by Ruth Hay
She reined in the excitement and hung up the remaining items of Miss Morton’s beautiful clothes she would not need for tomorrow.
It was time to focus.
First she found the pullout bed and made it up with sheets, a duvet and the softest pillows she had ever felt. It looked like none of these had been used before.
Next, she unpacked her own toiletries and clothes, re-packed the case and left the clothes she would wear in the morning over the coffee table. As she did so, she remembered the cleaning company would be arriving in the morning and she would have to leave extra time to fold away the pillows and bedding.
This led to the thought of an alarm clock. She could not afford to be late on this crucial day. There was nothing as ordinary as a clock to be seen in the loft apartment, but the new phone might just have an alarm built in. It took ten minutes to figure out how to work it but she felt more secure after it was set. Not that there was much chance of sleeping. Too much had happened in the last forty-eight hours for her mind and body to truly relax.
There was one thing she could do about that but before she did it, she would memorize the schedule of appointments and prepare herself mentally for what she must do.
8:30am. The Studio. Dance and Movement class with Adrienne Arkan.
9:30am. The Studio. Voice coach, Bartholomew Yu.
11:45am. Olivier Academy. Acting Workshop with Patrice Knowles.
1:30pm. Photography by Miguel. Portfolio Session with Anton in studio #3.
4:00pm. The Coffee Place on Oxford. Meeting with agent, Martin Pulk, to discuss representation.
Carla finished reading and had to go to the kitchen for a glass of water.
Oh My God! This is incredible! I recognize these names. They are some of the top people in the entertainment business. In a hundred years I could never afford their talent or their advice. I am the luckiest girl in the whole world to have this opportunity handed to me on a platter. Thank God, Dad encouraged Mum to go away to the Lake District for that week where she met Zoe Morton. And thank God, again, that I opened up a bit to Dad after all the months I just grovelled in the house doing nothing but feeling sorry for myself and fighting with Mum.
There was one useful thing she had done in secret during those long months. She had practised yoga every day for physical flexibility and peace of mind. She knew, if she was to get through that punishing day’s schedule, she would have to use all the resources she could summon.
She set aside the phone and picked a spot on the colourful rug she thought might be an expensive Kilim.
Within seconds she was into her routine, employing both mind and body to allay her fears and relax her muscles. She needed a new mantra for the ordeals ahead and soon found one.
“I can do this. This is my chance. I can do this.”
The last thought she had before drifting off to sleep was; if, no when I have survived the day, I will find a shop, buy groceries and cook a meal for Miss Zoe Morton and me.
Seven.
Friday.
Sandra Halder had made good use of the time since Monday when she had revealed her plans to Ian.
They had enjoyed quite a romantic night after their lunch in town. The dress and the high heels had done their work and Ian’s attentions were much like the years after they married rather than the perfunctory sex of these last years.
It was clear to her now that this was not entirely Ian’s fault. Since the revelations of the week with Valerie, she had assessed herself seriously and come to the conclusion that she had let things go in the bedroom department. That’s all in the past now. I am taking charge of everything; my appearance, my bad habits and, best of all, my ambitions for the future.
Ian had been in his office in the City Chambers on Tuesday. Sandra had reminded him to get the city ordinances and zoning bylaws for her to inspect. He looked at her rather strangely but she put that down to his needing time to get used to the new Sandra and she went ahead with her rough plan for the day. This included looking in the yellow pages for a builder or carpenter who could discuss the alterations to the garden shed. She wanted a smaller firm rather than a big city company that would not put a priority on her tiny project. She found a handyman listed, and when she saw he lived two streets away she knew he was the right choice. She made a note of his number but did not call right away.
First she wanted to draw up her idea for the Day Care program. This was an area where she was on solid ground. Any teacher of young children knew what was necessary. If she started at this safe place she would soon know what was needed and what the possible problems might be.
She made a list on a page with two columns headed Activity and Issues.
The activity part was easy. The issues, not so much.
ACTIVITYISSUES
ArrivalCars in the street. Noise
Free PlaytimeOutdoor/indoor. Weather conditions
SnacksFood inspection required
Learning CentresStorage. Clean up
LunchHot food, safety, dishes
NapsWhere?
PlaytimeOutdoor/indoor
Pick up schedule for home Cars etc.
It was clear as day, a lot of space was needed and the neighbours would have to approve of cars and noise in the street. It would be necessary to scale down her ideas of how many children could be accommodated.
She set out to figure out what space she had and what could be done with it. The shed was an obvious place to start. Other than a lawn mower and a few bags of fertiliser and seed, it was an open space. Neither she nor Ian was a gardener. She felt the shed could easily be extended as there was a concrete pad to the side which their children had once used as a play space. The larger shed could be a mini house equipped with plastic chairs, tables and kitchen wares. If the front part could be folded back it could be used in any weather, as required. A new porch of wood could also be added at the front.
