by J. R. Bonham
Jan bit her tongue. “No! It’s all sorted out, just a misunderstanding.” What she really wanted to say to her mother-in-law was, ‘Butt out, it’s got nothing to do with you,’ but she was too polite.
Louise was keeping herself to herself in her bedroom and she waited until all the commotion had died down.
“Mum?” she began.
“Yes.”
“About this dress.”
“Yes.”
“Well, it’s very kind of you to buy me a dress for Christmas…”
“Yes?” Jan knew what was coming next but she thought she would let Louise squirm a little first. She wouldn’t make it too easy for her.
“Well…” she started. Then she stopped. Then she started again after thinking about what words she could use without sounding too forward. “Well, I was wondering if it was possible to have the dress before Christmas. So I can wear it to the end-of-term party. I won’t want anything else, but if we buy the dress soon then I can wear it and look nice at the party.”
“Oh, is that all? Of course you can have it before. I had every intention that that was what it was for. No point having it after the main event, is there?”
“Phew, what a relief. Thanks, Mum. Can we go to the shops on Saturday? Otherwise, it might be out of stock. The shop is very popular with my friends and I don’t want one of them getting their hands on it first.”
They bought the dress and Louise wore it to the party. She had the most amazing time there. All her friends were there and she also met someone special. A boy. Her first boyfriend.
Olly was a slim boy, very tall, at six feet and three inches. Louise was only five feet, five inches, but they looked very good together. He was only a year older than Louise and he had already taken his driving test and passed. He sometimes borrowed his mother’s car to take Louise out. His father was a doctor and that, too, was Olly’s aspiration.
When he finished school, after passing all his ‘A’ Levels, he was going on to university and then on to medical school. His parents were divorced but Olly was single-mindedly determined that he was not going to be like them. He had his future already mapped out and that included not only in his private life but also his professional one.
Jan wondered if it was time to talk to Louise about ‘the birds and the bees’. She didn’t want her own daughter to be in the same position that she found herself in, all those years ago.
“Do you think I should talk to Louise about being careful?” she asked Geoff. “With Olly, I mean. I’m talking about contraception,” she added when Geoff looked blank.
“How should I know? Don’t ask me! You deal with things like that.”
Jan rolled her eyes. ‘Yes, just like everything else!’ She decided that she would just do it herself like she always had to do everything. ‘Men don’t seem to want to talk about these things.’
Jan decided she would call her friend, Paula, and ask her what she should do. She might have come across the same problem with her daughter.
“Oh yes,” said Paula. “You must give her all the information. Even if she knows it all, there’s no harm in letting her know that you know. I’ve already had that conversation with Susan and she took it very well. There’s going to be no unwanted pregnancies in this house!”
“I wish I’d had that talk when I was that age. I was so stupid when Geoff told me all those years ago that he was taking precautions and I believed him. I don’t want Louise making the same mistake that I made.”
“No. It would ruin her life.”
“Quite,” Jan said, tongue in cheek.
It was a year before Betty heard from the council. She came into Jan’s kitchen one day and announced she had had a letter which invited her to go and view a flat. It was in exactly the block of flats that she was hoping for. It was on the level and there was a view of the street rather than the car park, so at least she would be able to watch people as they passed by.
Jan suggested she could drive her down to see it as soon as possible to view it and accept it, if it was suitable and what her mother-in-law wanted. Jan didn’t want her to miss out on something she really wanted. She had heard that the good ones get snapped up quite quickly.
They were let in to view the flat which had been freshly painted. It was small, like a bed-sitting room similar to the one Jan had rented when she first left home. There was a small kitchen plus a lovely brightly lit bathroom. Ideal for one elderly person.
“This is lovely and light, bright and airy,” Jan enthused, hoping it was what Betty was looking for and that she herself liked it. She wasn’t going to accept the first thing that came along. Not unless it was completely suitable. After all, it was going to be where she would end her days. ‘Please like it,’ Jan prayed.
“Yes, it’s not bad, is it?” Betty agreed. “Can I let you know?” she said to the man from the council.
“Well, my biddie,” he began in his strong Devon accent, “don’t take too long to make up yer mind. These don’t come up very often and when they do they get snapped up quicker than a rat up a drainpipe!”
“OK, but I must run it by my son first. Can I let you know tomorrow?” Jan was keeping her fingers crossed all this time. They had a further look around the building where they found a common room where there was an activities board. It looked like there were organised outings, quizzes, games and general get-togethers.
Both Jan and Betty told Geoff all about it when he came home from work. They were both very enthusiastic.
“It doesn’t look like I need to see it then, if you like it,” Geoff stated. “That’s the main thing. When can you move in?”
“Right away if I want to,” Betty said. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay longer so I can help with looking after Hamish and the kids?” She was starting to prevaricate. It was a big step and she was hesitant and nervous about living on her own again.
Jan wondered where that came from. She didn’t really look after the children, not now that they were older, growing up so fast. She occasionally sat with Hamish when Jan was at work but he was happy to sleep most of the time anyway. She hoped her mother-in-law wasn’t going to change her mind and backtrack after all this time. Jan was looking forward to her going. She felt it didn’t really work with the house so small, as they were on top of each other most of the time.
