Book Woman

by Ivan B

  Mary did not risk probing that subject further.

  “Want a pudding?”

  Charlotte nodded.

  “Could I have apple pie?”

  Mary ordered and re-examined Charlotte; she seemed to have lost her all her previous self-confidence and inner vitality. Mary decided to risk a dangerous question by asking about her temper. Charlotte studied the ends of her fingers.

  “I’m working on it; I’m going to anger management classes.”

  Mary was surprised and it must have shown. Charlotte toyed with her serviette before blurting out.

  “If you want to employ me you’d better know. I was sent to them by a magistrate, she said it was either that or a £500 fine and I couldn’t afford the fine.”

  “What did you do?”

  She glanced around.

  “Lost my temper in a pub and threw a glass tankard into the mirror behind the bar.”

  Mary half smiled.

  “In other words you missed what you were aiming at; who was it, your child’s father?”

  “His interfering mother.”

  Charlotte looked straight at Mary, pleading in her eyes.

  “Are you serious about the job?”

  Mary, who had started planning strategies of withdrawal, let her compassion rule her better judgement.

  “Yes, start as soon as you like.”

  Charlotte closed her eyes and for a moment Mary thought that she was going to burst into tears. She replied in a strained voice.

  “Thank you Mary, it’s nice to know that someone still has confidence in me.”

  Mary breathed an inner sigh and hoped to high heaven that Charlotte would not reciprocate by loosing her temper, but unfortunately only time would tell.

  Mary arrived home to find Cathy talking to her mother. Mary, now highly suspicious, shepherded Cathy into the kitchen to find out what was going on. Cathy immediately put her hands on her hips, always a bad sign.

  “We’ve booked a last-minute holiday in Devon and there’s room for mum, so I thought that I’d give her a break.”

  Mary’s blood began to boil.

  “You’ve not taken mum on a holiday in living memory, so why start now?”

  Cathy gave a false smile.

  “Well maybe it’s time I started. We leave tomorrow and we’ll be back on Wednesday or Thursday in two weeks time.”

  Mary became worried.

  “You’re not doing one of your driving marathons are you? I’m not sure that she’d be able to cope with a long drive.”

  Cathy gave a supercilious grin.

  “We’re stopping overnight at Aunt Vera’s, I don’t think that mum has seen her cousin in years as you haven’t taken her.”

  Mary rolled her eyes.

  “You know full well that mum can’t stand Aunt Vera.”

  Cathy shrugged.

  “Well it’s only one night.”

  Mary sighed.

  “Well I’d better give you enough medicine for mum.”

  Cathy’s eyebrows rose slightly.

  “Can’t she take it herself?”

  Mary snorted.

  “There are four tablets every morning, one at lunch-time and three with her evening meal; and that is definitely before the meal and before eight o’clock. The tablets are very small and mum often drops them if you don’t put them in an egg-cup for her.”

  Cathy glanced at the doorway and lowered her voice.

  “I didn’t know she was that bad?”

  Mary suddenly gained a malevolent streak.

  “Oh she’s not that bad, but you do have to sort out her tablets and you do have to shower with her.”

  Cathy’s face took on an aura of disgust.

  “Shower with her?”

  Mary sighed.

  “She fell over in the shower five years ago remember? That’s why I moved back in. She’s slipped twice since and I’m not risking her breaking a hip in a shower fall, it could kill her.”

  Cathy shrugged.

  “There’s always a bath.”

  Mary rolled her eyes and almost stamped her feet.

  “You try getting her out of a bath.! But I guess you and Jenny together might manage.”

  Cathy paused, plainly realising for the first time that taking mother might not be an easy option. In a swift decisive action Cathy crossed her arms.

  “Well Jenny s there to help me, she’s coming down as well.”

  Mary’s eyes widened.

  “You and Jenny on the same holiday! God forbid.”

  Cathy tossed her head.

  “We’re reformed characters, we’ve decided that we’re twin sisters and that we should get along.”

  Mary gave a derisory laugh.

  “I haven’t seen hell freezing over or pigs flying in formation.”

  Cathy took umbrage and went to escape from the kitchen.

  “Where’s mum’s suitcase?”

  “Back room, on top of the double wardrobe. Her toiletry case is inside.”

  Cathy trounced out and went up the stairs two at a time; Mary shot into see her mother. To her surprise her mother was grinning from ear to ear. She hissed to Mary.

  “Don’t you go worrying about me, I rather think that I’m going to enjoy this.”

  Mary sat down and held her hands.

  “You don’t have to go mum. I’ve got a holiday next week and we could go somewhere nice together; somewhere you wanted to go.”

  Her mother broke back into her lopsided grin.

  “Of course I don’t need to go, and they needn’t think that after all these years they can bribe me with a cheap holiday. Besides having Jenny and Cathy there together could be fun.”

  Mary rubbed her mother’s hands.

  “Now you won’t go playing one off against the other will you?”

  Her mother merely smiled and then leant forward.

  “I know that you’ve got time off booked next week and I worked out that you haven’t had a holiday by yourself since you came home from university. So you go ahead and have a holiday free of me, after all who knows what the future holds.”

