by Peter Martin
‘Not a good idea.’ She looked at her watch. ‘Anyway, you won’t have time, if you don’t hurry up you’ll be late!’
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By midday, interview over, he ended up in the pub as planned, mulling over everything he’d been told about the job he’d applied for. The human resources officer would get back to him, if he’d been successful, he was told.
As he walked along the high street looking for a place to cross, he spotted Ruth. Was he mistaken? No, it was her, it was her gear – the hooded raincoat almost foxed him, but no doubt about it. She waved, dashed over the road to within a few feet of where he stood, and handed over a shopping bag.
‘Would you mind carrying this for me, it’s killing my arm,’ she said.
He grabbed the handle. ‘What on earth have you got in here? It weighs a ton.’
‘Just a few groceries. We usually buy in bulk and have them delivered but these are what we don’t use very often.’
‘Can’t wait to see what your mum’s going to cook me next.’
‘I’ll leave Mum to surprise you,’ Ruth said.
‘Have you time for a drink? I feel the need to wind down after the interview I’ve just had.’
‘Oh, err …’Ruth said, looking at her watch. ‘Just a quick one, cos Mum will wonder where I am.’
‘Okay, there’s a pub just around the corner I noticed on the way to my interview. The Golden Lion?’
‘Oh yes, been in there quite a few times. Nice atmosphere and the food is good too.’
‘You fancy a bite to eat as well?’
‘Better not, Mum will have kittens if I’m late.’
‘She seems a nice woman, very friendly.’
‘A word of warning, she’s nothing like she seems. This friendly persona is a front for our customers.’
‘Really …’
They went inside the pub and Billy found an empty table. ‘I might get a sandwich, you want one?’
‘No, I’ll have something with Mum when I get back.’
Billy brought the drinks back, a lager for himself and J2O for Ruth.
‘So, you were saying about your Mum …’
‘Oh, just that she isn’t at all what you think.’
‘In what way?’
‘Ever since Dad went off with another woman, she’s become very possessive over me. As soon as I want to do something on my own, she goes off on one. And as for boyfriends, it’s a nightmare. She won’t give them a chance. I’m all she has left, and if I were to fly the nest, she’d be left on her own and she wouldn’t be able to run the business by herself. She threatens all sorts, like killing herself and so on. It’s ruining my life.’
‘She’s using what’s called emotional blackmail.’
‘I know, she makes me feel guilty and sorry for her at the same time. After Dad left she had a breakdown of sorts. I had to look after her for months and the guest house almost had to shut down until I left my job as a nurse and helped her run the place.’
‘Wow, that’s amazing. I can only admire you for what you’ve done and had to endure. You’re some lady.’
‘I wouldn’t call myself that. If you could see how I’m crying inside, you’d have a shock.’
‘Maybe, maybe not. I’ve had a few traumatic times myself, so I can relate to what you’re talking about.’
She smiled. ‘I’m sorry, I never asked you about your job interview.’
‘Oh, it went all right. It’s only stacking shelves to start with, but hopefully I’ll get it and be back on my feet again.’
‘That’s good news. Listen, Billy, I’ll have to get back. Whenever I’m late she gets in such a way.’
‘I haven’t had my sandwich yet,’ he protested.
‘Might be better if we go back separately as well.’
‘Okay …’ he said hesitantly.
‘Thanks for listening. You’ve made me feel a lot better getting that off my chest.’
‘Well, I had to do a lot of listening as a teacher when the kids had problems,’ he said, remembering Sarah when he first met her.
She got up from her seat.
‘Just hang on for a minute, let me ask about my sandwich and I’ll walk with you.’
‘But what if she sees us together?’
‘We’ll face it. Come on, you can’t tell me she’s that bad. She’s been really nice to me, and I’m only a tenant after all.’
‘You’d be surprised. All right, have it your own way. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.’
A waitress came walking towards him with his sausage sandwich on a plate.
