by Helen Rolfe
‘Tell me, what would you have done if you hadn’t fallen into that job?’
Surprised by the question and more so by the fact she knew the answer straight away, she told him, ‘I always wanted to be an educational psychologist.’
‘You’ll have to help me out. What’s one of those?’
‘It’s applying psychology to help children who have special educational needs, such as autism, anxiety, dyslexia. It would mean working with children and families; I wanted to make a difference to them and make their lives easier. I wanted a career with people, not a desk job like I ended up with. I’m being really honest here,’ she frowned.
‘Never apologise for that.’ He held her gaze for a while before she looked away and he told her, ‘You know, I think you take after Veronica as well as your dad.’
She gulped because he was right. And she rarely gave it much thought.
A minibus from the Women’s Institute pulled up outside the café and it was all hands on deck, but not before Sam thanked Charlie for the talk. ‘I really appreciate it,’ she told him. ‘You’re a good listener.’
‘So I’ve been told.’ He finished the dregs of his coffee. ‘Now I’d better get home or my legs won’t be able to take me there. It was a twelve-hour shift, then the trauma of the school visit, and I need my bed.’
She tried not to think how good it would be to climb in beside Charlie, lie in his arms and be comforted by a man who she knew could take all her worries away. And as she was plunged into café mayhem with a group of women who settled in for the duration after they’d pulled four tables together, Sam realised that as well as Audrey settling in, she was finding her place in Mapleberry too. Was that even possible?
Sam felt like she was floating on a cloud – until she had a call to say the flat she was viewing at five o’clock today had already gone to someone else and that the other place she was due to view lunchtime tomorrow had been taken off the availability list when the owner decided to sell. On top of that bad news, she overheard the WI ladies talking about a planned trip to New Zealand, of all places!
Sam left the café that afternoon and on the bench outside she sat down, took out her phone, hooked the strand of hair that had blown from her ponytail behind her ear, and went into her email. As she’d listened to the woman in the café extolling the virtues of New Zealand, she’d been going over and over what she had to do. And now, she knew she had to email Simon. Enough was enough. If he was concocting a plan with her daughter to get her over there to join him in his exciting new life, she’d rather know more details sooner rather than later.
At least once she knew, Sam could do whatever it took to not lose her daughter entirely, the way her mum had done with her.
Chapter Four
Audrey
Audrey ran down the stairs to answer the door on Saturday morning, knowing it would be Layla. She’d been pestering her for days to do her make-up but with school work, Audrey hadn’t had a chance until now. Amazingly enough, the incentive of choosing to go on to make-up college if she worked hard at her GCSEs was spurring her on. She’d never worked this hard at school, but without the distractions from the nasty girls back in her previous school, as well as the novelty of a new environment, she’d got into a new routine.
She ushered Layla inside from the blustery autumn day. ‘Do you have the “you know what”?’
Layla nodded and attempted a wink although the movement was less than discreet. Luckily Gran was baking this morning so they wouldn’t be interrupted – they had something else to do other than the make-up and it was something Audrey had gradually begun to think about as her gran became all the more special in her life.
‘I thought I heard voices.’ Gran came along the hallway all smiles, dusting her hands on her apron. Not that Layla minded, she ran in for a hug anyway.
‘What are you making?’ Layla took off her shoes so she didn’t bring in the dirt from outside.
‘Bakewell tart this morning. You two go and have fun with the make-up – I’m in the middle of making pastry and I don’t want it to spoil. I’ll take a look at the kindness calendar later if you don’t mind.’
‘That was close,’ Layla giggled when Gran returned to her pastry and Layla followed Audrey upstairs. The last thing they wanted was to let Gran see the calendar before they swapped it with the one Audrey had been working on and kept under her bed.
Once they were in her bedroom, the door open so they could hear Gran pottering around downstairs, Audrey took it out. ‘This covers October and I’m working on another for November.’
