Renovation, Renovation, Renovation

by Nell Dixon

  Chapter Three

  Wednesday morning found me loitering in the arrivals area at Heathrow waiting for Mum and her friend Alice to emerge from customs. Lou had planned to take the morning off to come with me but instead I’d received a text saying something had cropped up.

  I hoped that whatever had cropped up wasn’t Lou’s ex boyfriend. Gormless Gary had been a fixture in Lou’s life since school. He was a good-looking time-wasting addiction she couldn’t seem to break. Permanently jobless, broke and hopeless, he kept turning up like a proverbial bad penny and for some reason my sister kept allowing him back into her life. It would be typical for him to have arrived at Lou’s with yet another sob story and looking for a handout.

  Lou and I were meeting later for our first class in ‘Research the History of Your House’ at the local library. Steve hadn’t been overly impressed when I’d told him. He was still disgruntled about the discovery of the wasps in the attic.

  There had been much muttering about ‘what was I doing in the loft in the first place’. He hadn’t believed me about hearing footsteps either and had given me a long dissertation on the settling of wood in old houses.

  The man from the council was supposed to be coming later this morning to deal with the wasps. It would be a relief when they were gone. I hadn’t been able to sleep properly ever since I’d discovered the nest. I’d lain awake for hours thinking I could hear them buzzing about in the roof space above my bed.

  My announcement that I would be out every Wednesday evening and wouldn’t be at the cottage lifting floorboards or sorting out the garden had been met by more general grumbling from Steve. This was swiftly followed by sulky silences whenever I mentioned how interesting it would be to find out the history of the cottage.

  I wasn’t sure how much history I wanted to discover. What if someone had died in the house? Suppose that was why I kept hearing noises? I knew all about wood settling, thank you, but perhaps some poor tormented soul was prowling my upstairs landing, looking for a way to the next dimension?

  The first batch of transatlantic passengers entered the hall and the crowd of bystanders surged forwards looking for their loved ones. I stayed where I was at the back of the hall. My mother was never one of the first ones out. She had a tendency to look guilty even when she wasn’t, so the customs officials always picked her out to be one of their random searches. It was probably her luggage mountain that attracted their attention.

  Sure enough most of the passengers from Mum’s flight had left the terminal by the time she trotted into view, barely visible behind a trolley laden high with suitcases. The companion by her side however didn’t appear to be Alice - well, not unless they did quickie sex changes in Las Vegas. Instead she was accompanied by a tall smartly dressed man with a slight tan and grey hair.

  “Kate! Whoo hoo!”

  Mum was wearing a pink ‘I Love Donny Osmond’ tee shirt and a goofy grin.

  She abandoned her trolley and hurried over to envelop me in a motherly hug and a cloud of duty-free fragrance.

  “Kate, this is Chuck. We met in Vegas. He’s an American, isn’t that nice?”

  My hand was grasped and shaken vigorously by the grey-haired stranger.

  “Nice to meet you, Kate. Your Mom here told me all about you.”

  “Um, nice to meet you too, er, Chuck.” I extricated my fingers. “Mum, where’s Alice?”

  “Oh, she went through ages ago, her niece came to meet her. I got held up in customs. Where are you parked, dear?” Mum fussed with her cardigan as Chuck took command of the trolley once more. Mum hadn’t mentioned meeting anyone in any of her emails or in her fleeting phone call home.

  “I’m on the short stay.” I fumbled in my pocket for my ticket and the money to pay the parking fee.

  “That’s good. It won’t be so far to take the luggage.” Mum beamed at me.

  I wondered where Chuck was headed. I hoped Mum didn’t expect me to go miles out of our way and give him a lift into the city. The traffic had been bad enough on the way to the airport to fetch her.

  Chuck accompanied us to the car, steering both the trolley and mum in a proprietal fashion that set my teeth on edge. Mum chattered away about Vegas, Donny, Elvis, the floor shows and more or less everything else under the sun except Chuck. All he did was nod and throw in the odd, “sure was fun, honey,”

  whenever she paused for breath.