‘Thanks,’ he said to the waitress, aware Ruth was looking impatient. ‘All right, let’s go, shall we?’
‘Hurry up then.’
‘Sure you won’t have one of these?’
‘Go on then, I’m quite partial to them, I have to admit.’
‘So how come you never got hitched then?’
‘Never met the right fella. Been close a couple of times, but it didn’t work out.’
‘Before or after your dad left?’
‘Before. Since then I’ve not had much of a social life. It’s a seven day a week job.’
‘You have some days off, holidays etc.’
‘In the autumn and winter she lets me have a day off here and there.’
‘Hey, why not ask her for a day off when you get back? You only have a few guests right now and I don’t need much looking after. We could go out together, what do you think?’
‘I’d love to, but if she finds out it’s with you, she’ll say no.’
‘Don’t tell her then. Just say it’s a night out with a few old school friends.’
Ruth thought about it for a moment. A flicker of a smile came on her lips. ‘It might just work if we leave and come back separately. When?’
‘Friday night suit you?’
‘Yes, that would be great.’
‘You can show me all the best bars and night clubs in the area.’
‘There aren’t that many, maybe one or two might suit you.’
They were just nearing the guest house. Edith was doing a spot of gardening.
Ruth moved a little away from him, and said, ‘Hey, Mum, look who I bumped into on the way back.’
Edith turned, wiping her sweat smeared face. ‘I hope you enjoyed yourself, wherever you’ve been.’
‘We’ve only been for a quick drink in the Golden Lion, Mum.’
‘Good for you, but I need you here to help me. There’s so much to do, Ruth.’
Billy continued his steady pace towards the house; for once this wasn’t his argument.
The atmosphere at supper was stilted too. Edith’s reluctance to speak to her daughter caused him to ask, when they grabbed a moment alone, ‘God, Ruth. What got her goat? Never dreamed she was that kind of woman.’
Raising her eyebrows, she answered, ‘I told you what it would be. She likes to get her own way, but she forgets most girls of my age are married.’
Billy didn’t answer; there were two sides to the coin where Ruth was concerned. Maybe she’d given her mother cause for alarm on other occasions. Best not to take sides while he stayed with them.
On Thursday after dinner, Ruth managed to grab his attention while her mother was on the phone to someone wanting a room.
‘She’s let me have the afternoon off, Billy,’ she whispered in his ear.
‘Oh great, nice one. Why just the afternoon?’
‘She wants all the rooms cleaned in the morning.’
‘Oh ... Right. Well, that’s better than nothing. We’ll have plenty of time to go somewhere and then out on the night.’
‘Yeah, hopefully.’ She smiled.
‘By the way, I got that job. I start in a couple of weeks.’
‘Good for you, Billy.’
‘It’s a start. Will you tell your mum I’m off to my room watch a bit of TV?’
She nodded with a grin.
On Friday morning at breakfast, Billy had just started on his egg an
d bacon when Edith looked up at him.
‘Have you anything planned for today, Billy?’
‘As a matter of fact, I have. Now I’ve got a job, I’ve started looking for a flat. And I’ve got three viewings today, one this morning and another two this afternoon. If I like one, I’ll probably put an offer in and then it’ll only be a matter of a few weeks and I’ll be out of your hair. And tonight, I’m off out for a drink and then a club. I met some guys at my interview. They invited me out.’
‘Oh, I am pleased for you, Billy. Glad to see you’re getting back on your feet again after that messy divorce. We’ll miss him, won’t we, Ruth?’
‘Certainly will.’
‘Ruth’s got the afternoon off and is out with a couple of old school friends, first shopping and then a night out.’
‘Oh, great. Hope you have a nice time, Ruth.’
‘Thanks, I intend to.’
What Billy had told Edith about viewing flats was true except they were all in the morning. After that he planned to take Ruth to nearby Broomdale, a large resort which had a modern shopping centre.