Ever since Audrey had realised Gran’s mood lifted when they discussed the kindness calendar and how Layla could fulfil her tasks, Audrey had begun to look for ways to help her gran out of the rut she was in. Perhaps rut wasn’t the right word, she had an anxiety disorder that couldn’t be fixed with a simple click of the fingers, but Audrey wanted in some way to remind Gran of the woman she once was and still could be. The way Veronica spoke to Charlie about her time as a nurse conveyed how much she missed that side of her life and what Audrey and Layla had talked about doing was getting Gran involved in anything that would mean she was helping again, whether it be big or small tasks.
Between them they’d concocted a plan. Layla had been stopping by ten minutes earlier for her piano lessons when she knew Veronica would be in the bathroom – a schedule had had to be drawn up as Sam and Audrey both needed to get out of the door at particular times. Audrey had started to get up earlier than usual to smuggle Layla inside and have their powwow before Gran was any the wiser.
Now, Layla, finger outstretched, ran her way through all the items on the calendar, some coming straight from Mrs Haines but others she and Audrey had put in themselves.
‘Now, what did we agree you’d tell Gran?’ Audrey prompted. She didn’t want Layla to get it wrong and for Gran to realise what they were doing. She’d think they felt sorry for her and they definitely didn’t want that.
Layla thought hard and as though she’d learnt her lines for an important part in a play said, ‘Mrs Haines wanted us to include someone else in the calendar. Daddy is too busy with work so I thought you would be perfect for the job.’
Audrey high-fived her. ‘Spot-on. Sounds genuine enough.’
‘Water plants for a neighbour,’ said Layla, running through the tasks they’d been given. That one came from the teacher. ‘Easy: I’ll do Veronica’s for her. And here, bake cookies for your neighbour: that’s easy as I can do some at home and Veronica can do some for me and Daddy.’ She moved to the next square and gasped. ‘Get a makeover! That’s what we’re doing today!’
‘Sure is, hair and make-up for you today, and that’s one of our items I added so Gran has to have one too.’
‘Veronica doesn’t wear make-up, and she never gets her hair done.’
Audrey tapped the side of her nose. ‘I’m sorting it, don’t you worry.’ She pulled out a collection of magazines from the top drawer in her bedside cabinet and inside one were the pictures she’d cut out of women in their sixties and seventies with styles she knew would suit Veronica. Most of the styles were short, but Audrey had a feeling it would suit Gran. ‘The hairdresser I go to recently left her permanent job to set up on her own, so I need her to come to the house and do mine anyway. She’s coming tomorrow and I’ve briefed her. While she’s here I’ll hopefully persuade Gran, using the power of the kindness calendar and you of course, and it should work. She’d do anything for you, you know that.’
‘I’d do anything for her too, she’s kind to me.’ She looked down at the carpet and ran her toes through the pile. ‘I don’t have any grandparents or a mummy or any brothers and sisters.’
Audrey didn’t have a sibling, not unless you included her half-brother and half-sister on the other side of the world, but she liked to think that they’d get on like her and Layla. She took Layla’s hand. ‘You’ve got me, remember.’
‘Yeah,’ she smiled before her attention went to the calendar
again. ‘What am I going to do for “join a group”? That one wasn’t for school was it?’
‘No,’ Audrey smiled, ‘That’s for Gran, like we discussed. It will get Gran to realise there’s a big wide world out there and people might judge but they can also be a friend, be there for you. I was thinking you already have that square marked off with the brownies, and I have something in mind for Gran.’ She leaned out of the bedroom and sure enough Gran was still humming away in the kitchen. ‘We’ll do everything on the calendar, I promise you, and the more challenging requests will always have a solution. It’s part of the fun. Now come on, we’d better do your make-up or Gran will get suspicious. Your chair, madam,’ she said with a flourish pointing to the director’s chair with a fresh towel looped on the back.
Layla took her seat in front of the long desk that had more than half of its space dedicated to make-up kits, lotions and potions.
