Chapter Thirty-One
It was amazing how quickly the fire brigade were able to move once they’d established they were still dealing with an emergency. Olive hadn’t been wrong about them thinking he was somewhere safe and perfectly out of harm’s way. Instead he was clinging to the rooftop in his dressing gown and slippers.
When the fire officer radioed down, they soon had a visual of him, now they knew where they should be looking. The guy in charge had rushed off to give appropriate instructions and Olive had been left alone in the hemp palace. What a night Randy must have had after discovering this lot. She just hoped he hadn’t smoked any, although not knowing the first thing about weed, she didn’t have a clue what you needed to do with the plants in order to smoke them. She figured rolling a leaf up and setting it alight wasn’t it.
Being the closest person to Randy until the fire brigade arrived, she wanted to try and talk to him, but she doubted he’d be able to hear her even if she shouted at the ear-splitting levels they’d achieved earlier. Instead she explored the roof space to try and find something she might be able to stand on in the hope of reaching the skylight.
In the end, it seemed the only thing that would work was one of the plinths the plants were on. So she moved them all off, not worrying if they remained intact, and pushed the heavy plinth over. Fortunately, it was tall enough and, after a scramble to get on the table, she was able to reach the window to the outside world. It was already open – Randy’s handiwork, she reckoned – so she pushed it open a few inches with relative ease.
‘Randy?’ Olive said his name as loudly as possible.
‘About bloody time. What the hell kept you?’
A euphoric giggle left Olive, the joy at hearing his voice too great to contain. ‘You shouldn’t be so good at hiding. Of all the places.’
Pushing the skylight, Olive managed to open it enough to pop her head through and was able to see Randy lying against the turret, holding on to the rough tiles for dear life.
‘It seemed like a good plan at the time. I just hadn’t thought through the getting-down bit. And I hadn’t realised how fucking high it is. I hate heights.’ Randy turned his head slightly so that he was able to see Olive.
It was one of those moments she wished she was a bit taller, just so she could reach her hand out to let him know it was all okay. They had his back. She’d worked out where he was and from the noises below they were busy sorting out his rescue. Hopefully it wouldn’t involve a net, and it was perhaps better that neither of them were able to see what was occurring.
‘Do you need something to calm your nerves? I’ll see if I can find anything lying about the place.’
‘Do not make me laugh.’ Randy laughed despite his best efforts not to. ‘Of all the bloody things.’
‘How did you end up finding it?’ Olive wasn’t sure how long it would take to get the fire-truck ladder thingy up here, so they might as well catch up.
‘There’s a door in the office. I always thought it was a cupboard, but it turns out it goes through to Matron’s living quarters. I decided to look around a bit, but when I went back to the door, I wasn’t able to open it from that side. So I went to explore a bit further, mostly to find another way out. I couldn’t help it when I saw the spiral staircase. I had to follow it and it soon led me up here. Never in a million years did I think I’d find a big stash of pot. That’s when I knew we might be in over our heads.’
‘You don’t say.’ Olive glanced back into the room, still trying to comprehend what had been going on. ‘What I don’t understand is why?’
There were noises starting up below and Olive was hopeful this meant the mission to rescue Randy was fully underway.
Pressed up against the roof tiles, Randy looked so uncomfortable, at least conversation would distract him. ‘I think I might be able to answer that. I suppose it isn’t all bad in a way. They’ve been growing it for medicinal purposes. I overheard them talking about it when they were trying to destroy the evidence. Melanie started growing it because she has a form of multiple sclerosis and found it a relief when she was relapsing. They soon discovered there’s a bit of a call for it. Those Tuesday-morning medicine deliveries doubled up as distribution. They were working with the local pharmacy to provide others with medicinal cannabis.’
‘For real?’ Olive sounded like one of the Salter boys, but it was hard to take in. ‘And Matron wouldn’t even let me have a frigging gin and tonic in my room.’ It was so ironic and Olive didn’t know what to think, she was so dismayed by the whole thing.
‘Well, it was all a front, wasn’t it? They needed the home to run impeccably so as not to attract any attention. They didn’t want anyone poking around in any depth, otherwise they might have cottoned on to what was going on.’
‘I always knew something wasn’t quite right.’ Olive was glad her sixth sense had served her well, but it never would have led her to this conclusion.
‘Everyone okay up here?’
The fireman in the cradle of the ladder rising to meet Randy was one of the best sights Olive had seen all year. Possibly in her entire life.
‘Just stay there while we get close enough to get you in here safely.’
There was a relief running through Olive’s veins like she’d never experienced. It was pins and needles on hyperdrive. Whether it was adrenaline or lack of sleep causing it she didn’t know, but as she watched Randy being plucked from the side of the building and to the safety of the cradle, it rushed through her with such an intensity she lost the ability to move until the cage’s door was closed and they were on their way down.
And then, all of a sudden, she was able to move. She moved like she’d never moved before in her life. She jumped off the plinth, skidded down the ladder, spun round the spiral staircase and legged it out of the doors. And she knew all at once that this feeling was what it was to have a happy outcome. She’d walked with a stone on her shoulders for so many years, the recollection of a single day slowing her down and filling her pores with each breath that passed without them. Her husband. Her daughter. They were the missing pieces of her life that were present every day.
