A Place to Call Home

by Carole Matthews

  ‘Hmm,’ she says.

  ‘Decisions should never be rushed,’ I tell her. ‘Take your time. Do what’s right for you.’

  ‘At least, having eaten all your spicy food for the last few weeks, I know I won’t starve now.’

  ‘Your daughter-in-law might be very happy to turn her garden over to your care. Think of all the exotic vegetables you could grow.’

  Joy harrumphs at me. ‘You’re wasted as a manicurist, Ayesha,’ she says wryly. ‘You should be a bloody peace ambassador.’

  Chapter Sixty-two

  Hayden was playing the piano when he heard the front door open. He glanced at his watch and couldn’t believe where his day had gone. When he’d sat down this morning, the music had simply flowed out of him, just like the old days. It felt good. He felt strong inside. Happy.

  ‘Hello.’ Ayesha popped her head around the door and his heart soared some more. ‘I’m not disturbing you?’

  ‘No,’ he said. ‘Good to see you all back.’

  Beanie pushed past her mother and ran to him instantly. She threw herself into his arms for a hug and then sat down on the piano stool next to him. He budged up to make more room for her. With a nod from him, they launched straight into their ‘Chopsticks’ duet and, when they’d finished, Ayesha clapped with delight.

  ‘Shall I make some tea?’

  ‘That’d be great,’ he said, and she disappeared towards the kitchen.

  Hayden started to play again. Softly this time. He turned to Beanie. ‘These are some of my old songs,’ he told her. ‘You probably won’t even know them.’ He let the tune slide into ‘My For Ever Love’. ‘This was my biggest hit. It was number one all over the world.’ His fingers moved over the keys, automatically remembering the haunting melody. ‘I’ve managed to sing some of my songs today. One or two. But I can’t get close to this one. It’s about a friend that I liked very much but now she’s gone.’

  He carried on to the refrain, when he tried to hum along, but after a few bars his voice wouldn’t comply. ‘See,’ he said. ‘Just stuck.’

  Then, to his utter shock, Beanie took up the tune. Her voice was soft, barely audible, but there was no doubt that it was there.

  ‘You are my sun, my light, my life. My for ever love,’ she sang.

  He forced himself to carry on playing, act as if there was nothing untoward. But his heart was beating madly against his chest and silently he was screaming for Ayesha to hurry back.

  Sabina’s voice got stronger as she continued to sing. ‘You are my day, my night, my hope. My for ever love. My for ever love.’

  He tried to join in with her, but his voice was more clogged up with emotion than ever before and he couldn’t get a single note out.

  Moments later, when he was trying to work out how to keep the song going so that Sabina wouldn’t stop singing, Ayesha came back bearing a tray of tea and biscuits for them.

  He looked up and caught her eye. She stopped still and he saw her rock back when she realised that Sabina was singing. How she kept hold of the tray, he didn’t know. He saw the mugs rattle and the tea splash out of them though.

  She stood transfixed in the doorway as Sabina continued, the child seemingly unaware of the affect she was having on them both. Tears, he could see, were streaming down Ayesha’s cheeks. He had to admit that he wasn’t far from weeping himself. Sabina had lived here for weeks and in all that time he’d only heard one tiny little noise from her, barely a squeak. Now her soft, childish voice singing his most emotive song was in danger of breaking his heart.

  They came to the natural end of the song and his fingers stumbled on the keys. Sabina gave him a reproving look.

  Ayesha quickly put down the tray and clapped. ‘Very pretty, darling,’ she said, a tremor of excitement, relief and nerves in her voice.

  He couldn’t imagine the emotions that must be going through her head. Saying that she’d be absolutely thrilled didn’t seem in any way adequate.

  ‘I didn’t know you knew that song,’ she added.

  Sabina said nothing.

  ‘Shall we sing it again?’ Hayden suggested in the most casual way he could manage.

  The child shook her head and went over to the tray. It seemed as if the song had unlocked her singing voice in some way, but she still wasn’t going to speak. A glass of milk and a biscuit was obviously more attractive. Ayesha hugged her daughter to her, looking as if she never wanted to let her go.

