‘Oh, Pen,’ Rory took the drink out of her hand and put it on the bar. ‘Stop drinking that gin, it’s making you maudlin. Susie will be happy for you! She doesn’t invite you only because you’re single, you silly thing. We have fun together.’
Rory wasn’t convinced that Susie wouldn’t throw a hissy fit once she realised that Penny had picked up a man with seemingly little effort, but she wouldn’t mention that right now. Penny’s emotional response probably included a big dollop of worry about Nathan Finch too. That man had a lot to answer for.
‘Thanks, Rory. I’m probably being silly.’ Finally, Penny smiled. ‘He is really nice. We have been out a few times and we have such a nice time. He’s kind and thoughtful. Funnily enough, he does know Colin and they’re about the same age.’ She sat up in her seat. ‘Too old for you, otherwise I’d ask if he had a friend.’
Rory nearly spat out her gin. ‘Not you too, Penny? I’ve got enough to cope with dealing with stupid Cupid over there.’ She turned to jerk a thumb in Susie’s direction and, because Susie was now behind her, ended up sticking it in her boob, instead. ‘Sorry! I didn’t realise you’d come back.’
‘Don’t apologise. It’s the nearest I’ve come to any action tonight.’ Susie slumped down and picked up Penny’s drink. ‘Is this for me?’
‘Yes.’ Penny spoke before Rory could say it wasn’t. ‘That man no good?’
Susie took a large slug of Penny’s drink. ‘Nope. He told me it was great that a woman of my age still came out to events like this. That I hadn’t given up hope.’
‘Dick.’ Rory shot him a death stare across the room.
‘Idiot.’ Penny patted Susie’s hand.
Susie smiled weakly. ‘Thanks, girls. Maybe I’m too late for even the Last Chance Saloon.’ She took another large gulp. ‘I’m going to the loo.’
As soon as she was out of earshot, Penny grabbed Rory’s arm. ‘Look, will you tell her for me? That I’m seeing someone?’
‘Penny! You’re being daft. Surely you’re not scared of her?’
‘Not scared, no. Just a bit worried about how she’s going to react.’
‘Well, I think you’re worrying unnecessarily. Go to the toilet when she gets back and I’ll tell her.’
Penny breathed out. ‘Thanks.’
Susie came back from the toilet. ‘Glad I went when I did; there’s a massive queue now.’
‘Oh, good!’ Penny slipped off her stool and disappeared into the crowd.
Susie looked after her and then back at Rory. ‘Did she not hear me properly?’
Rory patted the stool next to her and waited for Susie to sit down. ‘I need to tell you something. Before I do, I want you to remember that we love Penny. She is our friend.’
‘What’s happened?’
‘She has a boyfriend.’
‘What? How? When? Who? Is it Colin the librarian?’ Susie looked almost hopeful with her last question. Maybe it would be easier to bear if it had been nice, quiet Colin.
Rory shook her head. ‘Apparently not.’
Susie crossed her arms. ‘Fabulous. Whilst I’m running around like a walking, talking pheromone, she manages to attract a mate as if by magic. Don’t worry,’ she uncrossed her arms and held a hand up to Rory. ‘I am pleased for her. I’m not completely bitter and twisted. I just want to know what I’m doing wrong.’
Rory rubbed her leg. ‘You’re not doing anything wrong. It’s just down to luck.’ It was also down to the fact that Susie was attracted to Neanderthals, but Rory kept that to herself. This wasn’t the time for another lecture.
Susie slapped the bar in front of them and beckoned to the barman. ‘Do you know what’s not down to luck? Getting rat-arsed. My round; let’s make them doubles this time.’
Great. There was no way out of this. Susie needed to get stinking drunk and she wouldn’t want to do that alone. Which meant Rory would be nursing a massive hangover tomorrow and that would wipe out the whole day for any DIY or schoolwork. Sunday, she was planning on going to the hospital to speak to Charlie’s mum. And hospitals made her feel queasy at the best of times.
Chapter Nineteen
The antiseptic smell hit her as soon as she walked in; it made her stomach flip. Belle hadn’t been an accident-prone child, so the last time Rory had been here had been the night with her dad. The night they’d come home without him. She hated hospitals. Particularly this one.