At one o’clock Billy sat in the town’s main car park waiting for Ruth to come. She arrived bang on time and knocked on the window. He’d been dozing.
‘You haven’t been that busy, have you?’
‘Eh, no. Just resting my eyes,’ he said as he opened the car door for her. ‘You got away then?’ He took hold of her hand.
‘Yes, just about.’
‘I’m so glad you did. Shall we go then?’
They drove off.
‘So how did you get on with your flat hunting?’
‘All right, I’ve put an offer in for one of them and my offer has been accepted already. I put a deposit down too, so as long as the sellers don’t change their mind, it’s sorted.’
‘Oh good.’
‘But it will be a few weeks yet.’
‘It may be for the best.’
‘She won’t be able to stop us seeing each other then.’
‘I know. I might stand a chance.’
‘Anyway, let’s forget about Edith and try and enjoy our date.’
They had a meal at a posh restaurant, then spent the afternoon browsing clothes shops and then Ruth went back home for a few hours. Around eight o’clock she arrived back at the Golden Lion pub car park where Billy was waiting for her. She looked stunning in a blue sequined dress, hair brushed back and wearing high heels.
‘Wow, you look nice,’ he said, giving her a peck on the lips.
‘Thanks, you don’t look too bad yourself.’
‘Shall we have a couple of drinks before we go to that club?’
‘Yes, why not.’
They sat down having ordered the drinks at the bar.
‘Have you got to be in by a certain time? Has Edith given you any instructions?’
‘No, I have my own key, would you believe.’
‘I’m surprised she hasn’t insisted on being your chaperone, just to make sure you’re going out with your old schoolfriends.’
She laughed. ‘Hopefully she believes me.’
‘Little does she know.’
‘Yeah. I hate doing this but I have no choice.’
‘I had the same situation myself with an old girlfriend some time ago. And when it came out in the open, all hell broke loose. Hope the same doesn’t happen this time.’
‘Sooner or later she has to accept I’m going to live my own life. But that doesn’t make it any easier, does it?’
‘No.’
The time passed quickly, and after returning home, they were off to the night club, Jolly’s. There they danced the night away for two or three hours. Ruth was a good dancer, Billy just about got away with passable, which she teased him about. They drank, but not excessively, and around midnight he told her he needed a rest.
‘Phew, not used to this clubbing lark these days.’
‘Me neither. But I’ve enjoyed being with you, Billy, despite your dodgy dancing.’
‘Wish we could go somewhere quieter. This music is giving me a headache.’
‘Me too. As a matter of fact, I know just the place.’
‘Come on, let’s go.’
He kissed her tenderly and she kissed him back.
When they got outside, she said, ‘Follow me.’
Having walked across the seafront, he guessed she was heading for a secluded dune. But no, leaving the sands behind they took a single-track road. When disused farm buildings were in view, she turned, winked and said, ‘Another few yards and we’re there.’
She dangled some keys in front of him, which puzzled him.
‘What’s all this?’ he asked.
‘You see soon enough,’ she said smiling.
They reached a barn which contained a number of beach huts, several stepladders and abundant tins of paint. She ushered him inside one of the beach huts.
He laughed to himself. What a night.
Once inside, she produced a thick woollen blanket from a cupboard and manoeuvring it into the limited space, she knelt down and pulled him towards her.
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The next morning he was awake early, having dreamt of what he and Ruth had been up to last night. Such pleasant dreams. He went downstairs and sat at the table yawning.
He heard clattering in the kitchen and was surprised to see Edith coming out towards him in the dining room. She jumped when she saw him sitting there.
‘Hallo, Edith, you look busy. Ruth not up yet?’
‘I’m going to give her a shout in a minute. Any idea when she got back?’
‘Couldn’t say. I got in around two, I think. Why do you ask?
‘It’s the keys, they’re not on the key rack.’
‘What keys?’
‘To the beach hut. It’s in storage.’
He feigned innocence. ‘Edith, I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Mm. Were you with my daughter at all yesterday?’
