A Change for the Better?

by Stephanie Drury

  “Now if you’d like to give me a few details about your grandmother and her requirements, I’ll give you a tour round our little place and you can see if you think it would suit her.” As Violet spoke Katie followed her through the hallway corridor painted in a beautiful pale primrose, almost an exact match for the twinset Violet was wearing. It gave the place a light and calm feeling, again very similar to Violet herself. As they walked, Katie filled Violet in on Mo’s history and why she was looking for a place to stay.

  “Obviously she’ll be back at home once she’s recovered” Katie continued, “but we just need to make sure she doesn’t take on more than she can manage – not that that ever stopped her before.” Violet smiled and replied in her deep soothing tones

  “Well, of course, these sorts of accidents can be very frightening for all of us, especially when they make us realise we’re not as young as we used to be.” Katie nodded but added

  “Oh Mo’s as strong as an ox and she’ll be back up and running in no time. I’m just looking after her place for her until she’s back on her feet.” Violet raised a quizzical, perfectly shaped eyebrow and just said “Absolutely” in a noncommittal tone.

  “Here we are” she added “this is one of our convalescence bedrooms, as you can see it should have everything you, or should I say Mo, would need.” Katie stood open mouthed , indeed it had everything a five star hotel room would have, large bed covered in a sumptuous duvet, TV, telephone – was that a network point?. As Violet showed Katie round the rest of the home it was clear it was all up to the same standard. Spotless kitchens with shining stainless steel units, TV lounges, activity rooms and from every window a different view of the wonderful gardens, hedges trimmed to perfection, gravel walks under vine strewn pergolas and even a small fountain in the centre of a circular patio, it could have been designed by ‘Capability Brown’ himself. Katie thought she could just imagine herself bumping into Mr Darcy with a fluttering in her breast.

  “And this” Violet announced, breaking into Katie’s thoughts, “is the dining room – as you can see we’re having some work done at the moment to add a conservatory style extension onto the back so we have a bit more room. We’re thinking about having tea dances once it’s finished.” She added. Katie looked across the room and it certainly looked big enough to host a fully blown ball let alone a tea dance. She was just imagining herself in the middle of a cotillion when a familiar face popped up beside her.

  “Katie, how nice to see you.”

  “Bert” Katie answered warmly, “How are you? I didn’t realise you were out of the hospital.”

  “Oh I’m fit as a fiddle now, but I’m missing Mo – things seem a bit dull without her around if you know what I mean,” He winked mischievously at Katie. She smiled nervously at Violet McCarthy, she really didn’t want Mo’s reputation to precede her, they might not let Mo stay here and Katie wanted Mo’s recuperation to be as painless and as quick as possible.

  “Bert and Mo got on rather well in hospital, kept each other entertained” Katie explained as vaguely as possible. Bert guffawed at this understatement and Violet answered, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

  “Ah, so your grandmother’s Bert’s Mo is she? Well, I’ve heard all about her, Bert’s spoken about nothing else since his return. Poker tournaments, practical jokes and even a protest organised about the food wasn’t there?” she asked Bert.

  “Oh aye” he answered, smiling at the memory. Katie’s heart sank; trust Mo to be branded a troublemaker before she’d even set foot in the place. Katie thought she ought to try and minimise the damage if there was to be any chance of Mo staying here.

  “Oh it was just high spirits really. Mo didn’t like being confined to a bed; once she’s up and about she’ll be as good as gold.” Katie assured Violet, ignoring Bert as he rolled his eyes in a manner that suggested he didn’t fully agree with Katie’s assessment.

  “Oh I do hope not” Violet replied

  “Erm, sorry” Katie answered, assuming she had misheard

  “I said, I do hope not – it’s about time we had someone to liven things up a bit. I am really looking forward to meeting Mo. We like to have people here with a bit of life about them,” Violet grinned, “after all this is a place where people come to live – not wait to die!” she added emphatically.