‘I’ve always wanted one of these,’ Layla said of the Hollywood make-up mirror with the lights up each side. ‘It’s so glamorous.’ She was already preening, pulling at the strands of her hair to ensure they looked neat and tidy, readjusting the Alice band so it was perfectly straight.
Audrey found her make-up toolbelt that fitted around the waist. Multiple pockets held the brushes she washed with soap and water between uses, and she also had a new wedge-shaped blending sponge.
‘Wow, you have so many brushes,’ Layla marvelled, letting Audrey wrap a clean towel around her shoulders. She secured it with a clip to keep it in place. ‘What do they all do?’
Audrey ran through some of them. ‘They all do slightly different things. This one,’ she pulled out the chunkiest brush, ‘is for loose powder. Then you have this flatter brush which works well for foundation,’ she said taking out another, ‘and then these,’ she pointed at the tips of another few, ‘are for eyes depending on whether you’re using an eyeshadow, shaping brows or doing liner.’ She took out the fan brush and tickled the tip of Layla’s nose with it. ‘This is for brushing away mistakes,’ she grinned. ‘I’m hoping I don’t need that one.’
Half an hour later, Audrey was proud of what she’d achieved. Layla’s dark ginger wavy hair had glamorous big waves, her make-up was tasteful and Layla couldn’t stop gawping into the mirror. Audrey picked up her phone and got Layla to stand next to her before they crouched down, both pouted and she took a selfie.
‘You mustn’t post that anywhere without my permission,’ Layla warned.
‘I wasn’t even thinking about it. I was going to print it out, one for me, one for you, a souvenir.’
‘You’re the best big sister ever.’ Layla threw her arms around Audrey.
‘Go show Gran,’ Audrey’s voice shook as Layla trotted down the stairs – because she was starting to matter to other people; it wasn’t just her mum anymore, there was Gran, Layla, and the new friends she was making at school. All of a sudden it started to mean something that one day she’d be leaving it all behind.
Downstairs Gran was flabbergasted at Layla’s transformation and Layla was still twirling around, preening her hair, alternating between showing Gran and looking in the hallway mirror by the time Audrey joined them.
When eventually she stood still, Audrey asked, ‘Layla, do you know the most important thing when it comes to wearing make-up?’
‘What’s that?’
‘To take it all off properly at the end of the day before you go to sleep.’ She handed her a packet of make-up remover tissues. ‘Take these, there are a few left, they’ll work on eyes and skin.’
‘I can’t wait till I’m allowed to wear my own make-up every day.’
‘That’s another important thing.’ Audrey bent down with her hands on her knees so she was eye-level with Layla. She touched a finger to her nose with a light flick. ‘Don’t wear it before you need to – learn to see the beauty you already have, the beauty everyone has.’
‘Daddy always says beauty is on the inside as well as outside.’
‘And he’s exactly right.’ She turned to Veronica. ‘Maybe we could give you a makeover, Gran. What do you think?’
But Gran laughed at the idea and instead cut slices of Bakewell tart before Layla showed her the latest kindness calendar. And if she suspected they were tampering with it, she never let on. All she remarked upon was how full it was and she seemed to be excited more than anything else.
‘Mrs Haines wants us to include someone else in the calendar this time, to be a team.’ Layla pointed to the sentence written across the top in small letters to squish it all in. Audrey had tried to make her writing as much like a teacher’s as she could, neat and uniform and clear. She just hoped Layla wouldn’t do one of her winks right now or it would be startlingly obvious.
Gran peered more closely and read out, ‘“Find a friend this month and join forces for double the fun”. You mentioned that before – is Dad helping you out?’
‘He’s too busy with work.’ She managed to look glum despite the makeover.
‘That’s a shame.’
‘Would you help me, Veronica?’
‘You want me, really? To help with this?’ Although excited at first, she looked a little doubtful. ‘I don’t want to mess it up if I can’t do some of the items.’
Audrey hadn’t thought this might make her feel bad in any way. ‘Gran, I’m sure there’s plenty required that won’t involve doing anything you don’t want to do.’