She made a note for the carpenter.
Next she walked through the lawn where she had been running for exercise. It would be a good idea to fence off a section for running or riding toy cars or pull toys. The grass could be kept shorter in this area and the view from the house would not be spoiled. The fencing might be of a portable kind so as to move it around, providing an enclosed space for different purposes.
The garden already had side gates separating the back from the front section. That was good for safety.
She opened a gate and walked through to see what could be done with the front of the house. The driveway was short and wide enough for two cars. She opened the garage and saw all the space there once Ian’s car had left for the day. He was a tidy man and all his household stuff was in low cupboards or shelves on the back wall. There was already a door into the back garden. She wondered if parents could drop off children on the driveway and then take them into the garden directly through the garage, saving wear and tear on the house. It might be possible to add child-height hooks and shelves to the side wall for coats and boots on days when the weather was bad and children needed to be indoors, entering through the kitchen door. It wasn’t a perfect plan but there were some options at least and little real impact on the house itself. Of course she would have to be well organized but as a mother of three active youngsters and a former teacher, she was sure that would be no trouble at all. In fact, she could not wait for the challenge.
The factor that made the whole day care idea feasible was that the kitchen opened directly into the conservatory. The dining table and chairs presently occupying the space were rarely needed. She and Ian usually ate in the kitchen on bar stools or in the lounge watching television. The conservatory was south facing, and with the dining set removed it would be a bright, warm and cheerful location.
Sandra went back to look at her list. What was still required for the proposed program?
Leaving aside the food-related issues which she felt were not problems, the major item remaining was the nap time. She turned around in the conserv
atory and considered the options.
There was heating from radiators for the winter months. A large, low shelving unit could be built to store mattresses and sleeping bags leaving the space available for indoor play and learning centres the rest of the time.
Wait, better make that two large shelving units for the learning materials. Ian would not want to see that stuff at the end of a day. She made another note for the carpenter and added a note for herself about making padded tops of a washable fabric for these cupboards.
One problem still remained. Children would not settle down for a nap in bright sunlight. Blinds would be required so the conservatory windows could be darkened when needed. She looked at the area of glass and calculated that this would be a considerable expense.
Well, they say you have to spend money to make money. She paused. So, is that what all this is about? Making money?
She stepped into the kitchen and made a cup of instant coffee to sip while she thought about the question. It didn’t take long before she had an answer. It was not about the money, although that could be a nice side benefit. It was about having a purpose in life and serving a need for the community at the same time. She allowed herself no illusions. It was going to be a long process to get permissions and make the alterations to the property that would permit the business to operate.
It had to be on a business footing. This meant accounts, records, bills, banking. She hoped Ian could be persuaded to help with this part but, if not, Sharon, as a bank employee could likely take on the task for her mother. There was also the matter of employees. It would be foolish to think one woman could supervise all the activity and prepare food. She had already calculated on Rachel’s help with setting up first aid supplies and she hoped to get her assistance in the summer months when her nursing training courses were over. She added ‘staff ‘ to her list. Just as well I decided to do this before going any further. If I hope to impress Ian with this idea, it’s best to be thoroughly prepared.
She spent the rest of the day looking over the house and garden and refining her plans.
When Ian arrived home he found a delightful meal, a happy wife, and a peaceful, ordered house. He had no idea what had been happening during the day and Sandra had no intention of informing him until the time was right. She simply accepted the sheaf of documents he had brought from the City Chambers and smiled her thanks.
Early on Wednesday Ian was called away to a meeting in Edinburgh to approve the final building plans for the conversion to public housing of the athletes’ apartments constructed on the Clyde for last year’s successful Commonwealth Games.
Sandra was glad of the time alone to get ahead with her plans. She had so much to do.
She called Joanne and told her not to bring the children as she was too busy.
“What do you mean, ‘busy’? You only watch TV these days. I need you to look after the boys for an hour or two while I do the weekend shopping. It’s our usual routine.”
“Not any more it’s not. I have big plans, Joanne, and I can tell you they will help you and your friends who need more day care, but not right away. I have things to put in place first.”
There was a stunned silence on the line then a quavering voice.
“Mum, are you all right? This doesn’t sound like you. Do you want me to call Daddy?”
“Don’t be silly, Joanne. I am perfectly fine. Much better than that actually. Better than I have been in years. It’s amazing what a change of perspective can do for you. Now, before you go, I will be needing help from you and your sisters………..”
“Wait! I can’t possibly help you. I have my job and the children and there aren’t enough hours in the day as it is………..”
“You didn’t let me finish, dear. I won’t need your help until both grandkids are in school. Rachel will be most useful to me until then and possibly Sharon.”
“Mum, what are you talking about? I’m getting worried here.”