  “Oh my goodness is that the time? I’m terribly sorry I have to place the fresh food order. Please feel free to look around the gardens. You can get there through here” Violet pointed to a new door in the conservatory and with a quick shake of the hand and an assurance there was a room for Mo if she wanted it, Violet disappeared, clicking quickly over the laminated floor in her stylish black shoes. Katie said her goodbyes to Bert who was disappearing to watch a poker tournament on the internet and decided she may as well walk back through the garden. The heavy grey clouds of earlier had started to lift a little and a few piercing shafts of sunlight were striking through, giving the garden a look of a photograph negative with bright points dazzling and darker areas almost invisible.

  Passing through the door to the garden Katie noticed the van of the builders who were busily working at the far side of the conservatory. ‘BW Building’ it proclaimed along its side. “Oh no” Katie thought, she really didn’t want to bump into Ben again and have round two of the fight, when she didn’t really know why they were fighting, but her curiosity got the better of her and as she couldn’t hear any workmanlike sounds of rustling newspapers, burping or scratching emanating from the van, she decided to take a closer look at the plans she could see strewn on the front passenger seat. Poking her head through the open window Katie squinted at the plans as she tried to make sense of what they depicted, realising that they could well be upside down for all she knew Katie was about to remove her head from the van when she became aware of another head that popped in from the driver’s side window.

  “Hello” it said “Can I help?”

  “Oh my God” Katie tried to stand up straight, forgetting her head was through the window of a Ford van and promptly banged her head on the roof of it. “Ow – oh bugger, sorry, ow!” she cried as she did it again as she finally managed to extricate her head, generally in one piece, from the window.

  “Um, hello, “she started “I was just taking a look at the plans for this place. My grandmother is coming here shortly and I wanted to make sure the development was suitable.” She added in a haughty tone, somewhat offset by the wild sprig of hair stuck out from the top of her head from her tussle to get out of the window.

  “I see” said the man, who had also removed himself from the driver’s window and was staring at Katie over the cab with much amusement in his eyes, “and were they satisfactory?” he added in lilting Geordie tones and the hint of a smile.

  “Oh, absolutely,” Katie said “it looks like a very sound development. I’m sure it will add great value to the house.” She finished with her best efforts to sound knowledgeable.

  “Aye pet, you might be right, but I don’t think they’ll be much call for a bar area and nightclub here – although they are a lively bunch so you never know.” He added calmly, looking her directly in the eye.

  “Oh” Katie said as she couldn’t think of anything else to say, and then laughing added “Busted – I was just being nosy, those plans could’ve been in double Dutch for all I know. In fact they probably are aren’t they?”

  “Not quite, but they’re not for here. I’m costing up another job in my breaks as we’ve got a tight deadline. I’m John Buddle, by the way, the site manager and I can tell you this is a good home. I’m sure your grandmother will be okay here – and our work will be first rate!”

  “Katie Collins” Katie said offering her hand to John over the top of the van, “actually I know someone who works for your company, Ben Wilson, do you know him?” she added, still a little worried that he might appear at any moment and start randomly shouting at her again.

  “Oh yes” grinned John “I work with Ben quite a lot, it’s
not such a big firm at the moment but we aim to be. He’s not on this job at the moment though.”

  “Oh” Katie responded, partly relieved and, strangely, partly disappointed too, though she couldn’t really decide why. “Well I won’t keep you, sorry for being nosy, but as Mo, my grandmother, always said I couldn’t leave a box unopened even when it quite clearly said what was in it. I guess I haven’t grown out of it!” John smiled and gave a quick wave and a wink as she set off round the gardens and back to her car. Really, she thought to herself, why had she babbled on like that? He must think she was a complete nutter.

  CHAPTER 15

  Katie asked Cliona much the same question the following evening when she went round, ostensibly to discuss the plan for the refreshments tent for the spring fayre. However so far they had drunk a large glass of chardonnay each and Katie had regaled Cliona with her adventures of the previous couple of days and they had as yet failed to even touch on the fayre.

  “So you haven’t heard from Ben yet? Cliona asked

  “No, I don’t expect I will” Katie snorted, “and even if I do, I won’t be speaking to him” she added huffily.