It took a while to locate the ward with Charlie’s mum. Hospital signage was confusing and Rory was still feeling delicate after the session with Susie on Friday. If Susie had been trying to drown her sorrows, she’d succeeded in generating a tsunami. Eventually, Rory found the right ward and was directed to the right bed by a helpful young nurse, who asked her to use the hand sanitiser first. The alcohol in it made her want to heave.
Rory wasn’t prepared for how Charlie’s mum would look. Or for the sight of Charlie by his mum’s bed. He jumped up. ‘Hello, Miss! What are you doing here?’
She nodded in the direction of the bed. ‘I’ve come to see your mum, Charlie.’ She smiled at his mum. ‘Hello, Mrs Lewis. Nice to see you again.’
Charlie’s face darkened. ‘Am I in trouble?’
‘No, no. Not at all. I just wanted to come and give your mum an update, seeing as she can’t make it to Parents’ Evening this year. I want to let her know in person how well you’re doing in English.’
Like the sun coming out, Charlie’s face cleared. Then he looked a little bashful. ‘Thanks.’
‘Actually, Charlie, I’m dying for a coffee. Is there any chance you could run to the canteen and get me one if I give you some money?’
Charlie stood up and pulled himself as straight as he could. ‘I’ve got money, I’ll get you one.’ He turned to his mum. ‘Do you want anything, Mum?’
She shook her head weakly and then moved as if to pull herself up in the bed. Rory stepped forward. ‘Please don’t move on my account, Mrs Lewis. I’ll sit closer, if that’s OK?’
‘Of course. And please call me Jane. Go on, Charlie. Go and get your teacher a drink.’ As soon as he’d run off, she turned to talk to Rory. ‘You haven’t come in to give me his English report, have you?’
Rory shook her head. ‘No. I’ve come with a bit of a proposition.’ She paused, wondering how to start. ‘I’m worried about Charlie. I’m worried about this running away business.’
Jane sighed a weary sigh. ‘Me too. But what can I do? I’m in and out of here a lot at the moment. I keep getting dehydrated. It’s the Crohn’s. When I’m in here, I can barely move, much less go out and find him.’
‘You’ve been in a lot of pain?’
Charlie’s mum blushed and then nodded. ‘I don’t know how much you know about Crohn’s, but it’s not a pleasant condition.’ She laid her head back into the pillows and stared up at the ceiling. ‘I’m due for another operation at the beginning of November and I’ll be in for a week. I don’t know what I’m going to do. He hates being in foster care. Hates it. It doesn’t matter if they put him with nice people. He just won’t stay.’
‘And there aren’t any family members who can have him? Or friends?’
Charlie’s mum’s weary head sunk even lower into the pillow. ‘No one. We moved down here to get away from his dad; I don’t know if he told you that? I can’t risk telling anyone where we are. I can’t risk it.’ She closed her eyes as if she was exhausted.
Rory didn’t ask why. It didn’t take a genius to work it out. She took a deep breath. ‘What if he came to stay with me?’
Charlie’s mum’s eyes snapped open at the exact same moment as Charlie turned the corner back onto the ward. He proudly produced a paper cup of coffee.
‘You’re a superstar.’ Rory smiled at him. ‘Did you get sugar?’
Charlie hit the heel of his hand against his forehead. ‘I knew I’d forget something! I’ll be right back!’ He scooted off again.
Rory turned back to Jane. ‘You don’t have to decide anything right now. It’s a
big thing, I know. But he could stay with me when you’re in hospital or when things get difficult for you to manage at home. I can help him stay on top of his work too, and…’
‘Yes.’
‘Wait. I need to explain. My house is a bit of a mess because we are renovating it and…’
‘Yes. Please, yes.’
Rory smiled. ‘Are you sure?’
‘I’m coming out of hospital tomorrow and have no idea how I am going to look after him and myself for the next few weeks until I’m back in for the op. I don’t have any local friends.’ Mrs Lewis looked down at the bedclothes, which she was twisting in her hands. ‘I can’t get out very much. I lost my job too, and I’ve been too ill to look for anything else.’ She looked up at Rory. ‘I know Charlie likes you. I know that you’ll look after him. To be honest, it will be a huge weight off my shoulders to know that he is okay. He’s been more of a parent to me than I have to him these last few months. And it’d only be until I’ve had the op and I’m back on my feet again.’ Tears were brimming in her eyes.
