The Birthday Card

by Pauline Barclay

  Not waiting for a response, Doreen left.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  The bus was due in less than ten minutes and as easy as it would be to ride the bus, Doreen decided to walk to Grays’ office. Her head was in turmoil with everything that had taken place over the last few days and the walk would do her good and hopefully help organise her thoughts. Importantly, she needed to be careful with how much she said, knowing she would get carried away when nerves took over and instead of remaining silent she would sing like a canary.

  ‘What are you like, Dor?’ she muttered knowing she couldn’t help who she was.

  A nervous giggle escaped her lips as she passed terraced houses with faded net curtains, boarded up shops and abandoned cars. Her mirth melted as she considered her neighbourhood. The place looked unloved, uncared for and like much of its residents, it had gone to the dogs. So much for our modern world, she thought, and at the same time her foot caught an empty drink can which rattled loudly as it skittered down the road from the impact. At least it was only a can, she tutted, knowing what local dog owners were like.

  Lengthening her stride, Doreen could not believe she could leave all this behind now. A fission of excitement rippled through her at the thought and she realised she could not wait. Ignoring the grubby windows, she sailed down the street, her mind turning to the kind of home she could only have dreamed about a few days ago. Her imagination running away with itself, Doreen pictured a large red brick house, with a blue front door, sparkling windows fitted with blinds. To reach the front door she would meander along a winding crazy-paved path flanked with shrubs and fragrant flowers. Inside she would be welcomed by bright and warm rooms, the windows double glazed and the heating belting out. Kicking her shoes off, her feet would sink into deep pile carpets and the neighbours would not be screaming at each other and banging on her wall to turn the television down.

  ‘Look where you’re going,’ a voice snapped loudly, startling Doreen.

  Without stopping, the woman nudged past pushing a buggy with a snotty young child inside, the wheels inches from her toes.

  Brought back to earth with a bang, Doreen glanced at the houses she passed, they were nothing like her fantasy. Until last week, she thought they were a dream compared to her flat.

  ‘What a stargazer you are,’ she told herself, a thin smile twisting her lips. She might have all these fancy ideas, but how she was going to realise them she had no clue. She would worry about that later. Right now she needed to concentrate on her mission with Mr Drew. Sucking in her lips, she realised she should have called into Mr Greedy’s for more cigarettes, but she didn’t want to encounter him until she was ready to pay off her slate later that day. Pushing thoughts of a cigarette to one side, she tried to concentrate on staying calm and not letting her nerves get the better of her. She took a deep breath to help and let the fresh air filter down to her lungs.

  Still unsure how she was going to tackle Mr Drew about her change of circumstances, she found herself standing outside Grays’ office. Gazing at the building, she had never taken in how it blended with the other structures in the street, all typical nineteen sixties. Then how would she notice what the front looked like, most of the time it was dark when she arrived and always via the back door. Thinking about it, she couldn’t remember the last time she had entered the office block through the front door - probably never.

  ‘Here we go, gal,’ she said and pushed the half glazed door open. Doreen hesitated for a moment. It didn’t even seem like the same place from this position and wondered if she should turn round and use the back door. Perhaps a phone call would have been better, but then she would not have been able to do the other thing. What a dilemma!

  ‘Can I help you?’ a voice piped up.

  Pushing any thought of using the back door or telephoning to the back of her mind, Doreen turned to where the voice came from and saw a young woman sitting at a desk peering over a flat screen computer. Without a word, Doreen made her way over. To her surprise she recognised her, but it was clear from the way the woman scrutinized her, she had no idea who she was.

  Of course she wouldn’t, Miss Receptionist would be applying her lippy and make-up when she was polishing her desk and vacuuming the carpets.

  ‘Yes, I’d like to speak to Mr Drew, please.’

  ‘Do you have an appointment?’ Miss Receptionist asked. Without waiting for a response she turned to her computer screen and tapped vigorously on a keyboard. The young woman peered at the screen before turning her attention back to Doreen. ‘There are no appointments in his agenda.’ It was said as a statement. A silence filled the gap between them.