  We reached my little red VW and I opened the hatch to stow the cases. That’s when I spotted it; a very new shiny slim gold band on Mum’s wedding finger.

  Black spots danced in front of my eyes and my knees buckled. I managed to steady myself against the rear bumper.

  “Kate?” Mum placed a hand on my shoulder to help keep me upright.

  My gaze was fixed on her hand and for a few seconds I was literally speechless.

  Mum’s face coloured and she slipped her left hand into her cardigan pocket like a naughty schoolgirl.

  “Um, we were going to tell you and Louise together.” She threw Chuck an appealing glance and he draped his arm around Mum’s waist.

  “We fell in love, I guess you could say it was at first sight.” He smiled down at Mum.

  “We were both single and with all those wedding chapels out there it seemed silly to wait. We were married in the Little Chapel of Love. It was so romantic.”

  She sighed and her eyes went all dreamy.

  “And you never thought to mention it when you phoned and emailed?” I stared at the two of them. How could my mother do something like this without telling me or Lou?

  “Your Mom wanted to say something but we thought it would be too big a shock to break the news that way.” Chuck gave Mum a little squeeze as they stood together presenting a united front.

  Finding out by accident on the airport car park was hardly the ideal way to break the news either. I waited for a few seconds to see if I would wake up and discover that it was all some huge joke.

  “You are going to be pleased for us, aren’t you Kate?” Mum asked.

  What could I say? The deed was done. I pasted a smile on my face.

  “If you’re both happy, then how can I not be? Welcome to the family, Chuck.”

  I was swamped in a huge bear hug from my new step-father.

  Lou said afterwards that I should have clocked straight away what had gone on, but most people do not have a parent fly off on holiday and have them come back ten days later married to a complete stranger.

  After dropping Mum and Chuck at Mum’s I headed back to the cottage still in a state of shock. Mum promised she would call Louise straight away to break the news to her and we were both invited to Mum’s Friday night for a ‘welcome to the family’ supper for Chuck.

  As soon as I turned my mobile back on, it showed two missed calls and started ringing again.

  I knew who it would be; Mum had clearly kept her promise and called my sister.

  “Hi, Lou.”

  I listened to Lou ranting while I clambered out of the car and squeezed my way along the narrow path between the undergrowth and the skip at the rear of the house.

  “Honestly, Kate, she’s not safe to be let out on her own!" Lou’s voice was shrill. "What was she thinking? Marrying a bloke she’s only known for a few days. I bet she had bloody Elvis singing as well.”

  Mr Flibble came and wound himself around my legs as I paused on the remains of the rough brick patio outside the back door. White butterflies flapped around the purple flower spikes spilling from the overgrown Buddleia. Through the window I saw Steve talking to an elderly man in the kitchen. I hoped this was the man was from the council and he had dealt with the wasps.

  “I dunno Lou, I can’t say I’m thrilled about it either. But she is an adult so there isn’t a fat lot we can do about it.” I forced myself to concentrate on answering my sister.

  “But what was he like? I mean did he seem okay? You read all these stories about men who marry gullible older women just so they can settle in the UK.”

&nb
sp; “Look Lou, you’ll meet him on Friday.” I guess I was over the initial shock of Mum’s holiday surprise. It didn’t mean I liked it any better than Lou. Chuck had appeared to be a man of few words during the motorway journey to Mum’s house so I hadn’t really formed any kind of impression of him at all. He looked okay, smartly dressed, clean and sober but that was it.

  “I knew I should have gone with you. You’d better fill me in properly at the library tonight.”

  Mr Flibble sat at my feet disinterestedly grooming one paw with his tongue. I replaced my mobile inside my bag. It occurred to me that Lou still hadn’t told me why she hadn’t been able to accompany me to the airport. The back door creaked open and Steve and his companion stepped outside into the sunshine.

  “Okay, mate, thanks a lot.” They shook hands and the man nodded his head cheerfully at me and strode off down the path.