  Mary became suspicious.

  “Are you not telling me something; you are alright aren’t you?”

  Her mother nodded.

  “Fit as a flea.”

  She gave another sly smile.

  “And I rather think that I am about to be pampered beyond all reason.”

  Mary held her mother’s hands.

  “You be careful.”

  She looked Mary in the eye and said with feeling.

  “I know you care,” she pointed upstairs.

  “But I don’t think they do, least not in the same way as you.” She smiled again. “But we might as make hay while the sun shines. Besides, I haven’t been able to annoy our Vera for years.”

  Cathy reappeared and Mary stood up.

  “I’ll pack for mum, at least I know where everything is.”

  Her mother made a coughing noise.

  “Don’t forget my swimsuit.”

  Cathy’s face said it all.

  Mary arrived at the library on Tuesday morning feeling harassed and angry. Jenny had turned up to collect her mother and had been sharp-tongued and acerbic when she found that mother had not even eaten her breakfast. Mary had not failed to notice that the sharp-tongue and acid comments had been directed at her, whilst her mother got the full silk tongued verbal caress. To make matters worse when she eventually arrived at the back of the library the rubbish collection lorry was sitting across the entrance and she had to wait six frustrating minutes. Finally she managed to drive into the car-park and park in the bay with the fading disabled sign that John had insisted on having painted when she had first arrived six years ago. She was now running fifteen minutes late and had to open up the library and Internet café in less than ten minutes. Muttering to herself she entered through the back to find the lift engineers working on the lifts. She looked at the taller of the two.

  “Any chance of going up?”<
br />
  He shook his head and she inwardly groaned. She walked to the staircase to find a harassed looking Serena, who instantly held out her hands.

  “Keys, I’ll unlock and turn on the escalator.”

  Mary sighed with relief and handed them over. She walked through to the book-shop and spotted Robert and Josie waiting outside, muttering darkly under her breath she opened the book-shop door and let them in. Robert gave a sheepish smile.

  “Sorry were so early, I’ve got to drive to Stansted Airport to pick up her grandparents and bring them back.”

  Mary sighed, but managed to hold her temper.

  “And you expect to do that by 1pm?” She replied through gritted teeth

  Robert gave a schoolboy grin.

  “If everything goes to plan and I see no reason why I shouldn’t.”

  Mary took a deep breath to control herself, she was having a bad morning.

  “If it doesn’t go to plan, don’t worry Josie will be OK here.”

  Robert displayed relief on his face.

  “Thanks, but I’m not expecting trouble, according to the airline everything is on schedule.”

  “Where are they coming from?”

  He looked surprised that she should ask.

  “Norway.”

  Just then the escalators started up with and Robert looked at them; he suddenly became enthusiastic.

  “I hadn’t noticed before, these are Krull escalators, nice piece of work these, they’ll run on for ever, shame their so wasteful of energy though, must cost you a fortune to run.”

  Mary was not in the least interested, he looked up at Serena coming down.

  “And the engineers always put the on/off switches at the top, idiosyncratic that, everyone else puts them at the bottom.”

  Mary decided she had had enough small talk of one day.

  “Thought you were desperate to get to the airport?”

  He suddenly looked at his watch and scuttled out the door, stopping to give Josie a brief kiss on the way. Mary looked at Josie and pointed upwards. They rode up the escalator and near the top Mary pointed to the far end of the library.

  “Run down to the bottom of the library and turn on every light switch you can find.”

  Josie nodded.

  “Want me to turn on the computer in the junior library as well?”

  Mary nodded.

  “If you can.”

  They reached the top and Josie scuttled off down the library while Mary turned on the power to the Internet Café and started up the computers. She was half-way through the boot up routine, and wondering where Bella was, when Josie reappeared by her side.

  “It’s asking for a password.”

  Mary smiled at her eagerness.

  “The password is Jupiter, can you spell that?”

  Josie nodded excitedly.

  “J-U-P-I-T-E-R, it’s the planet next to Mars.”

  Mary was surprised.

  “How do you know that?”

  Josie grinned.

  “’Cause I’ve got a poster of the solar system on the wall of my bedroom, dad gave it to me.”

  She ran off down the library and, fortunately, Bella appeared. Mary gave her an inquisitive look, Bella gave a sheepish smile.

  “Sorry, one of those mornings.”

  Mary stood up.

  “Tell me about it.”

  Mary pointed to the screen.

  “See you’ve ironed out nearly all the quirks in the start-up software for me.”

  Bella shrugged.

  “Helped pass the time when business is slack.”

  Mary looked at the clock.

  “At nine o’clock your afternoon replacement will turn up for a briefing of how all this works. Be kind to her she hasn’t touched a computer in two years, she’s called Charlotte.”

  Bella gave him a funny look.

  “Do you mean Charlotte Smith?”

  “You know her?”

  Bella laughed.

  “I know of her. My brother was in her class at school, you do know that she was thrown out of the sixth form for trying to take the headmaster’s head off with a snooker cue?”

  Mary nodded.

  “Yes I know, she worked here for a time.”

  Bella gave Mary a worried look.

