The Good Neighbour

by Beth Miller

  ‘If you want something doing, ask a busy person. Honestly, I mean it. I specialised in paediatrics when I was a nurse, you know. Even if it’s just so you can nip to the shops. Or have a cuppa with your animus.’

  She knows it was more than a chat, thought Minette. Had Cath seen them kissing, after all? But she was smiling and Minette didn’t feel judged. Cath didn’t seem the judging type.

  ‘And if you decide not to go back to work, you’ll need to build in some time for yourself,’ Cath continued. She stroked Tilly’s cheek.

  ‘Abe says I shouldn’t rush into a decision, but I’m going to have to let my boss know soon.’

  Outside her front garden Minette stopped. She saw how exposed the bench was, how clearly you could see it from the street. What a damn idiot. The frames lay on the ground: one clean, the rest still filthy. ‘We’ll do them tomorrow, shall we Tilly?’ she said, and they went inside.

  Chapter 8

  Davey

  DAVEY HAD BEEN waiting ages for ICT. It was called Computer Science at his last school, but Olivia told him it was called ICT here. Olivia was his buddy. He was given her on his first day. She smelled a bit of sick but she was all right. The teacher told Olivia to help Davey because he was new. Once she tried to push his wheelchair but it went straight into a wall. ‘Woman driver,’ he said, like his dad used to, and she laughed. She had a very big laugh. He showed her how he could do the chair by himself, and she said it was awesome.

  The people in his class were all right, but in Year 5 there were two boys who called him names. Whenever they saw him in the playground or the dinner queue they basically said stuff about his wheelchair, about his trainers and his clothes. He hadn’t got the right school uniform yet. Olivia told them to go away and they pushed her but then they did go away.

  ICT was meant to be on Wednesdays. But his first Wednesday they didn’t do it because it was their turn in the library instead. The second Wednesday they didn’t do it because of a special assembly. Davey didn’t know what was so special about it, it was a man in a yellow tie who talked about crossing the road. But now it was Wednesday again and at last the teacher said they were going to the ICT suite. Davey wheeled himself fast out of the classroom, Olivia running to catch up, then the teacher told him to wait. She had a frown on. ‘I’m sorry Davey,’ she said, ‘unfortunately you can’t do ICT.’

  ‘Why not?’ Davey pretended to be itching his face, and secretly pinched the top of his nose to stop himself crying.

  ‘You’ll have to talk to your mother about that,’ Miss Hobbs said.

  ‘I really want to.’

  ‘I’m sorry. You’ve to watch a film instead.’ She took him back into the classroom and showed him a shelf of DVDs. He chose Toy Story 2. The teacher put it in the machine and pressed start but nothing happened. ‘What’s wrong with this thing?’ She kept pressing the same button. Davey found it strange when adults did that. If it didn’t work the first time, there wasn’t any point pressing it again. He didn’t want to tell her what to do, she was the teacher, but then she said, ‘What am I doing wrong?’

  ‘It’s not the right remote,’ he told her. ‘The DVD is Sony and the remote is Phillips.’

  She laughed. There was flesh-coloured powdery stuff in the creases next to her eyes.

  ‘Children are geniuses at this stuff,’ she said, and rummaged under the TV till she found the Sony remote. While he waited for the DVD to start, Davey told Adam Purcell his top five films.

  The Incredibles – this was his dad’s favourite film too. They’d watched it together at least four times.

  Toy Story 2 – Lola loved the song about Jessie, and she learned all the words. It made Davey laugh when she sang along to it.

  Meet the Robinsons – no one at his last school had seen it. One time when Sammy, his best friend in Harrogate, came round they watched it on DVD and Sammy said it was really cool.

  Toy Story 3 – his mum cried at the end when Andy gave Woody away. He liked the scary teddy.

  Toy Story 1 – not the best but still pretty good.

  The teacher said again that she was sorry, and she went out to teach the others ICT.

  Chapter 9

  Cath

  ‘I’VE STILL GOT it,’ Cath joked to Minette, because Tilly was clearly comfortable in her house. She had crawled straight into the living room without a backwards glance. ‘Looking after babies – it’s like riding a bike.’

  But Minette still hovered in the hall. ‘My friend Ros got on a bike after ten years and fell off, broke her wrist,’ she said, smiling anxiously.

