chair used by clients waiting to see Judith. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘I am waiting for an answer, Miss Dillon,’ she replied.
‘I’m sorry, but what is your question, Mrs…’
‘Henson. Audrey Henson. I wrote to you asking about the progress with my accounts but I haven’t had a reply.’
‘Audrey Henson.’ Judith sat down at Kate’s desk and tapped the name into the computer database; sure enough there was an Audrey Henson. The last entry that Kate had made was at the beginning of September to say that she had collated the papers and passed them to her. Why couldn’t she remember?
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘but my administrator left three weeks ago and things are a little behind.’
‘I brought my books in well over a month ago,’ she said as she consulted her diary, ‘on the 25th of August. Are you saying that you haven’t looked at them at all?’
‘What is your line of business, Mrs. Henson?’ Judith asked thinking that the old woman was just one more nutcase in her life at the moment. Her mother had lost the plot completely, her sister was rapidly going the same way, Henry Lloyd lived in his own world most of the time, and now this one was sitting in her reception area and looked set for the day.
‘It is a family business based just outside the town on Corbridge Road, Henson Electrical. My son runs it now, of course, I just see to the book-keeping. I was assured by Kate that you were still quick and efficient.’
‘I am, Mrs. Henson, but I have had a lot going on lately with family and with the business.’
‘I know all about your mother, of course, but it shouldn’t affect your work. We have had family tragedy too but we haven’t let it get in the way of customer service.’
God, everyone knows my business, thought Judith. ‘Yes, you are quite right. I will apply myself to it today and call you back by the end of the week.’
She stood up as tall as her five foot frame would allow. ‘Make sure you do,’ she ordered, and left.
Judith did not have any recollection at all of seeing the Henson Electrical file so she left the tidying and went to look for it in her office. She thought it was probably amongst the filing, and if so, it could take all day to find. She sighed heavily to herself and decided that an organised and concerted effort was needed. She locked the door, made a cup of strong coffee and started to systematically go through every piece of paper in the office and put it in a pile of urgent, not urgent and wait to be filed by the new person.
At lunch time Judith felt the need to go out and speak to another human being, even if it was just the woman who makes up the sandwiches in the shop across the road. She picked up the phone and dialled Chloe’s shop. It had been two weeks since she had been there.
‘Hello Chloe, Judith. I’m popping out for a sandwich. Would you like one? I’ll bring it round.’
‘Er, no thanks. I brought mine with me today.’
‘OK. Shall I bring mine round and we can eat together?’
‘Well, I might be busy. It gets busy at lunch times now.’
‘If you’re busy I’ll just sit in your office or admire the paintings. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.’
&nbs
p; Chloe put the phone down and immediately picked it up again. She dialled a number.
‘Louise, it’s me. She’s coming round for lunch again. Are you in town?’
‘No, sorry. Tell her you’re busy.’
‘I did but she’s still coming round.’
‘You said you liked her.’
‘I do, but…’
‘I think she’s OK if you keep on the right side. She seems to like you, so sell her something and make the most of it.’
‘Ha ha very funny. Oh, customer, got to go.’
‘Seriously, just keep her at arm’s length, be professional and you’ll be fine. Call me later when she’s gone.’
Phoenix Antiques was quite busy and Chloe popped in and out of the office as she served her customers. She always said that Louise was the retailer but she could charm people too. She flitted like a little butterfly, never quite still but always attentive and listening for the buying signals. Judith looked around and noted the tidiness as always, and that everything on view was antique except for office equipment. She wondered whether she could slide open one of the drawers in the Victorian oak desk but decided that neat little Chloe would notice anything out of place. She jumped as the phone rang. Chloe was busy so it went to voicemail.
‘Hi Chloe. Only me. Can you pick me up on your way to the theatre on Friday? About six? We can go to The Kings for a drink first. Cheers.’
As the afternoon wore on, Judith found Audrey Henson’s file and set her mind to preparing the accounts for tax purposes. She reflected that the day had been rather good after the unpromising start. She heard someone try the door and decided to leave it locked. She could get so much more done when she didn’t have to answer the phone or deal with people wondering in off the street. Perhaps tomorrow she would find the perfect administrator who would take that burden back off her. She completed Henson Electrical’s file and cast it on the pile for action by someone else and spent half an hour deciding on questions to ask at the interviews and deciding how she could get these people to do some of the filing while they were here.