And they would always be there. But there he was. Her son. The boy who had turned into a man. The person who bore the same scars as her. And that was the reason they should be pulling towards each other, not pushing each other away. They needed to live in the present, and not let the shadows from the past cloud whatever days they had together.
‘Are you okay, Mum?’
She realised she was crying. Of course she was crying. The relief that everything was okay was immense. The knowledge that there were such things as happy endings was so overwhelming she could do nothing but cry. Richard was okay. Randy was okay. Nobody had been hurt. ‘I’m just so glad you’re both okay. I love you, son.’ She didn’t say it often enough. She didn’t hug him often enough. Her maternal instincts had switched to survival mode at some point. She realised they needed to enjoy the day rather than battling to get through it.
‘Come here.’ Richard placed an arm round her shoulders as they watched the fire ladder cover the last few feet at its exceptionally slow pace.
Veronica was first in the queue to hug Randy on his return to solid ground. And as Olive glanced round the crowd that had formed, she realised everyone was here. All the residents, the staff, her beach-hut neighbours, Gin Shack customers, reporters with cameras flashing. Even the dog-walkers and tourists were stopping by to see what all the excitement was about.
So when Randy did finally step onto solid ground, the cheer that followed was the biggest Olive had heard in her life. And she whooped and cheered with them. She shouted so loudly her lungs burned with the force, the noise so loud even the dead might hear, and she so hoped they might. Because after all this time, it was important for them to know as much as she did. Olive was okay. After all this time, she realised it was okay to be okay.
Chapter Thirty-Two
There was only
one thing for it after all that excitement. Tony opened up The Gin Shack early and everyone gathered to drink tea or gin or gin and tea. Anything went today.
It was quite mental, with all that had gone on, to think The Gin Shack hadn’t even been open a week. Next week they were trying a sloe gin with cherries and a new extra extra dry gin. Olive wasn’t sure what gave it its extra extra, and was pretty convinced it was a marketing move, but she was looking forward to trying it.
‘What I don’t get is, why attack us? What was the point?’ Tony joined them in the snug corner. All the original Gin Shack Club members were there: Olive’s beach-hut neighbours, the whole Salter family, Veronica and Randy. The only addition was Richard and she realised she should have invited him in the first place. She’d been so worried about his disapproval, she’d not seen it as an opportunity to invite him down to spend more time together.
‘I think it was because of the media attention this place was drawing.’ Randy was collapsed on the sofa, tired and in his PJs, but still eager to share his story. ‘Because of the Oakley West residents being a big part of the scoop, the newspapers were contacting the retirement quarters as well. It was only a matter of time before reporters started turning up there. They obviously thought trying to get this place shut down would prevent it.’
‘I’m glad to say it didn’t work. Olive caught the flooding early enough for no real damage to have been done. We only needed to replace some carpet and, as that’s part of the hotel, it hasn’t stopped the bar running, apart from that couple of hours.’ Tony glanced round to check he wasn’t needed at the bar, but it was too early in the day for anyone to be drinking in a rush.
Olive’s stomach grumbled. It was quite rightly complaining about not having eaten since yesterday lunchtime. That was almost twenty-four hours without food. She wasn’t sure she’d ever gone so long without eating. ‘I’m sorry to go off topic, but I need to have some lunch. I’m starving. And I need something more substantial than a gin.’ In fact, the gin she’d accepted to tackle the shock was proving rather too effective. Fresh air would be good as well.
‘Why don’t we get some fish and chips from the beach café?’ Richard said. ‘It’s definitely a fish and chips kind of day.’
Her son was right. It was the perfect day for a lazy lunch in the sunshine. With Tony staying to man the bar while everyone else finished their drinks, and Randy having changed, Olive and the rest of her friends and family headed to Westbrook Bay. Tony would join them once the bar was empty and he was able to close up again.
The walk provided the breeze Olive was in need of to balance the effects of alcohol on an empty stomach. It wasn’t something she’d ever ordinarily do, but today was an exception to the rule. Today was an exception in a lot of ways.
Once they’d purchased their food to takeaway, they all gathered round the beach huts. Skylar took a seat next to Richard and her son Lucas joined them. For a second Olive had a fanciful thought, but that would be too much to hope for. And they were all there: Mark and Lily, Button the dog, Paul the fisherman, the Salter family, Skylar and Lucas – her beach-hut neighbours. But they were more than that. They were her family. And they’d all come to help look for Randy when they’d known he was in trouble. Friends and family – there was nothing better.
‘What will happen at Oakley West now? Will you be able to stay there tonight?’ Skylar asked, playfully feeding her son a chip at the same time.
The conversation about the whys and what-fors had continued all the way along the promenade. Randy was clearly relishing relaying what he knew about everything that had gone on. And Olive was happy to notice he held Veronica’s hand the whole way.
‘I imagine the company in charge will get a temporary replacement in straight away. They’ll get a locum manager until they can get someone more permanent,’ Richard said.