  ‘Go on, go. Have a relaxing time. I won’t let her near the kitchen cupboards, promise.’

  ‘I haven’t left her with anyone before. But I really need a cut.’ Minette ran her hand through her hair, justifying it to herself all over again. ‘I haven’t been to the hairdressers since before she was born.’

  ‘Well, surely your split ends have split ends by now. We’ll be fine.’

  Minette looked at her watch. ‘OK, I really had better go.’ She swooped into the living room and kissed Tilly. ‘Thanks so much, Cath. I won’t be long.’

  ‘Take as long as you want.’ Cath waited till Minette was out of sight before she shut the door, and only then did she permit herself a brief eye-roll. What a fuss. She tidied the breakfast things, then settled down to watch telly with Tilly and Lola. The warmth from Tilly’s small body, cuddled sleepily on her lap, made Cath feel nostalgic. How sweet and tiny babies were. But what a short-lived phase it was; in almost no time they were great lumps, like Lola, sprawled on the floor, gawping at the telly. At least Lola still never missed a chance for a cuddle. Davey, forget about it.

  After ten minutes, Tilly was fast asleep. ‘A proper Gina Ford baby,’ Minette had said, boasting about the regularity of Tilly’s naps. Cath loved that feeling of heaviness that sleeping babies gave off, and didn’t want to move, but when her phone rang – she’d left it in the kitchen – she laid Tilly gently on the rug and went to answer it.

  ‘Hey, Gee. All right? Was just thinking about your namesake, Gina Ford.’

  ‘Yeah? Getting broody again? Listen, I wanted to let you know that he emailed to say his cheque’s going to be a few days late this month.’

  ‘Hell.’

  ‘I can tide you over, Rubes.’

  ‘You’re a rock. You shouldn’t have to, though. He should be sorting this, regular as clockwork.’

  ‘He sounded in a right old state in his email. Listen, Ruby …’

  ‘I know what you’re going to say, Gee, you say it every time. It’s not happening, OK?’ God, maybe Gina was too soft for this after all.

  ‘So sue me. I think it would help. Just talk to him. What can he do over the phone?’

  ‘He could trace me.’

  ‘You can use my spare phone. It’s got no GPS or location stuff, it can’t be tracked.’

  It was lucky Davey was at school; this was the sort of conversation he somehow heard every word of, even from behind closed doors.

  ‘Rubes? You still there?’

  ‘Mmm.’

  ‘He misses the kids so bad. Says he’s been crying every night.’

  ‘Amazed you’re feeling sorry for him, Gee, after everything.’

  ‘I know. The email caught me at a vulnerable moment.’

  ‘Why, what’s up?’

  ‘Oh, nothing really. Bit of a row with Ryan.’

  ‘Sorry to hear that.’ Though what did she expect, shacking up with someone fifteen years younger? An even keel? Cath didn’t think so.

  ‘Anyway,’ Gina said, exhaling loudly. ‘I’ll transfer your money as usual and sub myself when the cheque arrives. OK?’

  ‘That’s really good of you, lovie. What would I do without you?’

  There was an uncharacteristic pause before Gina replied, ‘No worries. Well, I’d better go.’

  ‘Gee, you pissed off with me?’

  ‘No. Should I be?’

  Oh, don’t be like that. ‘Do
you really think I should talk to him, then?’

  ‘It’s up to you. I can’t tell you what to do.’

  ‘I’ll think about it, OK?’ But Cath knew there was nothing to think about.

  ‘OK. Speak soon. Love you.’

  ‘Love you. Thanks.’

  Cath clicked off her phone and her smile at the same time. Heaven’s sake, Gina. The whole point was for her to protect Cath, not try to open the lines of communication.

  She checked on the children – Tilly still asleep on the rug, Lola still staring at the telly – then brought down the laptop, sat in the kitchen and updated her sponsorship page, ‘Doing it for Davey’. Cath wrote a blogpost about her twelve-mile cycle ride, and sent the link to Duchenne Together, the local support group. Julia, their communications officer, had promised to send it out in their members’ newsletter. Then she opened her email, and wrote:

  Dearest V

  I know! We’ve landed on our feet. Everyone lovely. Good to be stopped for a while. To be on the safe side I’ve made an appointment at the Passport Office next week, it costs to do the fast track but then I’ve got them and don’t need to worry.