  ‘I don’t have an appointment,’ Doreen eventually said, ‘but I need to speak to him.’

  Miss Receptionist glared at Doreen, her eyebrows shooting up making her gaze more intense. Doreen could see she was putting two and two together and making seven. She could explain, but decided against it. Let her think what she likes; what did she care?

  ‘And your name is?’

  ‘Doreen Wilkinson.’

  ‘I’ll call him to see if he’s available,’ Miss Receptionist said, picking up the phone. Doreen listened to the one sided conversation that lasted no more than a few seconds. Ending the call, Miss Receptionist smiled at Doreen. It was a look that spoke a thousand words. ‘He’ll see you,’ she said, a smirk twisting her lips.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Striding through an entrance to the side of the reception, Mark Drew appeared, a puzzled expression making his face look severe. Doreen spun round at the sound of footsteps and almost collided with him.

  ‘Doreen,’ he said, holding his arm out to stop them bumping into each other.

  ‘Sorry to call here, but I need to talk to you and I thought it better here,’ she said a little too loudly.

  Mark looked towards the young woman and Doreen wondered if he was uncomfortable with her presence.

  ‘Come this way,’ he said. Doreen noted the furtive glances from the receptionist. With unnecessary haste, he ushered her through the door he had seconds earlier walked through. Not stopping to speak, Mark walked briskly to his office. Doreen kept pace behind him. A sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach; maybe she should not have come. It was clear Mr Drew was unhappy with her being there. Was she going to make a fool of herself?

  Once in the office, Mark pushed the door closed.

  ‘Take a seat,’ he said in a clipped tone, pulling a chair towards his desk.

  Sitting down on the other side of the desk, he leaned his elbows on the top, steepled his fingers and glared at her.

  Unprepared for his brusqueness, Doreen ran her tongue around the inside of her mouth which had suddenly gone desert dry. It had seemed a good idea to come to the office and explain her absence, but it was clear it was not a smart one. Maybe she should have gone to the house and spoken to Mrs Drew, but she hadn’t; she was here and clearly out of her depth.

  Unable to stand the silence any longer, she jumped to her feet. The tension too much, she burst out in a loud voice, ‘It’s obvious me turning up like this is causing you a problem. Well, I’m sorry about that. I thought it would be best if I told you in person as you gave me the job why I ain’t been to your house, but it seems I’ve made a mistake.’ She rushed to the door and felt his gaze burning into her back.

  You are such a stupid cow at times, Doreen told herself grabbing the door handle and yanking it down. What had she been thinking? She had thought because he had been polite and friendly she could talk to him. Bleeding hell, she was more stupid than she could have imagined.

  With brutal force she pulled the door open and without a backward glance ran down the corridor. Slowing her pace she marched into the reception and was stopped in her tracks.

  ‘Mr Drew says you’ve got to go back to his office,’ the receptionist demanded standing in front of her.

  About to tell the cheeky mare where to go, Doreen felt a hand on her shoulder.

  ‘Plea
se Doreen, I’m sorry. I was surprised to see you here as I had a call from Reeds saying you had left.’ Mark said running his fingers across his top lip.

  ‘Well, yes and no. I mean, I gave my notice in, but they told me I hadn’t got a job anymore because I’d been off, but…’ Doreen babbled looking towards the entrance door and her escape.

  ‘Really! Please come back to my office and let me try and sort this out.’ He stood aside to allow Doreen to return to his office.

  This was not how it was supposed to be, she thought, and saw his look of confusion. Maybe she had been hasty and taken his attitude the wrong way. She just wanted to get it over with.

  Reluctantly she accepted his invitation and followed him back to his office.

  Sitting down on the chair she had moments ago vacated, she watched Mark Drew perch on the edge of his desk.

  ‘Once again, I apologise,’ he said straight away. ‘There was no need for my behaviour. In my defence all I can say is that it’s been a testing time these last few days without you helping out. I know you’ve been unwell and I should not have over reacted.’