  ‘Well done,’ she said to her. ‘It was so very lovely to hear you sing.’

  Over her daughter’s head, she mouthed to him, ‘Thank you.’

  Chapter Sixty-three

  The pub was crowded, the band playing too loud. Suresh stood leaning on the bar next to Flynn, Smith and Arunja. He couldn’t even hear himself think, let alone tell what they were saying, and they had a lot of planning to do tonight.

  Suresh leaned over the bar and spoke to the landlord. ‘Can we use the room upstairs for an hour, Cav? We’ve got a bit of business to do.’

  ‘Sure. No problem.’

  ‘Get us another round in then.’ He nodded to the other men. ‘We can go upstairs. I can’t concentrate with this racket.’

  So they waited until their glasses were refilled and Suresh had paid, then pushed through the crowds of youngsters until they reached the stairs. Suresh unhooked the rope that barred the way and they followed in line up the narrow stairs.

  It was a room they’d used many times before. The pub landlord, Pete Cavendish, was a useful bloke to them. Sometimes, if they had gear with a dubious provenance to shift, they moved it through the pub, with a tasty cut for him, and he could be relied on to keep his mouth shut.

  ‘It’s as hot as hell in here,’ Flynn complained as he walked into the room. ‘It’s a night for a barbie, not sitting roasting our nuts off indoors.’

  Smith threw the window open, but it did little to freshen the sour-smelling space. There was an all-pervading reek of damp walls, stale food and old carpet.

  ‘The quicker we get through this the better,’ Arunja said.

  ‘Have you got something more important you need to be doing?’ Suresh asked tightly.

  ‘It’s not that —’ his brother began.

  Suresh cut across him. ‘If anyone doesn’t want to put the time into the planning, then it’s fine by me if you drop out now. You’re either in or you’re out. This is too big to fuck up. One wrong move and we’ll be enjoying an extended stay at one of Her Majesty’s hotels. I don’t know about you gentlemen, but I want to be taking my holidays in the Caribbean after this.’

  Flynn and Smith pulled up chairs and sat at the table in the middle of the room. After a moment’s hesitation, Arunja did the same.

  This was going to be a big job for them. A step up from the piffling little stuff they’d handled before. The stakes were higher than they’d ever been and, as it had been his idea to try for the big time, Suresh wanted nothing to go wrong.

  There was a new jeweller in the town, a smart, upmarket store right in the heart of the shopping centre. It sold to the luxury end of the market, none of your cheap crap in there. Even snatching a tray of Rolexes would net you a couple of hundred grand. He was tired of doing small jobs. They took up a good deal of time and the rewards were disproportionately low. You had to keep the turnover high to make a good living. He wanted to be out of the shitty estate where his parents lived, in a home of his own again. One of those penthouse flats overlooking Campbell Park would suit. Three beds, two baths. Roof terrace, too. That was the sort of place he wanted.

  They were planning to do a smash-and-grab raid. Risky, as it was always busy in the centre no matter what time of day. The element of surprise would be essential. Nothing as audacious as this had been attempted before. Someone who worked in the store had told Suresh that security was lax at best. There were hundreds of thousands of pounds’ worth of watches and jewellery all there for the picking. And they had his name on them.

  They were tooling up for it too; S
mith was getting the guns. ‘Find the persuaders yet?’ Suresh asked.

  Smith nodded. ‘Yeah. No probs. I can pick them up next week. We just need to sort out the cash.’

  Suresh nodded. ‘I’ve got it for you.’ He undid his laptop bag and handed over the money he’d squirrelled away for the job.

  Smith quickly counted it and folded it into his inside pocket.

  ‘As soon as we’ve got them, we’re almost good to go.’

  They’d all been in separately to look at the place and had paid the snitch employee handsomely for information. They had overalls, masks, holdalls. Everything was coming together nicely.

  ‘We’ll strike as soon as they open, catch them unawares,’ Suresh said. He unfolded the plan he had in his pocket and spread it out on the table. ‘We need to get the motorbikes.’

  ‘That’s easily enough done,’ Flynn said. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to do it by car? We can get in a professional driver. We could be in and out quicker on foot. A lot more could go wrong on a bike.’