‘Hey, hey,’ Rory leaned forwards and rubbed her hand. ‘He’s a great boy. You’re doing a very good job with him. Look…’ Rory hadn’t planned for this, but in the circumstances, what else could she do? ‘Why don’t you both come?’
‘No.’ Charlie’s mum shook her head. ‘I need to be in my own place.’ She blushed again. ‘I’m back and forth to the loo all the…’
‘You don’t need to worry about that with us…’ Rory stopped talking when Charlie’s mum raised her hand.
‘That’s very kind, but I just wouldn’t be comfortable. I’ll be fine at home. Charlie can be in and out to see me whenever he wants, but he’ll be at yours for meals and getting him to school and stuff.’ She let out a long sigh. ‘And when I go in for my operation, he won’t have to go to foster carers.’
When Charlie reappeared with the sugar, they told him their plan. He was shocked by Rory’s proposal but, after some coaxing from his mum, promised to think about it. Rory knew it would be weird for him to be living with his teacher, but she was determined to make it work. She hadn’t liked the way Charlie’s mum looked, lying in that bed. She didn’t know much about Crohn’s disease, but she hadn’t expected her to look so poorly. They had obviously been through a lot more than Charlie had let on. Rory had an overwhelming urge to pick them both up and keep them safe. She also had an urge to visit her own mother and give her a hug.
* * *
‘Well, this is a nice surprise.’ Sheila was in her tiny kitchen, making them a drink while Rory leaned against the counter. ‘I’ve just got back myself; I was at Barb’s, catching up.’
Sheila had made the small kitchen in her retirement apartment look just like the one in Rory’s childhood home, but in miniature. The old biscuit tin was there, the 1970s orange Tupperware salad spinner, the decorative plate from Sheila and Frank’s Isle of Wight honeymoon. It was comforting.
‘How’s Barb’s romance going?’
‘From strength to strength as far as I know; I’ve hardly seen her these last few days. His name is Fred and he lives on his own about five miles from here. He’s still driving, so they’ve been out to some nice places together. Sometimes I wish that I’d learned to drive.’
‘Are you kidding me, Mother? You’d be a liability.’ Rory could imagine Sheila, slowing down every time a sparrow wanted to cross the road.
Sheila carried two cups of tea through to her lounge. ‘Don’t be so cheeky. Anyway, my Belle says she’ll take me wherever I want to go once she can drive.’
‘You’ll be lucky. She’s hardly ever at home.’ This was beginning to play on Rory’s mind more and more. When the house had been a complete mess, she could understand it. But it was really taking shape now; the lounge was comfortable and Belle’s bedroom was finished. Yet she still went out, rather than inviting her friends home.
Sheila sipped her tea. ‘That’s what happens.’ She patted Rory’s knee. ‘They come back eventually.’
‘Maybe you’re right.’
‘Speaking of daughters, I met George’s daughter again. She got a bit teary, love her. Her mum had helped her out so much with her first boy. He’s eleven now. Her youngest is five and Olive always thinks that he’s his older brother – she only ever remembers one of them. Well, you know me, I ended up giving her a cuddle and she had a good old sob. Poor girl just misses her mum; even though her mum is right there, snoring in her chair.’
This story made Rory feel even sadder. Her mum drove her crazy sometimes but she couldn’t imagine not… No, she wouldn’t think about that. ‘I’m sure that was really nice for her to be able to talk about it.’
‘I hope so. I’ve given her my telephone number so that she can call me if she needs anything. She loves George and he adores her, but they aren’t going to sit on the phone for twenty minutes, talking about what the boys have done at school that week. That’s what mums are for.’
Rory reached over and gave her mum’s hand a squeeze. That was exactly what mums were for. ‘How are George and Olive?’
‘Very well. I am going to cook dinner for them next Tuesday. I was thinking I’d get Auntie Jean’s rosemary chicken recipe. Olive has been telling me that her mum cooks with rosemary. I know that her mum is long gone, but if I cook rosemary chicken it might bring back some nice memories.’