“Oh, it’s too big a project to discuss over the phone. I’ll fill you in later when things get underway.
I won’t take up any more of your time now. Talk later.”
Joanne immediately phoned her sister and quizzed her about their mother’s behaviour lately.
“Honestly, Jo, I haven’t seen her since the holiday. I will be around on the weekend. What’s wrong?”
“I don’t really know. She seems very different.”
“How different?”
“Well, sort of busy and involved in something.”
“What kind of something?”
“I DON’T KNOW! That’s the trouble, Sharon.”
“Don’t yell at me, Jo. I’m at work. What does Rachel know?”
“I’ll have to leave a message for her. She’ll be in class just now.”
“So, try to sort it out and get back to me later.”
Sharon put the phone down abruptly and Joanne was no further forward. There was only one thing to do. She called her father.
“What’s up, Joanne? If it isn’t important please call me back. I’m in a meeting in Edinburgh.”
“It’s about Mum. What’s going on with her?”
There was a sudden silence during which Joanne could hear cups clink and voices chatting in the background. When her father came back on the line he sounded different.
“Where are you?”
“I’m here at home with the boys since it seems Mum can’t take them for two hours today.”
“Right. I’ll call you in about ten minutes and then we’ll talk.”
Joanne spent the ten minutes putting the baby in his high chair to play with the last handful of cheerios from the cereal box. Then she settled Quinn in front of a children’s program on the television and waited anxiously.
What would she say? It was only a suspicion, not anything definite. Her father had not denied something was out of the ordinary with her mother. Maybe he already had an idea something was different.
The sound of the phone ringing made her jump. Her father started in right away.
“I don’t have a lot of time, Jo. Just listen please.
You know your Mum was away on holiday last week? Well she had a good time with her old friend Valerie, the one who went to live in Canada? It must have been quite a week because your Mum came back with a whole new attitude to life. Of course that’s a good thing on the whole. She brought new clothes and she isn’t spending hours in front of the television but she has some strange ideas about starting up some kind of day care thing at home.”
“So, that’s what she meant!”
“Please don’t encourage her, Jo. It’s just a kind of fantasy. She has no idea what’s really involved in doing this in a suburban house. The expense would be immense, even if she got the planning permissions. I’m humouring her at the moment, hoping she’ll drop the whole thing when she realizes what’s involved.”
“Do you think she’s mentally stable, Daddy?”
“Don’t be silly, Jo. Your mother’s normally a very sensible woman. She’s been influenced by something that happened while she was away. I’m positive this will all die down if we just ignore it.
Don’t worry, lass! It’ll be back to normal programming in no time at all. Probably literally!”
“Thanks, Daddy. I feel much better. Do you think you could take the boys for a couple of hours this evening?”
“No, dear. Ask your husband. That’s what they’re for. Goodbye now.”
The local carpenter turned out to be a semi-retired older man called Frank Brennan. He was between jobs at the moment and Sandra was pleased he agreed to come over in the afternoon and check out a few ideas for her.
She was surprised to see him arrive at the door wearing an ancient cap and overalls with a ruler, set-square and spirit level couched in his deep pockets. He had wrinkles on his tanned face but twinkling brown eyes watched her as she spoke, with a calculating expression that squinched up his eyes until they almost disappeared into the wrinkles. Nevertheless, he must hav
e been listening intently because as soon as Sandra had walked around the garden with him pointing out what she needed, he was able to add some useful suggestions, almost as if he had done this kind of job before.
“ Now, Miss, the roof of the shed will have to be replaced with a new set of slates for durability. The wooden deck you want to add should have a railing and a step down and it will have to be finished with a waterproof, child-safe coating. We can extend a frame over the new deck. It will provide some sun protection and you can grow a flowering vine over it. That would be nice for the kiddies. We’ll put in some wee windows and flower boxes and paint the whole thing in bright colours, aye?”
It sounded to Sandra as if Mr. Brennan had adopted her project and planned to see it through. She got the impression he might be a gardener in his spare time. This could be an added advantage.
When they reached the garage, he nodded approvingly at her storage ideas and immediately pointed out she might need hooks at two levels and that the bench for shoes should be built to fold down when not in use to prevent any car damage.
Sandra was most impressed. She invited him into the kitchen for a chat. He stopped on the way and said the kitchen door would need a special hinge so it would not close too quickly “And catch some wee laddie on the legs on his way in.”
“Please sit down, Mr.Brennan.”
“It’s Frank, if you don’t mind, Miss.”
“Can I get you tea or coffee Frank?”
“A cup of tea would be verra fine, if it’s no too much trouble.”
She filled the kettle and by the time she had set a tray with mugs and milk and a biscuit or two, she noticed Frank had unearthed a small grimy notebook and a stub of pencil and was writing away with fingers that had the knobbly knuckles of arthritis.
