by Ivan B
Mary looked down the empty back road.
“Well wait out the front tomorrow, I don’t like you waiting here.”
Jasmine shrugged.
“I’ll be alright.”
Mary fixed her with a stern gaze.
“I wasn’t giving you the option, wait at the front or don’t have a job.”
Jasmine unconsciously took a step back from Mary.
“I didn’t…”
Mary suddenly smiled.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to snap, but I can’t have my staff mugged in a back alley.”
They entered and Mary pointed down the library.
“Make yourself useful, turn on the lights and go and introduce yourself to Serena the book-shop manager, she knows your coming and mainly working with her. Come back at tea-time and I’ll fill you in about discounts etc. Jasmine looked surprised and Mary smiled at her innocence.
“You’ll be a full member of staff just like the other part-timers, so you get 15% discount in the book-shop, free lending and a free hour a day on the Internet, two if there’s nobody waiting.”
Jasmine’s smile should have been photographed, she virtually skipped down the library. Mary settled down at her desk and then mentally swore, she’d left her reading glasses at home.
At 4pm Mary had had enough, her head was pounding like a steam hammer and she’d done about as much as she could. She sought out Serena, handed her the safe keys and left for home. Jasmine watched her leave and then got on dusting the bookshelves, she was unsure what to make of Mary, but she had given her a job and full-staff status, so she couldn’t be all bad.
Mary drove home and found her reading glasses in the toilet, she packed them in her back-pack and checked the house over. She lay down for an hour, but the headache didn’t abate. In the end she took two of her first-class pain killers and drove to Robert’s. He opened the door to her and grimaced.
“My god you look ill.”
She managed a weak smile.
“I’ve taken some tablets, but that means that you’ll have to drive, at least to start with as they send me to sleep.”
He carried what seemed like an endless stream of bags to the car and Mary stopped him before he picked up the last one.
“Has Josie got an MP3 player?”
“No.”
“On her phone?”
“No.”
Mary decided this was hard work.
“Have you packed any of Josie’s CDs?”
His face said that it had not crossed his mind.
“No, why?”
She managed a superior smile.
“I’ve brought my personal CD player along, she could listen to her music in the back of the car.”
His face brightened up.
“Brilliant idea!”
He went upstairs and returned with a fistful of CDs and they made their way to the car. Robert looked at the controls and Mary half smiled again, but her head was really killing her. “If you fold the accelerator flap on the left forward, clip the long U-shaped rod up above your feet, move the knurled nut from right to left and you’ve got normal controls and a foot-rest for your left foot. You can remove the steering wheel knob if you want to, it has a quick release catch, and then you are ready to go.”
He followed her instructions.
“Nice little trick that, makes the car dual use.”
He sat in the drivers seat, Mary climbed into the passenger seat.
“And it’s an electric seat, you can raise it if you want, it will remember my settings.”
Robert whirred the chair forward.
“Any thing else I should know?”
She pointed to the offside mirror.
“Small mirror on top which is supposed to help you overtake, frankly I never trust it, oh and they’ve beefed up the power steering at low speed.”
He started the engine and she snuggled herself against the door, within three miles she was asleep. He drove up the A12 and turned off for Aldeburgh, it took him nearly an hour with the holiday traffic, but Mary didn’t stir. He glanced at the car’s dials and drove into a petrol station. It took him a few minutes to find the fuel flap release and fill up the petrol tank, Mary seemed lost in her own world. He drove out of the fuel station and glanced at her, she seemed so peaceful, and at least her colour had changed from ashen grey with a tinge of green to something more approaching normal. He stopped outside the hotel where Josie was staying and crept out of the car to find Josie running down the hotel steps. She flung her arms around him.
“That’s Mary’s car!”
He held his finger to his lips.
“Sssh, she’s not been feeling to good and she’s sleeping.”
Josie replied in an exaggerated whisper.
“What are you doing in Mary’s car?”
Robert whispered back.
“She’s coming on holiday with us.”
Josie’s eyes became like saucers and she bounced up and down, Robert grabbed hold of her hand and took her inside.
Ten minutes later Mary woke up and found herself on the sea-front at Aldeburgh. Her head felt much better and she left the car to cross the road and to stand gazing at the sea while leaning on the sea-wall. As usual there was the evening sea breeze and she let it blow across her face and gently wake her up to full consciousness. The tablets were the best she had, but they always caused sleepiness and had a slight lingering after-effect like mild disorientation. She felt like she had been plucked from the library and placed on the sea-front at Aldeburgh; she stood and enjoyed the breeze without a care in the world.
Josie’s surrogate grandmother looked out of the hotel window and whispered to her husband.
“But who is she? He’s never mentioned a Mary before.”
He chuckled.
“Looks a bit of all right to me!”
She dug her elbow in his ribs.
“But is she all right for Josie?”
He considered the question.