  You’re right I must stop thinking about Darren, easier said than done, tho. Can’t get his face out of my head, that cheeky smile, dream about him even, god love him. Doctors are ‘always right’ of course.

  Wade’s new place sounds peachy (see I am practising my American!), when you going to visit him?

  R xx

  Cath lost track of time, and when the doorbell rang she couldn’t believe it was nearly midday. Shit! She was only supposed to let Tilly sleep for forty minutes. She hurtled into the living room, swept Tilly up into her arms with big shaking movements to wake her, and told Lola to turn off the telly.

  ‘I’m hungry, Mummy,’ Lola wailed.

  ‘You’ll just have to wait.’

  Holding Tilly close, Cath opened the door to a revived-looking Minette, whose dark hair was cut in a glossy bob. ‘Oh, you look lovely. Look, Tilly, isn’t Mummy pretty?’

  ‘Do you like it? I was worried it was a bit short. But loads had to come off. There was a bit at the back that was so matted she couldn’t get the comb through, really embarrassing.’

  ‘Like a spot of lunch? Just a sarnie, nothing fancy?’

  ‘You sure?’ Minette stepped over the threshold swiftly, as if afraid Cath would change her mind. She looked at Tilly properly, who was bleary-eyed in Cath’s arms. ‘Wow, she looks sleepy. When did she wake up?’

  ‘Oh, ages ago. Maybe she’s already feeling tired again.’

  ‘Did she have most of her milk?’

  Bollocks. ‘Yes, she had it all. Didn’t you? What a good girl!’ Cath handed Tilly back to her mother and led them into the living room. ‘Have a seat. I’ll just pop the kettle on,’ Cath said. As soon as she was in the kitchen, she tipped the milk Minette had given her down the sink, and hastily rinsed the baby bottle out, cursing herself under her breath. She returned to the living room to find Minette walking up and down, a sobbing Tilly on her shoulder.

  ‘Sorry about the noise, Cath. Did she do this with you?’

  ‘No, she was good as gold.’

  ‘I don’t know what the matter is. She can’t be hungry yet.’ But Tilly’s piteous cries were obviously hunger.

  What sort of monster are you?

  She shook her head to get rid of Andy’s voice. ‘She’s probably just ready for her lunch.’

  ‘She’s not due more food till one o’clock though.’

  Oh, for heaven’s sake, these middle-class mummies and their routines. ‘Sometimes they need a bit extra. Growth spurts, you know. I’ll do her some bread and butter.’

  Cath escaped back to the kitchen and threw the food together. God, she really dropped the ball there. Got to be more careful, Cathykins.

  Soon they were all sitting at the table, with a much happier Tilly. Minette marvelled at how much she ate, even slices of Cheddar which she’d never liked before.

  ‘She can see Lola eating cheese,’ Cath said. ‘They love copying the older ones.’

  ‘It’s so nice, having lunch with other people,’ Minette said.

  ‘Haven’t you met many women at mother-and-baby groups? Or NCT classes, that’s where I made friends.’

  ‘I tried a baby group, but it was awful, everyone sat round like zombies. And I didn’t click with anyone at the NCT. Most of them were pretty old.’

  ‘What, like me?’

  ‘Oh, god, I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t think of you as old.’

  Cath laughed. ‘I don’t think of myself that way either.’

  ‘Shit, sorry Cath. You’ve got older children anyway. There were loads of forty-two-year-olds having their first baby.’

  ‘I guess you’re quite young to have kids these days. Mad though, isn’t it?’ Cath said. ‘My mum was seventeen when she had me.’

  ‘Wow, that must have been hard for her.’

  ‘She did her best. So, have many of your friends had babies?’

  ‘No, I’m the first one. I was hoping my mum, or even better, Abe’s mum, would help more, but they’re both so busy.’

  So Minette didn’t just have the normal baby-at-home-boring-blues, but was isolated from her friends as well. That’s why she’d been willing to leave her baby with Cath, who she’d only known a few weeks. Because there was no one else.

  ‘Can I watch telly?’ Lola asked, snuggling against Cath’s back.

  ‘Again? You watched loads already. All right, ten minutes, but then we’ve got to fetch Davey.’

  Minette said, looking disappointed, ‘Wow, Davey’s school finishes early.’

