Little Woodford

by Catherine Jones

  ‘Because I enjoyed it. Because there was no feeling like it when I won.’

  ‘But if you won, how come we’re broke?’

  ‘I lost more than I won. Way more.’ Nigel didn’t look her in the eye as he said that.

  ‘How much have you lost?’ Olivia whispered, not sure she wanted to know.

  ‘I can’t give you an exact figure.’

  ‘Hell’s teeth, Nigel, how much?’ Olivia took a deep breath. ‘Ballpark figure.’

  ‘Half a million – give or take.’

  If Olivia hadn’t been sitting down she’d have fallen down. ‘Half a million,’ she gasped.

  Nigel nodded.

  ‘But why... how?’

  ‘I just couldn’t stop myself.’

  ‘You couldn’t stop yourself?!’ Olivia’s initial shock was giving way to anger. ‘You couldn’t stop yourself?’ she shouted. ‘Didn’t you think of your family – of me? The children?’

  Nigel nodded miserably. ‘But I kept thinking that one really big win would put it all right.’

  ‘And that obviously worked as a plan,’ she sneered.

  ‘I’m sorry, Oli.’

  ‘Don’t! Don’t call me Oli. I loathe it.’

  Nigel looked shocked. ‘Sorry,’ he mumbled.

  ‘For what? Not using my proper name or ruining everything?’

  ‘Oli... Olivia, please...’

  Olivia stood up and paced over to the window. She couldn’t bear to look at Nigel any more and she had to put some distance between them or she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to retain control. Without turning round she said, ‘So how bad is it?’

  ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘I mean,’ she turned and faced him, ‘where do we stand? I’m assuming our savings have gone.’ Nigel nodded in confirmation. ‘Investments?’ Another nod. ‘What about the house?’

  Nigel stared at her.

  ‘The house is safe?’

  He shook his head. ‘We’re going to have to sell. It’s the only way I can pay off the debts.’

  Olivia took in the bleak news. ‘Sell? But can’t we remortgage, or something?’

  Nigel shook his head. ‘Not with my credit record. That’s why I went to look at those new houses. Living somewhere like that – somewhere much, much cheaper than here – is our only option. And we can’t afford to get caught up in a chain; we’ve got to sell and sell fast. My creditors... my creditors are getting nasty. If I don’t pay them soon it’ll be the bailiffs or bankruptcy.’

  Bankruptcy? They were threatened by bankruptcy. Them? Olivia felt sick at the prospect. She got up and walked out of the front door, slamming it hard behind her.

  *

  Brian got off his knees and looked about him. It was, as he was already very well aware, a beautiful church. The people who’d built it had had much more to contend with – plague, pestilence, famine and Lord alone knew what else – and they’d trusted in God and got on with it, created this wonderful place of worship when they could expect either themselves or their families to get struck down at any time. Some had laboured with no prospect of seeing it completed, some had probably died working on it, but they’d done it for the community, for future generations. Compared to his predecessors in this ancient town he had it easy. OK, so his life wasn’t exactly cushy, but it wasn’t bad. He was healthy, he had a wonderful wife, he had a roof over his head, he had enough food on the table, he had heat and light at the flick of a switch... He needed to get a grip and count his blessings.

  Brian squared his shoulders. He could do this. He would do this. He was going to muddle through somehow because he had a duty to every one of his congregation.

  Duty.

  That was the key. It was his duty. He’d had a calling, he’d answered it, and now he had to see it through. End of. And, as he thought that, as he accepted his lot, he could almost feel the weight lifting.

  *

  Megan drifted downstairs and found the kitchen empty apart from the breakfast detritus left by two small boys. She picked up the empty cereal plates, mugs and used cutlery and put them in the dishwasher, then mopped down the table. Order restored after a fashion, she opened the fridge and contemplated what she could have. Orange juice for a start, she thought as she took out the carton. She’d poured herself a glass and was about to put the carton back in the fridge when the back door opened and in came Bex with an empty laundry basket.

  ‘It’s such a lovely morning I thought I’d get the washing out early because the forecast says it won’t last. Sleep well?’