  “Wasps are gone. He’s sprayed the nest with some stuff so they’ll all be dead within the next twenty-four hours. Did you get your Mum from the airport okay?”

  Mr Flibble stood up, arching his back before rubbing himself against the leg of Steve’s jeans leaving behind wisps of long, orange fur.

  “Yes, she, she…” I burst into tears.

  “Kate?” Steve placed his hands on my arms and peered into my eyes.

  “I’m all right.” I fumbled in the pocket of my jeans for a tissue.

  Steve frowned. “You don’t look all right. What’s happened?”

  I found the tissue and made Steve release my arms so I could blow my nose.

  “Mum didn’t come back on her own. She’s married some bloke called Chuck while she was in Las Vegas and she’s only known him for a few days and I don’t even know what her surname is any more.” The last bit came out on a wail.

  Steve looked at me as I scrubbed at my eyes and smeared my mascara all over my tissue. He dug his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and chewed the corner of his lip thoughtfully. “I think you’d better come inside and sit down; I’ll make you a brew while you tell me all about it.”

  Still sniffing, I followed him inside with Mr Flibble trailing behind us. I couldn’t help thinking that if Steve and I had still been together I would have been in his arms and he would have been holding me tight while he rubbed my back. I wanted someone to tell me everything would be okay but it looked like all I would be getting was a cup of tea.

  This whole episode had made me aware that something was missing from my life. I’d spent the last seven years of my life convinced that Steve was ‘the one’, and now, well, I didn’t know. Maybe Mum was right to grab happiness while she could, after all, my way hadn’t worked out.

  “Can I borrow your tea bags, I seem to have run out?” Steve switched the kettle on and clumped about on his side of the kitchen opening and closing the cupboard doors.

  I shrugged and fished a hand mirror from my bag to repair the damage to my eye makeup.

  “So, what’s Claire done? Married somebody she met while she was on holiday?” Steve placed a mug of tea in front of me and took the seat opposite. A small frown puckered the skin of his forehead. He shuffled his chair back to stretch out his long legs.

  I snapped the mirror shut and dropped it back in my bag. “Yep, that’s exactly what she’s done. His name is Chuck," I said, the name feeling wrong on my lips.

  "They met in one of the lounges after the Osmonds' show and married four days later in The Little Chapel of Love.”

  Steve’s eyes widened. “Blimey.”

  I took a sip of my tea and watched the steam curl over the rim of the mug. Mr Flibble came to rub himself against me, his deep throaty purrs sending vibrations through the leg of my jeans.

  “And he’s come back over here with her, this Chuck?”

  I nodded, biting my lip to keep the tears from starting up again. The whole story sounded fantastical.

  “And you don’t know anything more about him? Claire didn’t say anything about her plans when she rang or emailed you?”

  “Nothing.”

  Mr Flibble abandoned his attempt to get my attention and went over to try Steve instead.

  Steve gave a low whistle and scratched the faint trace of stubble on his chin with the back of his thumb. He met my gaze.

  “Does he seem all right?”

  “I don’t know, I suppose so. I was so shocked by everything it took all my attention to drive back without crashing into something. Lou and I are going round to Mum’s for dinner on Friday night to meet him properly.”

  “I’m sorry, Kate. Maybe it’ll work out alright; your Mum is pretty sensible, usually. Perhaps this guy is the one for her. He must be pretty special for her to act so impulsively.”

  I bit back the urge to say that I’d spent seven years with him and he still hadn’t thought I was the right one for him so what made him such a good judge on relationships? I hadn’t been special enough for him to want to marry me. The niggly ache in my chest reminding me of the huge distance stretching between us when we’d once been so close started up again. An awkward silence fell.

  Suddenly Mr Flibble let out a hiss and arched his back, his thick ginger coat standing on end as he stared in the direction of the open hallway door. In the distance I thought I heard the floorboards squeak as if someone were moving about at the far end near the entrance to the empty dining room.

  * * *

  I thought I heard voices in the kitchen, voices I didn’t recognise. With so many strangers passing through the town lately I grew scared and bided for a moment in the front of the house.