Betty decided she would accept the flat. After all, it was what she had been looking forward to, being independent again. Jan felt huge relief, like a weight had been lifted.
All the arrangements were made and she moved into her lovely new flat with the help of Geoff and Jan and the children. The bed was the largest piece of furniture but they managed it between them. They put a lot on the roof rack and went several times to deliver everything.
All Betty had to do was pack her clothes and then make sure everything went into the fitted wardrobe and drawers in her new flat.
She settled down straight away and managed to meet some of the other residents there. Geoff was relieved that she was happily settled.
With mother-in-law gone, all Jan had to do was to convert the room back to being a dining room. She got the decorating materials out and started straight away.
She was just relieved to have her house back to herself and her family at last.
Chapter 21
The time was coming up to Louise’s 17th birthday and Jan was wondering what she would like. The natural thing for a 17-year-old would be to want driving lessons.
“I can give you some lessons to start you off and then I will pay for as many lessons with a proper instructor as you like. However many it takes,” Jan told Louise.
“Yes, please Mummy,” Louise said, rather childlike. “Thank you.”
“I expect when Louise can drive she might want a car,” Jan was speaking to Geoff and asking for his views.
“Well, she can want all she likes!”
Geoff stated. “Why should we get her one? When she’s working she can get one for herself, can’t she?”
“We can give her lessons for this birthday and then I think we should wait and then maybe get her a little runabout next year. That’s more of a special 18th birthday present for her, don’t you think?” Jan completely ignored Geoff’s cutting remark.
“I only had a car when I was 18 because my father died and I took it over,” Geoff grumbled, thinking back to when his father passed away. 18 was very young to lose a parent.
The morning of Louise’s 17th birthday arrived. She had already applied for her provisional licence ahead of her birthday and so Jan asked her if she’d like her first lesson.
“Oh, yes please, shall we go now?” said Louise excitedly. “I can’t wait!”
“Well, can I have my breakfast first?” Jan was just as keen to get started, but all in good time.
Jan drove to a local car park by the beach that wasn’t being used because it was winter time. They both got out and exchanged places. Jan taught her the rudiments of clutch control, steering and braking which she considered were the most important things to learn first, before going anywhere near a road. They took it easy for the first time, but over the following weeks, Louise did well, learning quickly. So Jan booked for some professional lessons for her before she put in for her test. Olly also promised he would take her out for some practise.
“Well done! You can throw away the L plates now,” Jan said to Louise when she passed her test the first time.
“I shall need them when I learn to drive!” Steven chipped in. He was just as keen to learn when his time would come.
“Can I borrow the car?” Louise wanted to visit her friends and show them she had passed. She was the first of all her friends who had taken her driving test.
“I just knew that was coming!” Jan smiled. “OK, just this once but don’t expect to have it too many times, only on special occasions.”
“I must go and see Olly first and tell him I passed. He was such a help in letting me practise with him. After that, I’ll go and see my friends and then I’ll go and see Gran and show her. See if she wants to go for drive.”
“OK. Give her a ring first to make sure she’s in.”
Off she went on her own for the first time. ‘Independent at last,’ she thought. Now she was on her own driving and there was no one else beside her in the car. It was a bit daunting at first but she soon became more confident.
“I can’t wait to learn to drive,” Steven said to his mother. “Will you teach me?”
“Of course, if you want me to. You’ll have to do as you’re told, though, it’s not a toy. I was really lucky when I learnt. I was nearly 15 when your Uncle John had an old car which he and your Granddad did up. He taught me to drive in it, the very basics anyway. We were lucky because we had a big driveway where I could practise. When my mum and dad went away for a weekend I used to get Mum’s car keys and repeatedly tried out my clutch control and the accelerator and brakes. Of course I couldn’t go very far, only in first gear and then do reversing. I practised and practised until it was perfect, so when I went out with a professional driving instructor when I was 17, I only needed six lessons. I was lucky in other ways too in that, because I was the youngest, and everyone else could drive and had cars, I begged them all to take me out.”
“And they said yes?” asked Steven in wonderment. He could hardly believe she had had so many people to take her out.
“Yes. There was your Uncle John, Auntie Clare, my mum and dad and your dad. I remember one Sunday your granddad took me down to the centre in Bristol because he thought it would be quieter then. It was so he could show me lane control but I don’t think I understood straight away. I didn’t do too well and I think he went grey overnight!” Jan laughed as she remembered her father coming home shaking. He never took her out again. “Your dad was very good too, he would take me out sometimes in his little Mini. What a great car to drive, which is why I was so pleased with my car now. I remember once when we went to go shopping and it was very busy, lots of traffic. I got a bit confused and he shouted at me. That didn’t help, but it made me take notice and do the right thing and I think I’m a better driver for all that experience. It was a help that Olly took Louise out too. You need as much practise as you can get. When I passed my test, Granddad bought me my own car from money left to me by my godfather who, ironically, had died in a car accident many years before.”