“Guess she must be the Mary who gave Josie that space book, the one she’s been reading every evening.”
The woman continued to gaze out of the window.
“She said she got it from the lady at the library.”
He made a snorting noise.
“Well there’s you answer then, Mary must be the lady from the library.”
The woman rolled her eyes in exasperation.
“But what is she doing with Robert? I hope they’re not intending to play nooky in the flat while Josie is there.”
He gave a low snigger.
“Chance would be a fine thing.”
His reward was a much sharper dig in the ribs.
Mary turned to find Josie standing beside her; she had not yet left her soporific state and was nowhere near normality. Josie was all beaming smiles.
“Dad says that you’re coming with us to London.”
Still in a bit of a daze Mary put her arm round Josie.
“Wouldn’t miss the chance of a holiday with you.”
Josie almost burst with pride, she suddenly looked at Mary’s ears.
“And you’re wearing ear-rings.”
Mary fingered her ear-lobe.
“Well I figured if you could have your ears pierced then so could I.”
Josie said seriously.
“You have to keep them scrumptiously clean.”
Mary laughed.
“You mean scrupulously, scrumptious means wonderful to eat.”
Josie laughed at the idea of eating Mary’s ears and they stood looking at the sea.
The surrogate grandmother watched the two of them and decided that they fitted well together; it seemed Mary made Josie laugh and that was good enough for her. She turned to Robert.
“Josie seems to like her.”
Robert looked out of the window at the two of them and had to agree; he turned to face the couple.
“Thanks for having Josie, it’s so good for her to see you again.”
The both smiled and t
he man nodded.
“We’ll be back down here in late August, so we can give her another long weekend.”
Robert felt embarrassed.
“You don’t have to you know.”
The woman smiled and turned to look at Josie.
“We love seeing her, she’s growing so fast.”
She became serious.
“I don’t suppose Marcia has been in touch?”
Robert’s face took on a hard expression.
“Not a note, not a word, not even a birthday card; absolutely nothing.”
He suddenly realised that the grandmother was looking at Mary. He laughed.
“You can stop dreaming now, she may be good enough for Josie, but she’s a might too grouchy for me.”
She muttered.
“Shame, you could do with a good woman.”
Robert watched his daughter snuggle under Mary’s arm and hoped it wouldn’t all end in tears.
Two hours later they entered the outskirts of London and Mary woke up again, this time she was fully awake, the effect of the tablets having worn off. She stretched.
“Where are we?”
“Stratford.”
She looked in the back, Josie had her earphones on, but was fast asleep.
“She looks peaceful enough.”
He grinned.
“Quietest journey I’ve ever had, she was asleep by Woodbridge.”
He stopped at some traffic lights.
“Nice car this, easy to drive and well kitted out.”
She stretched again.
“Courtesy of the girl with a thousand stitches.”
He looked mystified and she added.
“My dad decided that he had to do something when mum was nursing me, so he set about building up a mobility fund for me. He sold my story to a number of magazines and I took part in a TV documentary on parachuting accidents, I got £5000 for three minutes of videotape. We used the money to install the stair-lift, buy numerous labour saving devices and saved up money to buy a car when I could drive. My first car was a converted Rover, then two years ago I splashed out on this. The high seats and wide doors make it easy for mum.”
He looked bewildered.
“I thought there were grants for that sort of thing.”
She laughed.
“There are till you try and claim them, you could die of old age before they come through. We found it easier to pay first and claim later.”
She looked at some passing road signs.
“Where are we going?”
The City of London and the Barbican complex, a firm which contracts work out to me has a flat there. It’s mainly for overseas clients, but they let their staff and contractors use it.
“So Josie’s been there before?”
“Three times for a weeks holiday, but she wouldn’t remember one of them as she was only eleven months, and we’ve had a few long weekends there as well. However, she might not recognise it as I’m told it’s had a complete make-over”
He drove into the underground car park associated with the flats and made for the far side, he stopped by a car-parking space that was full of a large Toyota. He banged his hand against his forehead.
“I forgot, they told me that one of their best clients had parked his car here while he’s abroad.”
Robert sat still, obviously wondering what to do, he muttered to himself.
“There aren’t any free visitors spaces, so now what?”
Mary pointed to an empty parking bay, he shook his head.
“Can’t park there, it’s got a disabled sign.”
Mary rummaged in the glove box and brought out a disabled parking permit and stuck it on the windscreen. He looked amazed.
“Didn’t know you had one of them.”
She grimaced.
“I’m not exactly proud of the fact.”
They parked and almost instantly a security guard came running over, he stopped at what he thought was the driver’s door. He said officiously.
“Can’t park there luv, it’s for the knackered.”
She tapped the permit with her hook.
“Is this knackered enough?”
He instantly backed off.
“Sorry luv, haven’t seen you before.”
Robert leaned over.