Olive loved how he was so worldly wise. Obviously, being a lawyer introduced you to every walk of life. He seemed to retain facts from every quarter.
‘Will the police let people stay there now it’s a crime scene?’ Esme asked.
Olive tucked into her food and never had an oversalted chip tasted so good.
‘It’d be quite a task for them to have to rehome that many residents all at once. I have a feeling, as most of the criminal activity is restricted to the living quarters, they’ll just close that off to continue their investigations and Oakley West will continue running as normal.’ Richard glanced at Skylar.
Olive was pretty sure she wasn’t imagining that his gaze lingered. Romance truly was in the air. Not for her, though. She was more than happy that her only future relationship would be with the sea. ‘Did we ever establish if they are related?’ Thinking on relationships, the link between the pair had been loose, even if they appeared to have a working partnership.
‘Melanie is Matron’s stepdaughter. She referred to her as that when I was stuck up on the roof. It must be purely coincidental that her middle name is Helen,’ Randy said.
All told, it put the days Olive had hidden gin in the ottoman into perspective.
For a while, they all sat munching their chips in silence. Tony joined them and was equally quiet in contemplation. It really had been an astonishing set of developments, especially as they’d only set out to find out who’d put nappies down the bog. That was a small-fry problem now and hopefully The Gin Shack wouldn’t have any further troubles, other than making sure they had enough gin in stock for the number of customers arriving at their doors.
‘Anyone for a game of cricket?’ TJ asked.
It was usually just the Salter boys and Lucas who tended to play, so it was a nice gesture that he was asking. The children were also feeling the effects of what had happened this week.
‘I’ll play,’ Olive said, the bubble of pins and needles reigniting despite being desperately tired.
‘Me too,’ Richard said.
And soon everyone, bar Veronica and Randy, who were too busy gazing at each other, were up on the sands, dashing around like loons, none of them really knowing what rules they were following.
When it came to Olive’s turn, she managed to hit the ball towards the shoreline and then she ran. She ran like she didn’t know how and, soon after, she fell. She did it without grace or finesse and face-planted in spectacular style.
All at once, the fun and the buzz and the excitement left. The wind moved with the number of audible gasps filling the air.
‘Are you okay, Mum?’
As she lifted her head, the amount of sand in her mouth meant she couldn’t answer. She did the only thing she could do. She laughed. She laughed and she laughed and she laughed. She laughed so hard her sides hurt and her muscles ached, and by the time she was done laughing, even the seagulls were joining in.
And there wasn’t a broken hip in sight.
Epilogue
There were many good things that came from that day of near disaster. The arrest of Helen Jones and Melanie Lotte-Jones saw new management put in place at Oakley West. They were altogether friendlier and less strict and Oakley West became more of a home than Olive ever could have hoped for.
Richard started coming to Westbrook every weekend, staying in the hotel part of The Gin Shack and helping Tony as a thank you. And her beach-hut family started having a massive picnic every Sunday as an alternate to Sunday lunch. It usually involved cricket, but Olive tended to take it easy on the days she did join in.
Veronica and Randy were on a relationship fast track with talk of a wedding in the future. Olive had never been a bridesmaid, but it would seem it was never too late.
But best of all was when her beach hut – her own little gin shack – was returned to her. Holding the keys again was enough to make her tearful. Because as much as she loved her friends and family, she also appreciated her solitude. The moments where she could reflect and think – remember, even – and be reminded of what it was to be alive.
The balance was important. It was what
kept her sane. And in the early-morning light, with her cup of tea in hand, she knew how much she had to be thankful for. Because for all that was missing, there was also everything that was present. And those were the things she needed to concentrate on.
‘You still want to go in?’ Veronica asked.
Present. She needed to be present.
‘You try and stop me.’
And before anyone did, they were naked and in the sea, being reminded of what it was to breathe.
THE END
Loved The Gin Shack on the Beach?
Then turn the page for an extract from
ALL THAT IS LEFT OF US
Prologue
Dear Archie,
On the day you were born, nothing prepared me for the life we would lead together. There was no sense of future in that moment. Only us. And every day since I have wondered if it is ever enough. If I can ever give you all the love required to pave the way.
Because right from the start I didn’t know what I was up to. And every day since I have questioned everything I’ve ever done.
I just need you to know that, despite it all, you are loved. You have always been my first love and that is all that should ever matter.
But I am being a surrogate for all of us. For your auntie and uncle to have a family as complete as ours. I hope that one day you’ll understand why it was so important to do this. And none of it will change the fact that you are my number one.
Love, Mum x
***
To my unborn child,
There has not been a day when I haven’t thought about you, but so often you have been a concept. With each of the five miscarriages I had you were more and more unreachable. You had become an impossibility. And yet here you are in this most improbable way.
I may not be the one holding you, but I want to be more than you could ever imagine. To savour those moments that are ours. And as they get closer I am beginning to believe maybe this is the occasion where nothing goes wrong. The time that you become whole and I get to become your mother.
The Gin Shack on the Beach Page 23