“Really? I didn’t know all that.” Steven was mesmerised by her story.
“There are lots of things you don’t know, I expect. You’ll learn all in good time.”
Geoff came in then and Steven asked him if he would teach him to drive when he was older.
“No way!” stated Geoff with alarm. “Your mother can teach you if she wants to, but leave me out of it.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll get exactly what Louise gets,” Jan assured him. “All we ask of you is to work hard and you’ll get your rewards.” Then she added as an afterthought, “I think we all deserve a holiday now that Betty’s gone. Where shall we go?”
“Florida!” Steven said at once.
“We can’t afford that!” Geoff stated.
“I think we can actually. The question is, do you want to? I know I’d like to,” Jan enthused.
“I hope we can,” said Steven eagerly. “All my mates go to Florida, they say it’s wicked.”
“That means evil!” Geoff was horrified.
“Not these days it doesn’t,” Jan informed Geoff. “It means good!”
“That’s daft.”
“Never mind that, Dad. Mum asked, do you want to go? Can we go? Shall we go?” Steven asked.
“I don’t know, maybe.”
“I can get some brochures tomorrow and we’ll have a look,” Jan announced. “We should include Louise. We can ask her when she comes back with my car! She said she was going to ask your mum if she wanted to go out in the car!”
“I very much doubt it! She doesn’t trust someone who has only just passed their test.”
“She’s gone to see Olly and her friends too, so she might be a while.”
Louise eventually came home. Jan rushed out to the drive and looked all around her car for any dents.
“You can stop looking, Mum, I was very safe and didn’t hit anything! And Gran didn’t want to go anywhere. She said maybe next time.” She gave Jan the keys and went inside – leaving Jan still looking for marks…
“Hi. I’m home,” Louise announced to Steven and Geoff. Steven went rushing into the hall to see his sister. He was never more relieved to see her in one piece.
“Do you want to go to Florida? I’m sure you do, just say yes!” He got to her first in case his dad tried to persuade her otherwise. Steven was under the impression that his dad would want to go somewhere cheaper, like Spain.
“Yeah! Of course!” Louise was excited at the prospect of Florida with all the water slides and rides and everything relating to Disney and all the other fantastic things she had heard about.
Steven went rushing back to tell his father, “Louise says she wants to go to Florida too!”
“Oh, does she indeed!” Geoff was thinking about the cost of four adults going to Florida. He would leave it to Jan to sort out. He left all things to do with the bills and anything financial to Jan. ‘She’s better at dealing with these things,’ he thought.
“Are we going to Florida?” Louise asked Jan when she finally came indoors after being satisfied that her car hadn’t been damaged in any way.
“I’ve no idea. We talked about it earlier. Is that what’s been decided? Has your father finally come around?” Jan asked. Steven was lurking nearby.
“Yes! Dad says yes!”
“Oh, does he? I don’t remember saying that!” Geoff was entering the hall where the others were and he had heard every
thing. They all laughed. Even Geoff. “You conniving little devil,” he said to his son. “You’ve got everyone thinking along the same lines, in your own wicked way.”
“Ha! Ha! That means good!” all three chimed in and then laughed again. Geoff couldn’t do anything else apart from agree to a holiday to Florida. Jan got brochures the next day and they all pored over them that evening. Jan also got a map of the world from the Agents. She wanted to check just how far away Thailand was. She had had another letter from Marian inviting them over. If she could persuade Geoff at some stage, she wanted to be armed with the right information. But for now, she would concentrate on Florida.
“We’re going to Florida for Easter!” Steven announced to his school friends the day after Jan went into the travel agents to book the holiday of a lifetime.
“You lucky devil. I wish we were going there,” Steven’s friend, Ben, said to him. “We’re going to Benidorm again. I hate it there. We’ve been there so many times, it’s getting boring.”
“I’ve never been there. Shall we swap places?” Steven teased.
“Cor, yeah! OK. Do you really mean it?”
“Of course not, you idiot! I was only joking, you fool. As if I’d give up going to Florida. You must think I’m mad!”
“Oh, that was cruel. I know Darren goes to Florida quite a lot. Maybe I’ll ask him,” Ben said hopefully.
“Don’t be so daft. No one is going to swap going to Florida with Benidorm! Whether they’ve been there before or not!” Steven was scathing to his friend.
‘Ben isn’t the sharpest tool in the box,’ Steven thought.
Chapter 22
Jan managed to get through another Christmas. Betty was invited to join her family. Also Olly was invited, which made Louise happy.
March arrived very quickly and they made their plans to go to Florida. They were all very excited. Margaret, who used to have the children when they were younger, said she would have Hamish. As long as he didn’t chase the cats, he was very welcome. Jan couldn’t promise he wouldn’t chase the cats but she took him around to Margaret’s house a week before to see how he would behave. He was a very good boy and the cats seemed happy to have him there. They just disappeared out of his way until he was let out into the garden where he was happy to be, chasing birds instead of cats.