‘No. I wasn’t,’ he replied, hoping his face didn’t give him away.
‘But I thought I saw you come back together. I heard a noise and looked out the window.’
‘I don’t think so. Perhaps she came back with a guy, but it wasn’t me.’
She sighed. Clearly perturbed, she marched off.
At breakfast later she’d lost the bluster of her earlier mood. Nonetheless Billy’s mind was made up, and dressed for the cool weather, he walked to the car.
‘Hey, Billy.’ He turned to see Ruth rushing through the front door. ‘Hang on a bit. We were going for a walk round town today. You hadn’t forgotten, surely?’
‘No, no,’ he lied. ‘We’ll go later.’ He opened the car door, sat in the front seat and wound down the window. ‘To tell you the truth, I’m not so sure it’s a good idea.’
‘But why? After yesterday …’
‘That’s it – after yesterday.’ He shook his head in disbelief. ‘Your mother is suspicious. She wanted to know if I’d been with you yesterday and kept on about the keys to the beach hut.’
‘Oh that, don’t let her bother you. She’s just fishing for information but can’t prove a thing.’
‘At your age I’d have thought she’d want you to meet someone. She said she saw us coming back together. I had to deny it.’
Piqued, her face flushed, and she said, ‘But we did come back together. If she saw us, she would have come downstairs and she didn’t. She just said that to get you to admit it.’
‘It never works sneaking around behind someone’s back. We should be open about it. I don’t mean about last night, but about the fact we’re seeing each other.’
‘Yes, but she won’t be happy. You know what she’s like.’
‘I gathered it was something like that from her attitude. I haven’t done anything wrong, have I?’
‘The only thing you’ve done wrong is to take an interest in me.’ Then she asked, ‘So where you off to?’
‘Into town to the estate agents. See if I can ge
t things moving quicker, I can’t live here forever the way things are.’ He watched sadness creep into her eyes, and to lighten the mood, added, ‘I’ll never feel comfortable with her around. When I move into the flat, you can come to me and there’s not a thing she can do about it.’
‘Mm, I suppose it makes sense.’
‘It’s the only way, Ruth. And my money won’t last forever either. I need this job in the supermarket.’
She leaned into the car and kissed him. ‘I do wish she wouldn’t be like this. She’s spoiling it for herself as well as us.’
‘Ruth, while I’m in town I might pop in to see Geoff Taylor, the human resources bod at the supermarket. Maybe he’ll let me start earlier.’
‘Okay.’
‘And that’s not all. I intend winning your mother over … with my irresistible charm.’
‘Mm, good idea, but that’s not going to be easy.’
‘Anyway, I must go, so I’ll see you later.’ He drove off giving Ruth a wave.
CHAPTER 26
From the outset he’d known Ruth liked him, and he liked her a lot too. They got on well and were close in age. And had a lot in common like music, reading and going out. The one stumbling block was Edith. Though she didn’t appear to dislike him, if she knew what he’d been up to with her daughter, she wouldn’t approve. He sympathised with Edith’s plight, he’d been on his own a few times himself. But she had it in her power to change her own situation. Billy needed to get Ruth away from her mother. If he could succeed in that, they might stand a chance. But it was a big ‘if’. That’s why he had to get out of there as soon as he could. As he approached the town he shook his head. I have to remain focused, he thought.
He parked on the empty car park to the side of the supermarket, and got out to walk to the estate agents office in the centre of the High Street. When he went inside, he made straight for reception.
‘Hi, there, my name’s Ian Jenkins, I’m a property negotiator here.’ Billy shook his proffered hand. ‘Looking for anything in particular, or do you just want to browse?
‘Err, well, I’m buying a flat via yourselves and I wondered if there’s any way we can speed things up. I’m staying at a guest house right now and it’s costing me a fortune.’
‘Okay, I need to take some details, sir. Can I have your name and address and the property you’re buying?’