  Megan nodded. ‘You should have woken me up; it’s late.’

  ‘It’s only nine. Besides, I think, after yesterday, a good night’s sleep was exactly what the doctor ordered. And you feel all right – not sick or anything?’

  ‘No, I’m fine. Why?’

  ‘Alfie was sick yesterday evening.’

  ‘Poor kid.’

  ‘He’s as right as rain now, though. I just thought you ought to know – in case you feel a bit off colour.’

  ‘Is Lewis OK too?’

  ‘Fine.’

  ‘Maybe it was something he ate.’

  ‘Got to hope. The last thing I want is for us all to go down with some sort of sick bug.’

  Megan shuddered.

  ‘And what are your plans for today?’ said Bex, putting the laundry basket on the table.

  ‘I thought I’d get the bus to Cattebury.’

  ‘On your own?’

  Megan shrugged. ‘It’s only the next town. I won’t talk to strange men or anything. There’s a couple of things I’d like to do.’

  ‘Such as?’

  ‘This and that – a bit of shopping.’ The last thing Megan wanted to do was to go into detail, tell Bex she was getting money to lend to Zac.

  ‘Oh, yes?’

  ‘There’s a top in Next that I saw online.’ She hoped to God there was a Next in Cattebury. She’d checked out there was a branch of the building society but nothing else.

  ‘Will you be home for lunch?’

  Megan nodded.

  ‘Right,’ said Bex. ‘This isn’t getting the rest of the laundry done – having to do a full set of bedding on top of everything else is going to stretch the resources a bit today. Let’s hope I can get it washed and dried before the rain sets in.’ She went back upstairs leaving Megan fingering her bank book in her jean’s pocket.

  Why, she wondered, was she doing this? She wasn’t sure she even liked Zac, but she felt sorry for him. He was in a bad place and she knew what that was like. She knew how much it meant to feel you had a friend – moreover, she knew how awful it felt if you didn’t.

  Taking her orange juice with her she returned to her room and picked her phone off her bedside table.

  going 2 town 2 get the money she texted Zac. where shall i meet u when i get back

  She was cleaning her teeth when her phone jangled.

  I’ll get the bus with u

  Did he want to make sure she actually got the money? OK

  meet me at the stop by the primary school 10.30

  OK. She glanced at the time on her phone – plenty of time. Now... what to wear? Bex said it was going to rain later so maybe jeans? And did she put on make-up? She wasn’t sure if she wanted Zac to be attracted to her or not. His arrogance was unsettling. On the other hand he was very good-looking. She began to rummage through her wardrobe.

  30

  Olivia stormed down the hill and along the main street, then took the side turn that led to the nature reserve. She wanted peace and quiet and space to think.

  How could he? How could he have done that to the family? Why hadn’t she spotted the signs? How could she have been so stupid? The questions, without answers, rolled round and round in her brain and with each circuit she felt more despairing. She walked deep into the reserve, unaware of her surroundings, stamping along the footpaths, not caring where she went, fighting back tears of anger, disappointment and fear until she arrived at a bench by the stream.
She sat on it and stared blindly at the sparkling water.

  Dear God, how she hated her husband right now. How could he? The waste, the deception, the betrayal, the lies... And she didn’t even feel she could talk to anyone about it because the shame and humiliation were almost too much to bear. And the signs had been there; his worries about what she spent, his bad temper, the complete lack of holidays – presumably because there was no money to be able to afford them... How had she missed all of that? Because, she thought, she wouldn’t have dreamed, not even in her worst nightmares, that her husband was squandering everything they possessed on a stupid addiction. Mid-life crisis was what she’d thought, maybe a mid-life crisis which had involved another woman. Well, it was a crisis all right, and looking at the situation now, had he been having an affair it might have been easier to cope with.