  “Well, maybe it’s just as well, I mean, if you’re pilfering blue prints for jobs, he’ll probably accuse you of being a spy. I think its best you keep out of each other’s way.” Cliona said, keeping half an eye on Katie as she did so. Katie’s face fell slightly and then she put on a nonchalant air.

  “Yes, well, it won’t make any difference to me either way. I don’t care what Ben Wilson gets up to.”

  Cliona kept her own counsel!

  “So let’s get down to planning these refreshments then” Cliona said, changing the subject, “now I think we should break it down into morning, lunch, afternoon teas and evening. If we do menus for each day and then we can work out the staffing rota and the equipment hire. How does that sound?” Cliona asked, “Katie, are you okay?” she added in concern as she saw the horror in Katie’s mahogany eyes.

  “What is it Katie?” Cliona asked again

  “Morning, lunch, tea and evening – for THREE days!” Katie spoke very slowly.

  “Yes” Cliona confirmed “plus drinks and snacks all day. Why?”

  “How am I supposed to do all that? I thought I was throwing a few sandwiches together and slopping tea and coffee in cups. I didn’t know I was expected to be a one woman catering business” Katie replied indignantly, “I can’t do all that.”

  “Of course you can” Cliona responded bracingly “it’s all in the planning – just make things as simple as possible. You know, like quiche and salads for lunch, you can plate up, keep some frozen and cut smaller slices and put more lettuce on if you start running out. Come on Katie, I’ve seen you in action, you can do this – with a little help from your friends.”

  Katie looked at Cliona, somewhat sceptically but somehow her optimistic view was starting to rub off and she found she was actually starting to find the idea quite exciting. She grabbed the pad and pencil in front of her and soon she and Cliona were throwing ideas around. After an hour, and a bottle and a half of Chardonnay, they had agreed the menus for each day and had a list of all the equipment they would have to get into the marquee on the green. Katie looked at the list and groaned dramatically,

  “How am I going to do all this?” she asked “if this is a disaster I’m blaming you entirely” she added, wagging a finger at Cliona.

  “You’ll be fine” Cliona responded, pushing her increasingly wild hair out of her face, “you can make most of that before the fayre anyway. Dec will let you use his kitchen and there’s a spare freezer there for you to put it all in. That’ll be fine won’t it darling?” she asked as Declan came into the dining room and placed a pile of sandwiches and crisps in front of Cliona and Katie, who pounced on them as if she hadn’t eaten for days.

  “What’ll be fine?” he asked as he grabbed a prawn sandwich for himself before they all disappeared.

  “Katie can use our spare freezer to keep the fayre food in after she’s cooked it in your kitchen – at the restaurant.” Cliona said, through a mouthful of York ham and mustard, smiling winningly at him.

  “Absolutely fine, my tipsy love” he said, ruffling her hair as he spoke in a fond gesture. Katie sighed loudly as she watched.

  “I wish someone wanted to ruffle my hair” she said with longing, “the men that I like want to ruffle their wives hair – not mine” she added forlornly, biting into her third sandwich, “I think men don’t want girls like me!” Cliona and Declan looked at Katie with her mane of wavy auburn hair, her expressive amber flecked eyes and pouting mouth, and then looked at each other and burst out laughing.

  “Oh yes, go on, laugh at me. Not only am I unattractive to men. I’m a source of amusement to my friends.” Katie moaned.

  “Friends are exactly what you need at the moment.” Cliona announced, “What does a girl need a man for when she has her friends” she added whilst giving Declan a reassuring pat on the knee in case he felt threatened by this statement. Generally he merely seemed amused by his partner’s and friend’s rambling.

  “Who needs a man” Cliona shouted again, “not you” she added quickly when Katie looked like she might well answer in the positive, “I know how to cheer you up – we’re having a dinner party next Friday with some of our friends, you should come. It’ll be good fun!”