  ‘With every extra person we bring in, the more we have to split the money, and the bigger risk there is of someone grassing on us. I say we keep it in-house. With the bikes we’ll take them by surprise.’ It would be audacious this way, intimidating. He could almost see the newspaper headlines. ‘We can ride right up into the store. No one will expect it.’

  ‘I can’t wait to get on a bike again.’ Arunja put his hands behind his head and sat back. ‘It’s years since I’ve ridden.’

  ‘That’s why Flynn and Smith will be up front,’ Suresh said. ‘You and I will ride pillion.’

  ‘I can do it,’ his brother told him testily. ‘I can. I used to be a great rider and know this city like the back of my hand. I’m the best man to ride.’

  ‘No,’ Suresh said firmly. ‘You’ll go behind Smith. I’ll be behind Flynn. We’ll be first off the bikes.’

  Arunja sulked and Flynn looked only partly placated, but it was Suresh’s job and he’d run it as he saw fit.

  Doing this had taken his mind off Ayesha too. Everything he’d tried had led to a dead-end. She was gone and it didn’t seem as if she was planning to return any time soon. She probably thought she was free of him. He’d show her how wrong she was.

  It had gone beyond getting her back. This was now war, and he wanted them both wiped off the face of the Earth. He looked at the faint wound across his palm. It would leave a scar, and that was all he wanted left to remind him of her. He wanted a fresh start, unencumbered by an errant wife and a silent child. This raid would make him a rich man. What would he want with a woman like Ayesha when he could have the pick of them? He could have a wife like Arunja’s on his arm. A woman who wore too much make-up and too little clothing. Women like that appreciated a rich man.

  He may have failed to track his wife down so far, but that wouldn’t stop him trying. In the depths of the night, when he couldn’t sleep, he trawled the internet, looking for clues. One day Ayesha would make a mistake. A silly mistake. And he’d be waiting.

  Chapter Sixty-four

  Summer’s at its height now. The days are long and hot. Everyone has forgotten the cold damp of the winter and complains about the heat. But I’ve nothing to complain about. All in my life is well.

  Sabina has sung three more times with Hayden while they’ve been at the piano. I could sing from the rooftops myself to hear her sweet voice again. When I watch her, I sit as calmly as I can so that I don’t frighten her into silence once more.

  She still hasn’t spoken at all, but I feel with hope in my heart that words are just around the corner.

  Joy is happy in the garden. The borders are in full bloom, with roses of every colour and bright pink peonies. Fat bees labour in the lavender bushes and the heady scent of sweet peas fills the air. We’re gorging ourselves on runner beans, courgettes and tomatoes.

  Crystal has now started work at the Highly Polished nail bar in the High Street and has already attended another specialist course on gel nails. I do believe that she’s found her true calling. She never mentions that horrible club any more.

  I go along to Joy’s day centre twice a week now. On Mondays Crystal and I go together as it’s her day off. We arrive in a whirlwind with all our nail equipment and the names fill up our appointment sheet instantly. The hand massage goes down very well, and I’m thinking I’d like to learn to do Indian head massage. I can’t afford to do another course yet, but perhaps I’ll be able to borrow a book from the library to help me. I think the people here would enjoy that too. They’re all elderly and many of them are alone. All they want is a little human contact, some gentle caring.

  I also go in on Thursday every week by myself. The calm atmosphere here suits my soul. The ladies and gentlemen fuss around me like a mummy and daddy would, and I realise that I’ve missed my own parents’ care very much.

  In the morning, a small group of us tuck ourselves in an alcove by the window and I read out loud to them, and they help me with any words I stumble over. Sometimes one or two of them doze off, but I leave them be. I can still speak above the snoring.

  Currently I’m working my way through Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen with them, and I’m finding it very enlightening. How very different things were in those days. Perhaps my sensibilities would have been more suited to those times. I also bring my new friends Sri Lankan savouries to try – vegetable samosas, deep-fried potato patties and lightly spiced flatbreads – and I never have to take any home.

  Hayden is playing the piano every day, and he was overjoyed to tell me that he’s writing songs again. When the phone rings now, he doesn’t shy away but answers it. He says that Sabina and I have unlocked his heart, and I can’t express how glad that makes me feel. I believe that he’s unlocked my own heart too.