‘That’s thoughtful, Mum.’
Sheila nodded. ‘It’ll be nice for me too. You’ll be able to cook properly once your new kitchen is installed. When is it coming?’
‘During the half-term holiday.’ That would give Rory a whole week to get it installed. Should be plenty of time.
‘And are you going to give in and get this John Prince to do it for you?’
Rory sighed. ‘He’s a builder, mum. He has bigger jobs to focus on than my kitchen.’
‘You say that, Aurora, but he’s not doing building work for you, is he? He’s doing all sorts of little jobs.’
He was. Shelves and fireplaces and unblocking drains. ‘I am paying him to do them.’
Sheila raised both eyebrows. ‘So, what is he charging?’
Rory couldn’t answer this. She had paid for materials and she’d paid for the work the electrician had done, but everything else was a bit vague. Every time she’d asked John about paying for his time, he’d managed to fob her off somehow. There was the discount he’d offered if he could use the before and after photos – which she hadn’t yet seen him take – but she was still expecting to pay him. ‘I haven’t seen the latest invoice yet.’
Sheila smirked. ‘Just as I thought. I think he’s interested in you. He’s pretty much been at your beck and call these last few weeks.’
Rory and her mother’s view of men was never going to coincide, but Sheila’s words played on Rory’s mind on the way home in the car. Could John be interested in her? And if he was, would he ever make a move? Or should she?
Chapter Twenty
Firstly, Belle had tried the time-honoured trick of running past the sitting room door, calling out, ‘Bye, Mum! See you later!’
‘Hold on!’ Rory called back. ‘I haven’t even seen you tonight.’ Belle came slowly back down the hallway. Now Rory knew why. ‘What the heck are you wearing? Or should I say, not wearing?’
Belle jutted out her hip and scowled. ‘It’s just a skirt, Mum.’
‘That’s not a skirt, that’s a belt.’ And that was Rory’s own mother’s voice coming out of her mouth. She didn’t care right now. ‘You are not wearing that Belle. What were you thinking?’
Belle rolled her eyes. ‘This is fashionable, Mum. Everyone wears skirts like this. I’ve got thick tights on underneath it.’
Thick tights didn’t help the fact that the skirt was so tight you didn’t even need an imagination to see what was underneath. ‘You cannot go out wearing that unless you have a pair of proper trousers on underneath. Or at least leggings. Where are you going, anyway? You told me you were going to Fiona’s house.’
Be
lle’s head flipped back and she groaned dramatically. ‘I am. Bloody hell. What’s with all the questions?’
Rory felt like she’d been slapped. When did she and Belle speak to each other like this? Clothing discussions had only ever arisen because Belle wanted to wear T-shirts with asinine pictures of Snow White and Minnie Mouse. Not because of outfits suitable for the red-light district. Surely she knew what she looked like? Don’t go crazy. Stay calm. ‘The questions are because you are supposedly going for a sleepover at a friend’s house, and yet you are dressed for a nightclub. Perhaps you can see my confusion?’
‘You pretend to be cool and modern, but you are just like every other mother. It’s so unfair. Just because you don’t believe in people fancying each other, you have to ruin it for me, too. If you’re so bothered about it, I’ll go and get changed into something that covers me from my neck to the floor. Maybe I can find a nice hoodie and jeans.’ Belle flounced out of the room.
‘That would be marvellous, thank you.’ Rory looked down at her own red hoodie and jeans. It didn’t look that bad, did it?
She hadn’t even had a chance to sit back down before the doorbell rang. It was John. And Susie.
‘Look who I found on the doorstep.’ Susie winked. ‘We’ve introduced ourselves properly. I was complimenting John on his long ladder.’
Rory shot Susie a warning look. She’d forgotten they were supposed to be moderating coursework essays tonight. She suddenly felt very tired. And what was John doing here?
‘Sorry to just turn up without calling.’ He scratched the back of his head. ‘Those LED spotlights you wanted were on special offer at the hardware place, so I took a chance and got them for you. I can take them back tomorrow if they’re not any good, so I thought I’d pop them round now and see if they’re what you want?’
Happily Never After_A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy Page 12