  * * *

  “What was that?” I went to stand but Mr Flibble had backed away from the table and bolted off outside into the garden before I finished getting to my feet.

  “Stupid cat. He probably thought he saw something.” Steve shrugged.

  “Didn’t you hear anything?” A chill ran along my spine.

  “Not the weird noises again? No Kate, there was nothing there, only your one-eyed cat acting up.” He smiled at me as if I’d done something amusing. His attitude only served to wind me up. Any sentimental thoughts I’d previously harboured about him went right out of the back door after my cat. I tried to keep my voice sounding reasonable.

  “Honestly, Steve, I think you were stood in front of the speakers too long when you were in the band. Didn’t you hear those footsteps making the floorboards creak?”

  The smile vanished from his lips. “Oh no, not the phantom footsteps again.

  You’re the one who’s hearing things, Kate. There wasn’t anything there.” He stood and picked up his tea. “I’d better get back to the plastering. The mix will set in the bucket if I don’t get on.”

  I watched him stride off down the hall and away up the stairs, his rigid back a sure sign that he was ticked off with me. A cold breeze blew in through the open back door, stirring the warmer air inside the kitchen and cooling my skin through the soft cotton of my shirt. The hairs on the nape of my neck prickled and I sensed I was no longer alone in the room. For a second I was unable to move although I desperately wanted to look towards the fireplace certain someone or something was there, a fraction out of my line of sight.

  The back door slammed shut. The room chilled as if the sun had gone behind a cloud, yet I could still see dust motes dancing in the sunlight in front of me.

  * * *

  There had been no one in the kitchen when I finally had the courage to peep through the door to check.

  ‘Mary Ann, stop wool gathering by that fireplace, there’s jobs a plenty waiting for you out here.’ I crossed the stone flags of the kitchen floor, obedient to my mother’s call.

  A shiver ran along my spine as I crossed the room. For a moment it was as if the garden where my mother stood, hands on hips waiting for me, had faded and been overlaid by something else. The wood pile and the chickens scratching in the dirt were no longer there. Instead I saw a room I didn’t recognise, and a girl, at least I think she was a girl, in strange mannish clothes standing by a table
. She looked sad and scared, her eyes red-rimmed as if she’d been crying.

  * * *

  Then, just as suddenly the atmosphere changed and lightened. I turned my head to look at the fireplace. There wasn’t anything there, of course. Everything was as it had been before. The blue checked tea towel still lay on top of the Aga. I rubbed my arms to dispel the goose bumps that tickled my skin and moved to look out at the garden.

  The trees and bushes were still, the butterflies were still busy on the Buddleia.

  Mr Flibble lay on the patio stretched out in a pool of sunlight next to a pile of bricks. Nothing at all. Nothing strange or creepy or odd in the least.

  Chapter Four

  “You’re going bonkers.” Lou said when I told her about it at the library.

  We’d arrived early so we could talk about Mum and Chuck. Having exhausted and speculated on that topic after half an hour in the car park we’d gone inside to wait for the class to start.

  The course was being held in the community room at the back of the library near the computer area. The municipal cream walls were covered with posters designed by the youth group warning of the dangers of drugs and telling us to stand up to bullies. Half a dozen tables were arranged in rows with chairs placed neatly behind them. I told Lou about my latest creepy experience at the cottage as we took our seats.

  “I’m not crazy. Steve thinks I am, of course. He didn’t hear anything but Mr Flibble definitely saw something, and then there was the door slamming and no breeze. I didn’t imagine that.”

  “Well, old buildings do behave oddly and this is the oldest house you’ve renovated. Perhaps it’s developed a bit of a tilt so the door will close on its own.”

  “Lou, I know all about how different houses have their own sets of noises and Myrtle Cottage might have many things wrong with it, but it hasn’t got subsidence.” I shook my head.

  “I don’t know. Your nerves have been stretched thinner than piano wire ever since you and Steve split up. Your mind could be playing tricks on you. I know you think you heard footsteps and felt all this other stuff but it could be explained by other things you know.”