  She contemplated leaving him. It would serve him right if she walked out on him. But then a cold sliver of logic thrust its way through the heat of her anger. Where would she go? What would she live on? Realistically she knew she would be so much worse off if she moved out. Sure, if she divorced him she might be entitled to half of everything – the harsh truth was, there was nothing for her to have half of. Olivia stood up and walked along the path, back through the avenue of chestnuts to the main street and then turned to head towards Beeching Rise. Dear God, Beeching Rise – her idea of hell on earth. But, if Nigel was right and the estate was the only place in Little Woodford they could realistically afford and which would allow them to buy without getting involved in a chain she needed to have another look. She supposed she could tell people that they were downsizing for environmental reasons – a smaller place to heat and light... but what if the truth came out. Jeez, the shame would be ghastly. Her, Olivia Laithwaite, one step away from penury.

  No, the stark truth was, ridiculous or not, one of those tacky houses was going to be the future family home. And, much as she might have wanted to wait for the development at Coombe Farm to be built, even that luxury was going to be denied her.

  *

  Zac showered and dressed and ran down the stairs to find his father sitting on the sofa with his head in his hands.

  ‘You all right?’ he asked, although he didn’t really care.

  ‘Yeah,’ came the reply.

  ‘Mum about?’

  ‘She’s gone out.’

  ‘Tell her I’m getting the bus to Cattebury. I may not be back for lunch.’

  ‘Sure.’

  Zac let himself out of the front door and crunched over the gravel to the main road. On the other side he saw Megan standing at the bus stop. He waved at her before he checked for traffic and ran across.

  ‘Got the bank book?’ he asked.

  ‘“Hello, Megan, nice to see you. Thank you for giving up your Saturday morning to sort out my finances.”’

  ‘Yeah, of course. Hi, Megan.’

  Megan shook her head. ‘I don’t know why I’m doing this.’

  ‘Because you like me?’ Zac bestowed a goofy grin on her.

  Megan couldn’t help herself from smiling back. ‘Sometimes,’ she conceded. ‘By the way, what’s with your mum? I saw her walking past our house and she looked well upset.’

  Zac shrugged. ‘Mum, upset? No idea. I haven’t seen her this morning.’ He thought for a second. ‘Mind you, I saw Dad before I left – he looked pretty miserable. Maybe they’ve had a row.’

  ‘Do they row much?’

  ‘I dunno. I mean they do sometimes – don’t all parents?’

  ‘Mine didn’t. Well, Bex and Dad didn’t. I don’t know about Dad and my real mum.’

  The sound of a diesel engine grinding up the hill halted their conversation.

  ‘I’ll get the fare,’ said Zac. The bus hissed to a halt beside them and the door swished open. He offered the driver a twenty pound note.

  ‘I thought you were broke,’ said Megan.

  ‘I am,’ said Zac. ‘Mum gave me the money.’ Which was kind of true, he told himself. He led the way to the back of the bus. ‘I do appreciate this,’ he told Megan.

  She stared at him. ‘’S all right. Don’t mind helping someone out. Just as long as I get the cash back.’

  ‘I promised, didn’t I?’

  ‘Yeah, but you’re borrowing off me to pay back someone else you’ve borrowed off. Just saying.’

  ‘Don’t you trust me?’

  The beat before Megan answered ‘yes’, told the real truth.

  Zac turned away from her and looked out the window. He was tempted to snipe at her but even he knew that would be unwise. After a bit his annoyance waned and he had to acknowledge that her lack of trust wasn’t entirely unreasonable, given that he hadn’t been straight with her about who he owed and what for.

  ‘Sorry,’ he said.

  ‘What for?’

  ‘Being an arse.’

  ‘Yeah, well, you were.’

  There was silence for a couple of stops as the bus bounced along the winding road.

  ‘So, who’ve you borrowed off?’

  ‘No one.’

  Megan eyeballed Zac. ‘Don’t give me that.’

  ‘You don’t want to know.’

  ‘I think I do. And if you want the money you’d better tell me.’

  There was a pause of several seconds. ‘I smoke the odd joint. I owe my dealer.’

  ‘Bloody hell, Zac. How much?’

  ‘Forty. I wouldn’t ask to get bailed out but he’s been getting nasty.’

  ‘You do drugs? You’re a twat.’

  ‘I know. I’m going to try and stop.’

  ‘If I’m going to lend you money you’ve got to do more than try.’

  ‘You don’t understand, it’s not that easy.’