  “Seriously, do I need a hard hat for this hand-over.”

  Mary chose her words diplomatically.

  “She’s mellowed somewhat.”

  As if on cue Charlotte appeared at the top of the escalator and walked over, she appeared very nervous; she was wearing jeans and a tee-shirt. She looked apprehensively at Mary.

  “Sorry about the jeans, my only dress is in the wash.”

  Mary studied her attire.

  “Dress code has changed since you were last here, jeans are now acceptable, but not suggestive slogans on tee-shirts.”

  Charlotte nodded.

  “I’ll wear a different one next time.”

  Mary smiled, mostly with relief that Charlotte had actually turned up.

  “Glad you could give us some time this week.”

  She shrugged.

  “Owed some holiday by the laundry, so I took it today and Thursday, is that OK?”

  She looked so apprehensive and unsure of herself that Mary gave her what she hoped was a beaming smile.

  “That’s wonderful, when you’ve talked with Bella come over and we’ll sort out your contract, give me an hour or so, it’s been one of those mornings.”

  Mary introduced Charlotte to Bella and Charlotte smiled.

  “You’re not Vernon’s little sister are you?”

  Bella nodded and Mary left them chatting.

  Two hours later Mary took Josie into the small room for some drink and a snack, as they entered Josie dived for the locker and took out two drinks, she paused to look at a picture on the locker door.

  “Is that your parents?”

  Mary nodded as she handed Josie a small nut-bar.

  “It was taken a long time ago.”

  Josie peered at it.

  “You dad was tall.”

  Mary didn’t particularly want to go down this road.

  “He was a policeman.”

  Josie nodded.

  “My mummy’s tall.”

  Mary’s curiosity was suddenly aroused.

  “Really?”

  Josie nodded seriously.

  “Well taller than dad, I’ve got a photo.”

  Something in her tone made Mary change the subject.

  “Your dad said that you’re going on holiday next week, do you know where to?”

  Josie practically started bouncing up and down in her chair as she opened both cans of drink without asking.

  “London, he’s going to take me to The Planetarium.”

  Something clicked in Mary’s mind.

  “Do you like the stars?”

  Josie nodded.

  “Dad said that one year we can go to Norway and see the Aura Bora…”

  Mary stifled a smile.

  “Aurora borealis.”

  Josie nodded.

  “They’re supposed to be brill. We’ve got a DVD of them, but dad says that it’s nothing like seeing them.”

  They chatted about the stars and Mary eventually opened the door.

  “Please would you go and see if the children’s computer is still working.”

  Josie nodded and set out on her mission, Mary closed the door and swung round. While she had been talking to Josie she had been idly inspecting the various fuse boxes, each fuse box had a little Bakelite label saying what it controlled and the fusebox that had been above Josie’s head was labelled ‘Escalators and Auxiliary circuits.’ What had caught Mary’s attention was it’s position. For a start it was on a different wall to the other fuseboxes and whereas the other fuseboxes seemed to be connected to the electricity meter, this one seemed to go directly into a totally different power cable. She stood staring at it for a few minutes, she was no electrician, but there was something wrong
; if it wasn’t connected to the meter how did the electricity company know how much to charge her for the electricity used by the escalators? And Robert had said that they used rather a lot. Eventually she gave up and went downstairs to the book-shop and sought out the children’s section. Serena wandered up as Mary thumbed through some books.

  “Looking for something?” She said gently.

  Mary took a step back form the shelf.

  “Wondered if we had any copies of Nat Wilson’s Space Journey left.”

  Serena pointed to a higher shelf..

  “Only one and it’s one of the original hardback versions, they were a bit overpriced, but the paperback is a real good seller. I’m expecting some more next week.”

  Mary puckered her lips and then made a decision.

  “I’ll take it, can you put it on my tab?”

  Serena looked doubtful and said diplomatically.

  “I know that you’re the boss, but your tab is rather large at the moment.”

  Mary looked at her with surprise.

  “Didn’t I pay it last month?”

  Serena shook her head.

  “Nor the month before, it stands at nearly a hundred pounds.”

  Mary raised an eyebrow.

  “Why ever didn’t you tell me?”

  Serena shrugged looking lost for words; Mary patted her on the arm.

  “Sorry Serena, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

  She pulled her credit card out of her back pocket and tendered it to Serena, who took it gratefully.

  “Book you want is third from the end, the one with the purple spine, I’ll knock off your 15%.”

  Mary signed for the transaction and headed up the escalator.

  Ten minutes later her mobile phone rang and she swiftly answered it so as not to disturb the customers; it was Robert. He sounded somewhat subdued and said he had what he called ‘a bit of a problem.’

  Mary couldn’t help rubbing it in.

  “Not all going smoothly then?”

  She could hear the frustration in his voice.

  “No, some charter airline had managed to try and land without it’s undercarriage locked, no-body’s hurt, but they’ve closed the runway, the only runway. The plane I’m waiting for will be diverted, probably to Heathrow, possible Gatwick.”

  Mary sighed.

  “Just send me a text message, Josie’s OK.”

  There was a silence and he made a sort of half-strangled noise.