  ‘No, we’re taking him out for a hospital appointment.’ Cath decided to wait before asking her along. ‘So how come you and Abe went for a baby, then? Was it planned?’

  ‘Yes, though we didn’t know it would happen so quickly. But we were both up for it. We’ve been together nine years.’

  ‘Jeez, Louise. You must have been kids when you met.’

  ‘Pretty much. Not quite as young as your mum. We got together the second year at university.’

  ‘Love at first sight?’

  ‘No, it was more of a slow-burn thing. There was this older guy, Paul, a postgraduate. We had a thing, very intense, and I guess I took it too seriously. He was unbelievably sexy. Everyone thought so. Including my friend Bella, or should I say, my ex-friend Bella.’

  ‘One of those boyfriend-nicking Bellas, huh?’

  ‘Someone nicked him off her pretty quickly, too. Anyway, I’d been friends with Abe for ages, and I cried on his shoulder and …’

  ‘One thing led to another.’

  ‘Yes. He was so kind, and trustworthy. He said what he meant.’

  ‘Will you get married, do you think?’

  ‘Lots of our friends are, but we’ve got a mortgage and a baby instead.’

  ‘Those are big commitments.’

  ‘We’ve done the two hard bits and not had the fun party and holiday that goes with the wedding.’

  ‘Was Abe at Tilly’s birth?’

  ‘Yes, he was a star. It was awful, she got stuck, it was all incredibly messy. It’s no wonder …’

  ‘No wonder what?’ Cath said, though she knew.

  ‘Um. Nothing. Usual slow sex life with a small baby, that’s all.’

  ‘Oh god yes, we’ve all been there.’ Cath started piling up dirty plates. ‘For a while, me and Andy had such a long gap, I gave up hope of ever having a second baby.’

  ‘Really? Oh, that makes me feel a bit better. It’s been a proper drought, almost a year. Is that normal? The last time was two months before Tilly was born. And that wasn’t any good really, I was so huge.’

  ‘Sounds pretty normal to me,’ Cath said.

  Minette looked as if she thought she’d said enough, and busied herself turning the pages of the local paper, which Cath had left on the table.

  ‘Have a look at page fourteen,’ Cath said, sweeping underneath
Lola’s seat, which was a sea of crumbs, as usual.

  ‘Oh! Is this you?’ Minette read out, ‘“Local triathlon mum delighted by new sponsor.” Hey, that’s brilliant, I didn’t know Hilton were sponsoring you.’

  ‘Not that much, to be honest, only five hundred. But other companies will see it and think they should get on board. Josie next door arranged it.’

  Minette looked surprised. ‘I didn’t realise you knew her that well.’

  ‘I don’t, we just chat sometimes.’

  Minette pointed at the paper. ‘This picture isn’t of Davey! It’s just some random blond kid in a wheelchair.’

  ‘Yeah, I know. Local papers are not exactly the last word in accuracy.’

  ‘You ought to complain.’

  ‘Ah, no point, it’s out now,’ Cath said. ‘Hey, don’t suppose you and Tilly want to come to the hospital with us? It won’t be an exciting afternoon out. But it’d be nice for me to have someone to talk to.’

  ‘That’d be great.’ Minette was delighted. ‘Something different, isn’t it?’

  Cath smiled to herself. ‘What about people round here, isn’t there anyone in the street you’re friendly with?’

  ‘Only you, really. Priya’s nice but she’s out at work all day. Everyone’s at work all day.’

  Cath began loading the dishwasher. ‘Except Liam.’

  A blush spread across Minette’s face. ‘Oh!’

  ‘I was only saying, because he came round the other week?’

  There was a pause, long enough to make Cath wonder if she’d pushed too far. Then Minette said, ‘And yesterday.’

  ‘Did he, now?’

  ‘Oh, god.’ Minette covered her face in her hands.

  ‘Sounds promising.’

  ‘I’m bursting to tell someone.’

  Cath slammed the dishwasher shut and sat down, propping her elbows on the table. ‘If I was any more all ears, I’d be one great big elephant ear.’

  ‘You mustn’t say anything to Josie.’

  ‘Course I won’t! You’re my mate, not her. Go on, lips are sealed, honestly.’

  Minette glanced down guiltily at Tilly, on her lap, who was playing with a plastic beaker.