  Megan stared at him then she shook her head. ‘You know, maybe I shouldn’t lend you the dosh.’

  Zac went white. ‘Please, Megan, please. He’s got a knife.’

  ‘For fuck’s sake, Zac.’

  ‘Please.’ It was almost a whimper.

  ‘OK, but only this once. Never again. And you have to promise to sort yourself out.’ She gave him another stare. ‘Promise. I mean it.’

  Zac nodded as the bus bounced over a speed bump as it ground its way through the suburbs of Cattebury. ‘Almost there,’ he said, keen to change the subject.

  Megan pulled out her bank book. ‘I hope you know where the building society is.’

  ‘Yeah. Stick with me. And I’ll stand you a coffee after if you like.’

  ‘Lucky me.’

  *

  Olivia made her way into the sales office and collected another brochure. She’d chucked the previous one away after that unfortunate incident at the book club.

  ‘Hello,’ said the receptionist cheerily. ‘Back for another look?’

  ‘Well... er...’

  ‘If you’re keen you ought to get your name down shortly. An awful lot of the first phase have been sold and we’re now selling the second phase off-plan.’

  ‘Yes, well... I’ll think about it.’

  ‘Don’t take too long. I can give you the forms and all the financial information now, if you’re interested.’

  ‘Well, um...’ She backed towards the door. ‘Anyway, I’ll just take another look at the show house. Please don’t bother on my account.’

  Feeling flustered, Olivia fell out of the office and down the path to the show house. She opened the door and gazed inside. Nope, still tacky, still poky, she thought, despondently. No, she told herself, she must not be so judgemental. She had to look at it in a more positive light and work out how she, Nigel and Zac could possibly fit in.

  She began to leaf through her replacement brochure, checking out the specifications of the other houses on the development. It seemed that this wasn’t the largest house that was being built, but the price-hike for the seriously big ones probably made them unaffordable, given their new circumstances. Actually, as Olivia looked at the price list for the various plots, she wasn’t sure that they’d be able to af
ford one like this either. She wondered what they might be reduced to – a two-bed terrace? She shut her eyes at the thought of the come-down.

  ‘Hello, Mrs L?’

  Olivia’s eyes snapped open. ‘Mags. How nice.’ It was anything but.

  ‘Fancy seeing you here.’

  ‘Yes... well...’

  ‘You thinking of buying one of these? Jacqui told me that she thought you were interested. Nice, aren’t they?’

  Olivia laughed, lightly. ‘No, just being nosy. I love a good poke around a show house, don’t you?’

  ‘All a bit modern for me. What’s wrong with a bit of chintz or some woodchip wallpaper?’ Mags look disparagingly at the bold statement paper on the wall behind the mock fireplace. ‘I mean, silver and black... whatever next.’

  ‘No, not everyone’s cup of tea but very on-trend.’

  Mags snorted.

  ‘Who’s minding the shop?’ asked Olivia. ‘I’d have thought Saturday would be one of your busiest days.’

  ‘Oh, the girls’ll cope. I told my regulars I couldn’t take appointments this weekend – or next week – I’ve given myself a week’s holiday.’

  ‘That’s nice.’

  ‘Yeah, I’m thinking of selling up. I’m not getting no younger and it’s knackering being on your feet all day and I spoke to the housing association. They said with the money I’ll get for the salon, and given my circumstances, I could probably buy one of their places; just a two-bed, nothing grand. But it’ll mean I won’t have to worry about rent no more.’

  Olivia’s heart sank. The last straw – living here and with Mags as a neighbour. Hoo-bloody-ray.

  ‘Well, don’t let me keep you,’ said Olivia, heading for the sitting room door.

  ‘Oh, I’m in no hurry. So... Jacqui got it wrong, did she?’

  Olivia turned. ‘I’m sorry?’

  ‘Jacqui. Jacqui said you had a brochure. She told me when she had her hair done last. I mean, we all know you were dead against this estate but it’s all over the town you voted for the other one – and here you are, having a good butcher’s.’

  ‘No, just taking an interest – you know, as a councillor.’

  ‘So, not thinking of buying to let or nothing like that?’