  Today, Crystal is beside me at the day centre and I’m happier for that.

  ‘Look at you,’ she says. ‘Positively glowing. You make me sick.’

  I giggle at that.

  ‘No good laughing,’ she says. ‘It’s all right for you to be loved up, but we’ve got to find a nice man for me.’

  ‘I thought you already had your eye on one,’ I tease. She’s been chatting and flirting with Edgar for weeks now, but to no avail.

  ‘If I flutter my eyelashes any flipping harder, they’ll drop off,’ Crystal counters crossly. ‘He’s immune to my charms.’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ I assure her.

  ‘Well, he’d better get a move on,’ she says, ‘otherwise I’ll be so desperate, I’ll resort to copping off with one of these old boys.’

  I’m scandalised. ‘Crystal, you wouldn’t!’

  She chuckles at me. ‘I might do. Ted there has his eye on me.’ Crystal winks at a smart man in a cardigan who must be eighty if he’s a day. He winks back. ‘See.’

  ‘Then you must make your intentions very clear to Edgar.’

  ‘Do you think I should open some more buttons on this top?’

  ‘There are no more buttons to open,’ I tell her. ‘Besides, you don’t want Ted to have a heart attack.’

  ‘True dat,’ Crystal says.

  ‘Look.’ I glance up. ‘Here comes Edgar now.’ Indeed, the centre manager is ambling towards us. He seems like a man who’s never in a hurry. Perhaps this is why he’s being so slow with regards to my dear friend.

  ‘Oh, look at him,’ Crystal sighs.

  He’s a very handsome man, and surely he must be a kind, caring person to work here. His dark hair flops over his brow in an appealing manner. He’s slender in a boyish way, all hips and elbows.

  ‘He’s much younger than me, isn’t he?’

  ‘Not so much,’ I tell Crystal. Edgar looks as if he’s in his late twenties. ‘Perhaps he likes a lady with a little experience.’

  She gives me a sideways glance. ‘What about a lady with a whole lot?’

  I giggle at that too.

  ‘There’s always a bit of his shirt untucked,’ she notes in a breathless way, ‘as if he’s a
naughty little boy. I’m never sure whether I want to tuck it back in or rip the whole thing off him.’ She lets out a longing sigh as he nears our stations.

  ‘Ladies,’ he says. ‘How very nice to see you here again this morning.’

  Crystal’s eyelashes go into overdrive.

  ‘I have good news for you.’ A beaming smile spreads across his face.

  ‘Really?’ Crystal leans on her elbows and gazes at him. He seems momentarily distracted by her cleavage, and I feel myself flush.

  ‘What was the news?’ I ask.

  ‘Oh, er…’ He drags his attention back to me. ‘I didn’t want to tell you before now, but I have a little surprise for you. Can you come with me while I gather everyone around?’

  We follow Edgar into the centre of the room. He claps his hands. ‘Attention please, everyone! Ted, Lillian! Joy, are you here?’

  Joy pushes her way to the front. Crystal and I stand to one side of Edgar. I make sure she’s next to him. She has on a lot of fragrance today and perhaps the scent of it will lure him in.

  ‘Can everyone hear me?’ He pulls a piece of paper out of his back pocket. ‘We have a little announcement.’ Edgar clears his throat and turns to both Crystal and me. ‘Everyone has been so delighted with the contribution that you’ve made to the centre, haven’t we, ladies and gentlemen?’

  A ripple of applause goes round the room and I feel myself becoming very self-conscious. I don’t know where to look or how to hold my hands. Even Crystal looks slightly abashed.

  ‘You both really brighten the place up,’ Edgar continues. ‘But it’s more than that. Much more. You’ve brought some glamour and fun into our lives.’ He looks embarrassed as he says it. ‘Your kind and caring manner has really made a difference. Everyone looks forward to your weekly visits. In the short time we’ve known you, we’ve all grown to love you.’ Edgar gives a little self-conscious cough. ‘So, with that in mind, we had a talk among ourselves and we entered you into the annual Community Awards, sponsored by the Ham & High newspaper.’