  Doreen nodded. All she had rehearsed had slipped out of her head.

  ‘Now, as for Reeds’ saying you don’t have a job, rubbish! I’ll call Tetley and find out what’s going on. Rest assured, you’ll be back at work tomorrow,’ as he spoke he grabbed his phone.

  Oh my goodness, this was not going to plan. Jumping to her feet, Doreen cried out, ‘No no!’

  Startled at Doreen’s outburst, Mark dropped the handset.

  ‘I’m not here about my job.’

  Baffled, Mark asked, ‘Then why are you here?’

  ‘Because I need to tell you something and...’ she trailed off and dropped down on her chair, the wind having left her sails. ‘I’m here cos I will be in the papers after tomorrow,’ she added and felt a trickle of amusement ripple through her at the change in Mark Drew’s face. Astonishment or was it disbelief? Not giving him a breath to react, she continued, ‘I don’t know where to start. You see, a lot’s happened over the last few days and honestly, I feel like I’m not in the real world at the moment.’

  ‘You and me both,’ Mark said staring at her. ‘You’re not in trouble with the police or anything?’

  Blimey, she hadn’t thought of that one. Perhaps he thinks she has committed a heinous crime? Whatever it was, the look on his face suggested he thought she was crazy. She felt a little crazy at the moment.

  ‘No, no, it’s nothing like that. You see, I’ve won the lottery,’ she blurted. She almost laughed out loud at the change of expression on his face and watched as he opened his mouth to speak but no words came out.

  ‘I’ve been told to keep my mouth shut until after the publicity, which is tomorrow. I’m only telling you because, in the last few weeks, you and your family have been kind to me and I felt it right and proper…’ she stopped, aware she was gabbling, her words spilling out nineteen to the dozen. This was not what she had planned, but it didn’t matter. She had said it.

  Mark continued to stare at her. Standing up, he walked round the small office, ending up standing behind his desk chair. He leaned on the back.

  ‘The lottery?’ he said as if the words belonged to a foreign language. ‘Do I take it it’s a big win?’

  Doreen nodded.

  ‘Good God,’ his face registering her acknowledgment. ‘Let me get us a cup of coffee,’ he said, ‘though it should be bubbly if it has you giving up work, but coffee is all we have.’ As if on automatic, he asked, ‘White with sugar?’

  She nodded unsure whether to get up and help him.

  Starting to rise, ‘No no, you sit there,’ Mark said rushing to the door.

  There was no doubt in her mind this was the last thing he had expected to hear. She clutched her bag and worried about the other thing, not sure now if it was a good idea or not. What should she do?

  Two minutes later, Mark returned gripping two plastic cups. Kicking the door shut with his heel, he handed a cup to Doreen. ‘It’s not the best, but it’s not that bad either,’ he said as Doreen took hold of the cup.

  Her hand shook and was grateful the cup was just over half full. Unsure if she could drink it, her insides where churning so badly, she raised it to her lips and took a sip. It tasted better than the instant stuff she had at home, but she still couldn’t face it. She placed the cup down on Mark’s desk. ‘You see why I’m here now, don’t you?’

  ‘I’ll be honest, not really,’ Mark answered.

  ‘Well, you see, I’m not supposed to say anything because there’s going to be a big publicity event in London tomorrow. That’s what I meant when I said it will be in the papers. Could be in the evening ones, I don’t really know.’

  ‘It must be a big win,’ Mark said finding his voice as he resumed his position of perching on the edge of his desk, the coffee untouched in his hand.

  ‘I think they do publicity for any amount, but it’s the reason why I ain’t been to work. The lottery people have had me all over the place answering questions and filling in forms. You wouldn’t believe it.’

  Mark smiled, the first time since she had told him about her win. ‘I’ve never met anyone who’s won the lottery. Well, apart from a tenner on a scratch card,’ he said disbelief evident at Doreen’s revelation.

  ‘Nor have I,’ Doreen added.