  “Will they all be couples?” Katie asked ominously

  “No, no, they’ll be a mixture, some of my friends, some of Declan’s” Cliona answered

  “Yes” Declan interjected “you’ll know some of them and of course B……”

  “Bob and Marge will be there too” Cliona cut in, shrugging her shoulders as Declan mouthed ‘Bob and Marge’ questioningly at her. Katie seemed satisfied with this and accepted the invitation but as her eyelids were starting to droop she decided it might be time to start making a move home and unsteadily got to her feet and set off in search of her coat.

  “I hope you know what you’re doing” Declan said to Cliona “you know Ben’s coming and if they’re still not speaking to each other I don’t think it’ll add to the evening.”

  “Oh no, it’ll be fine. They just need their heads banging together ever so slightly.” Cliona said breezily.

  “And I’m guessing you’re the woman to do it.” Declan answered with amusement “well, don’t blame me if more of the dinner lands on the walls than on the plates.”

  “Don’t I always know best?” Cliona whispered and dropped a kiss on Declan’s head, “now” she added more loudly “Dec, be a love and walk Katie home as I think she may end up in the gutter without assistance.” Declan turned to see Katie sprawled head first over the arm of the chair she had just walked into, giggling gently to herself. Declan decided Cliona might be right, Katie was just the sort of friend Ben needed to drag him out of himself but he still had some reservations about effecting a peace accord in their dining room. Rising to his feet he headed towards the front door hoisting Katie up on the way, it was certainly true, he reflected, life with Cliona had never been boring!

  CHAPTER 16

  The following Friday as Katie was getting ready for Cliona’s dinner party, she was beginning to wonder why she had agreed to attend such an evening. She had always had a phobia about such events; it came of not being part of an (acknowledged) couple. Katie found she spent most of these evenings avoiding a wet looking eager bloke that her hosts had somehow (possibly out of desperation or a sick sense of humour) picked out as an ideal partner for her. A fact they had usually shared with the rest of the group; which meant that Katie was, for the rest of the evening, feeling like the main participant in some social experiment as the others kept notes behind raised palms. Or if no suitable ‘sad and lonely’ could be found, then Katie spent the evening as the object of everyone’s pity, being given pithy but inspirational words of wisdom from around the table. Like a condemned woman Katie trudged up the road at eight fifteen as instructed, clutching her bottle of Pinot Grigio
like a drowning man to a rope. Only two hours to survive before she could make her escape, and there would be some wonderful food to eat in that time. Declan was a masterful cook without a shadow of a doubt. With this thought cheering her up slightly Katie knocked on Cliona’s door with more bravura than she would have thought possible half an hour ago.

  Cliona swung open the door, in a rainbow of materials that on anyone else would have looked ridiculous but on Cliona simply looked wild and interesting,

  “Hello Katie, come in, we were wondering if you were going to show.” She said in an overly loud voice to the adjoining room.

  “You told me to come at eight fifteen” Katie said indignantly. Cliona smiled conspiratorially, “I know I did” she whispered, “I wanted you to make an entrance.” Cliona grabbed Katie’s arm as she tried to make a bolt for the front door.

  “Everybody, Katie’s here” she announced in a theatrical voice, dragging Katie into the living room, so that all the conversation stopped as everybody turned to examine the new guest, “ Katie has been looking after Tolpuddle House for Mo, whilst she’s been in hospital, she’s single and between jobs at the moment” Cliona added. Katie looked for the hole that was due to open up now so she could jump in before she died of embarrassment. No such luck arrived for her, and as Katie looked around there was still at least eight pairs of eyes turned her way. Katie smiled, pinching Cliona’s arm making her jump, “Hello, it’s so nice to be here and …..” Katie tailed off as her eyes rested on Ben in the corner and then snapped back to Cliona, whom she grabbed by the sleeve and dragged back to the doorway.

  “Cliona” Katie hissed “you never told me Ben was coming – I wouldn’t have come if I’d known” Katie felt the colour rise from her neck and flood her face. Ben had turned away and was whispering something to Declan – probably along similar lines to what she had just said to Cliona, which at least made Katie feel marginally better to think that Ben was as uncomfortable as she was.