“Hello Jake, still here?”
His craggy face broke into a smile.
“Yes thanks Mr Handly, here for the flat again?”
Robert nodded and Jake turned to Mary.
“No disrespect meant ma’am.”
She laughed.
“None taken.”
He sauntered away and a voice from the rear murmured gently.
“What’s knackered mean?”
Five minutes later they were all standing outside the door to the flat while Robert searched his pockets for the key. Finally he produced the correct key, turned it in the lock, punched in a code on the keypad and opened the door. Mary stepped inside and stopped dead.
“Good grief, it’s life something out of a fashion magazine!”
Robert struggled past her with a couple of bags.
“Don’t forget that they are out to impress their clients, so remember the golden rule, nothing is quite what it seems.”
Josie, who had woken up at record speed, bounded across the lounge and into the corridor at the far end. Mary looked at a huge wall-painting.
“That’s a bit gross.”
Robert smiled.
“Well I’ll change it later if you like, it’s a plasma display that is really the TV screen, but doubles up as a wall painting.”
She gave it a serious look.
“And they leave it on all the time?”
Robert chuckled.
“Definitely not. The flat comes alive when you punch in the code on the door lock and there are movement detectors around the flat; if there’s no movement for half an hour the flat shuts down till there is.”
Josie came back from the corridor looking concerned.
“Can’t find any beds in my bedroom.”
They trouped down a short corridor, past what looked like an executive bathroom and a pristine kitchen to the bedrooms, as they reached the doors Josie turned to her father.
“Can I share with Mary?”
Both adult chorused “No,” at the same moment and then smiled together.
Josie opened the bedroom door. The room was tastefully furnished with a dressing table, a couple of armchairs and a wall to wall built in wardrobe. Robert smiled and crossed the room.
“It’s a fold-away bed”, he slid open a wardrobe door and pressed a button, the centre of the ‘wardrobe’ to folded downwards and steadily dropped a double bed onto the floor. He looked at Mary.
“This is usually Josie’s room.”
Josie confirmed the fact by jumping onto the bed. They walked across the corridor and into the second bedroom, Robert announced.
“This will be your room, it’s got an en-suite bathroom through the door in the corner.”
Mary surveyed the furniture and said quietly to Robert.
“There is no way I can sleep in here if the only bed is that futon.”
He half heard her.
“Each room also has it’s own air-conditioning unit, so you can set what temperature you want.”
He suddenly stopped his patter.
“Too hard for you is it?”
She said in a menacing growl.
“No it’s too low, I need to be able to sit down on the edge of the bed and slip into bed, not fall into it.”
Understanding dawned, Mary quickly added.
“Lets have a look at the one in the lounge.”
They went back into the lounge and Robert ran his hand along the back of a white leather three-seat settee and then crouched down on his haunches, he muttered under his breath and stood up.
“They’ve changed the furniture, this is a three seat settee with independent moveable leg supports, you stuff your hand down between the cushions a
nd there’s some buttons to move the supports up and down, but it’s not a sofa-bed.”
Mary felt the cushions.
“That doesn’t matter I’ll sleep on the settee as it is.”
He responded firmly.
“I’ll sleep on the settee, I’m short enough to still be able to stretch out and anyway your our guest and guests don’t sleep in the lounge.”
She looked at him and whispered.
“But Josie loves the room she’s in.”
Robert winked and went to find Josie; she was tucking a red teddy-bear into the bed. Robert sat on the edge of the bed.
“Josie, we’ve got a problem, I think Mary will need to sleep in here.”
Josie smiled.
“With me?”
Robert wagged his finger.
“No not with you, you’ll have to move into the other room.”
She stared at her father for a moment and then grinned.
“The room with its own toilet?”
Robert nodded, she smiled from ear to ear and removed her teddy from the bed.
“Okey-dokey.”
She went off to investigate and Mary looked at Robert.
“Where ever did she learn that expression?”
He shrugged.
“Too much telly I guess.”
Robert went to gather some more cases from the car and Mary suddenly called after him to also bring the walking stick from the boot, he turned and gave her a quizzical look. She gave a feeble smile.
“I’m trying to give my right knee a rest.”
She went to check out the bedroom; it too had a picture that doubled as a TV, plus a refrigerated drawer built into the dressing table and a remote control that, if she read the annotations correctly, controlled the lighting, curtains TV and radio.
Mary was just investigating the kitchen when Robert returned, laden with bags. He calmly paused.
“Fridge/freezer is probably full o food, we can eat what we like and don't have to replace anything,”
She opened the door of a large stainless-steel monstrosity and did a double take. She turned to Robert.
“But it's stuffed full of food from Harrods and Marks & Sparks! Are they made of money?”
He reappeared at the doorway.
“Basically yes, they had a turnover of five million last year, so a little client hospitality gets lost in the small change.”