  ‘Whatever the amount, it couldn’t happen to a nicer person,’ he said and the reservation of moments ago gave way to a broad smile.

  With the tension between them broken, Doreen pulled open her bag. She needed to get this out of the way whilst things seemed to be going smoothly. She wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do, but she needed to do it. It felt right for her. Fishing around, she eventually pulled out a piece of paper.

  ‘This is also one of the reasons I came to see you,’ as she spoke she handed over the piece of paper. ‘This is for you so you can take that lovely wife and those beautiful kiddies on a holiday. They need one. And on top of that, I’ve let you all down. I’m sorry about that,’ she rushed her words eager to get them all out.

  Mark stared at the cheque, but made no attempt to take it. ‘I’m pleased about your good luck, but I can’t take that,’ he said.

  ‘Yes, you can,’ Doreen insisted getting to her feet. ‘I can guess me not turning up has caused a few problems.’

  Looking into Doreen’s face, his voice level, Mark said, ‘I’d be lying if I said we hadn’t missed you. In the last few weeks we’ve got used to you being there. I understand that things have changed and, I’ll be honest, if I’d won the lottery, I wouldn’t be coming here again either. You’re only doing what anyone would do if they were lucky enough.’

  ‘Please take this. I have been lucky and I’ve never been in a position to do anything like this. And, don’t forget, you gave me help when I was desperate and you didn’t have to.’ She stopped. Blimey, where did all that come from? On a roll, she carried on, ‘It would mean a lot to me to give you and your family something in return. Please, let me do something for you all. Please!’

  Lost for words, Mark stretched out his hand and took the cheque. Drummonds it read at the top. ‘Goodness,’ he said, ‘you really have won the lottery. Drummonds,’ he added. ‘I believe only the very rich bank at such a prestigious bank.’ Mark’s eyes moved across the cheque. ‘Twenty thousand pounds,’ he whispered and gazed at Doreen, ‘I don’t know what to say.’

  ‘There is nothing to say,’ Doreen said, feeling his embarrassment. Never in her life had she been able to do something like this and, as strange as it was, it felt good, very good.

  Mark held onto the cheque. ‘It is an enormous amount of money and by rights I shouldn’t take it, but already I can see what it could do for my family.’ He looked at Doreen, his face a mixture of gratitude and embarrassment.

  ‘It’s for Zoe,’ Doreen said recognising the struggle in Mark’s face. ‘You could all have a wonderful holiday. I’ve won a lot of money and after tomorrow I can talk
about it and that is why the cheque is dated for the day after tomorrow. I only ask you keep it to you and Zoe for a few more hours.’

  Mark nodded and turned away, his face a picture of mixed emotions.

  Doreen didn’t miss Mark’s expression as he turned from her. She was acutely aware she had let them down these last few days and then today she had turned up here without warning. Hardly surprising he had reacted the way he had on seeing her. She was no stranger to struggle and was aware life was a daily battle for the Drew family. Her gift was a small way of giving them a chance to have some fun whilst they all could. Of course, it wouldn’t make up for not being there to help them, but hopefully it would go some way to make their life a little more bearable.

  Pulling himself together, Mark turned round and faced Doreen.

  ‘I am sorry I was not the politest when you arrived, it was very rude of me.’

  Doreen waved her hand to dismiss his words. ‘My fault, I should have called first. Let’s forget it. OK?’

  Mark nodded, ‘On condition you will come and see all of us as soon as you can? Zoe will want to thank you. Myself, I can’t thank you enough.’

  Taking in the words from Mark, Doreen smiled, ‘Does that mean you’ll take my little gift?’

  ‘It is far from a little gift. I feel we too have won the lottery.’ He re-read the details on the cheque. ‘It’s hard to accept, but for Zoe and the children, I will. Thank you. Thank you.’

  ‘Then we’ll say no more and yes, I’d like to say a proper goodbye. If you need someone to replace me, you can’t go wrong with Jan. It’s worth talking to her.’