‘I don’t know.’ Veronica shook her head, already looking overwhelmed.
Audrey had to think fast. ‘How about I help out too? You’re Layla’s main helper of course, but if there’s something you can’t do, then I can step in.’ She looked at the calendar and pointed out a square. ‘This one, for example: “Rake leaves off the path for a neighbour” – I can help Layla with that, but some of the others we can do together. Look at this one, Gran.’
Gran read out loud. ‘“Join a group”.’ Her eyes pleaded with her granddaughter and Audrey could tell she was beginning to panic.
To quell the rising anxiety, Audrey put a hand firmly on her gran’s. ‘We’ll do it together, us three. I’ll help with as much as I need to, I promise you that.’
‘You promise? I don’t want to let anybody down.’
‘I promise, Gran.’ When her gran nodded, she added, ‘We’ll be in a club. And I do believe that’s an item on the calendar.’
‘The Kindness Club!’ Layla called out.
Gran jumped, a hand at her chest. ‘That’s an outside voice if ever I heard one.’ But she hugged Layla. ‘I like the idea and I really do want to help.’
‘Then it’s decided,’ said Audrey. ‘All three of us will work on this, all three of us will do as many tasks as we can, but some will only be for two.’
‘We need to make a promise, a bit like I had to do when I joined the brownies,’ Layla announced.
Audrey stood and held her right hand to her temple in a salute sign. ‘I, Audrey, do solemnly swear to offer random acts of kindness using the kindness calendar. I promise to help Layla and Gran fulfil all the tasks on the calendar, leaving nothing out.’
Gran and Layla stood and adopted the same pose.
‘I’ve forgotten it already,’ Gran admitted.
‘Repeat after me,’ said Audrey and took each of them through the promise stage by stage. And at the end their hands met in the middle of their circle and launched into the air as they declared the Kindness Club officially open.
Veronica was rummaging in a kitchen drawer and took out a pen. She found ‘Form a club’ on the calendar and crossed a line right through it. ‘First item done! Let this be the first meeting of The Kindness Club on Mapleberry Lane.’
And over another slice of Bakewell tart, Audrey and Layla shared a mischievous look. Everything was falling into place.
Chapter Five
Veronica
It was midday on Sunday and Veronica had made roast beef with all the trimmings. It had been years since Veronica embraced a weekly Sunday lunch
, it was hardly worth it on her own, but with three of them under the same roof, she’d been glad to bring the tradition back. Cooking for others as well as herself brought a certain kind of comfort, one she missed and that had faded away along with so many other things in her life. She set down the bowl of golden crispy potatoes next to another filled with an embarrassing amount of Aunt Bessie’s Yorkshires and one almost spilling over with glazed carrots. She watched her daughter and granddaughter: Sam tiptoeing around afraid to say much at all, Audrey on the defensive with her mother and only relaxed when her mother wasn’t in the house.
Audrey brought the gravy boat over, walking gingerly she’d filled it up so high. ‘I like my gravy,’ she justified when Sam gave her a look.
Veronica knew she was changing since these two had come back into her life and although she was a wimp outside of her house, each day she felt mounting confidence that she wasn’t that way within its walls. Layla had brought some of that confidence with her kindness calendar; Veronica had sailed through the days excited to do something to help, whether it was a simple task of thanking someone for a job well done – Sam had been on the receiving end of that when she cleaned the cooktop to a brilliant shine – or making dinner for someone you love, which Veronica had done with this Sunday lunch.
‘How’s the schoolwork going?’ Veronica asked Audrey in an effort to lead the atmosphere inside the house in the right direction.
‘It’s fine.’ Audrey added a third Yorkshire to her plate.
‘And how was work this morning?’ she asked Sam, who didn’t usually work Sundays but was covering for another member of staff.
‘Busy,’ was all her daughter said before she, like Audrey, drizzled enough gravy over her roast to sink the Titanic. Veronica smiled at how alike mother and daughter could be, though they’d never admit it.