by CJ Morrow
‘I cannot advise you. I have laid out both options and read out the list. The cottage, the capital and the income are yours once you move in, which must be within three weeks of signing. Or you may choose to take the pay off.’
‘What would you do?’ Ella looked at Mr Cake. He stared back, his face blank. ‘What would you do Shirley?’ Ella said turning round to her.
‘I would sign for the cottage,’ Shirley said softly. ‘But you must do what you think best.’
Ella looked from Mr Cake’s face to Shirley’s and back. Their faces looked anxious. Ella felt anxious. Perhaps she should take the list home and study it before making her choice. She opened her mouth to speak but before a word came out her phone started to ring again in her bag.
‘Sorry,’ she said, fishing it out and looking at it. Work again, what the hell did they want? It must be important, mustn’t it? She answered the call.
‘Ella,’ Tiffy’s voice said. ‘We’ve been trying to get hold of you.’
‘Well, you knew I wasn’t available.’
‘Never mind. You’ve answered now. Gwynnie just wanted me to let you know that tomorrow is Think Day.’
‘Pink Day?’
‘No. Think Day. Remember, it was my suggestion at our team meeting.’
Ella remembered; she also remembered how Gwynnie had almost scoffed at Tiffy for suggesting it, yet had seemed keen to implement Ella’s own stupid, sarcastic suggestion of Smile Day.’
‘Think Day,’ Ella repeated. ‘So why did I need to know this now?’
‘So you can prepare of course. It wouldn’t be fair if you turned up tomorrow and weren’t prepared.’
‘Okay, so what do I need to do?’
‘You need to think about it.’ Tiffy sounded annoyed now.
‘Think about what?’
‘Think Day, of course.’ Tiffy’s voice rose. ‘You need to prepare and think about Think Day. Anyway, Gwynnie wanted you to know. See you tomorrow.’ She rang off.
Ella looked at her phone and shook her head.
‘Where do I sign?’ she said.
Ella sat in her car with a bunch of old, heavy keys on her lap. She picked them up and went through each one, looking at it, wondering what it opened. In her bag was her copy of the contract and the covenant list, together with the full address of Spring Cottage. And she was the owner. It had been a snap decision and she still wasn’t sure if it was the right one. But it was done now.
Spring Cottage, Lyffingdon. She could go there now. It wouldn’t get dark for a little while yet. She could put the postcode into Google and find her way there. On her own. She didn’t want to go on her own. She got her phone out and dialled Sam’s number, she should be home from work by now.
Sam’s phone went to voicemail. Ella messaged her instead. OMG amazing news!! Need to talk asap! You about??? xx. She waited for Sam’s reply which didn’t come for another ten minutes, during which time Ella googled her new home. It was ten miles away from where she was, which meant nearer twenty from the grotty bedsit.
Hi Hun, oh wow really?? What is it? I’m at the in-laws at the mo and not back till late (yawn) catch up tomorrow?? xx, came Sam’s reply.
Ella felt frustrated; she wanted to share her incredible news. Now.
Ah bummer! How about lunch tomorrow? 12:30? xx, she messaged back.
Ella sat in the car for another five minutes debating whether to go to Spring Cottage on her own. No, she wanted company. She wanted Sam to come with her and maybe even Charlie. Who knew what she might find in Spring Cottage, especially if had been empty for five years.
Five
Ella was late for lunch and Sam was already waiting.
‘Sorry,’ Ella said, sitting down without getting anything to eat. ‘Got tied up with yet another issue…’ she rolled her eyes to the ceiling. ‘It’s Think Day today. Have you ever heard anything so damn stupid?’
Sam didn’t speak, just gave Ella a sympathetic smile and nod.
‘Anyway, rant over. You okay? Mind if I just grab something to eat?’
Sam smiled again and shook her head this time.
When Ella came back she put her plate on the table and started to tell Sam her tale; she talked non-stop and never took a single mouthful of food.
‘Wow,’ Sam said when Ella had finally finished. ‘That’s unbelievable. What are you going to do?’
‘I need to see it. I haven’t even seen it. I want you to come with me. Maybe Charlie too.’
‘You’ve signed the contract and you haven’t seen it?’
‘That’s right.’
‘But you have to live in it, don’t you? That’s what the rules say. Don’t they? Although I think you’ve made the right choice, two years’ salary wouldn’t last you very long. But it is a lifetime decision.’
‘Yes. I know. Maybe I was a bit hasty, but, well…’ Ella raised her hands up as though she was about to be shot, ‘I was sort of pushed into it.’
‘That’s unethical. The solicitor shouldn’t have done that. I’m sure you have grounds…’
‘No,’ Ella cut in. ‘Not the solicitor. I had a stupid phone call from Tiffy, it just wound me up.’
Now it was Sam’s turn to roll her eyes to the ceiling.
‘Well, look on the brightside, Sam; I should be able to take my mum’s furniture out of your garage.’ Ella laughed, she was making light of it; she already had her doubts without Sam’s misgivings.
‘It’s great news, Ella,’ Sam said, reaching over and pushing Ella’s plate towards her. ‘You should eat now.’
‘You’re practising for when you have that baby?’ Ella laughed. ‘We could go on Saturday, if you’re free. In the morning, I thought.’ Ella waited anxiously for Sam to agree.
‘Yeah, okay. I’ll ask Charlie. Even if he isn’t free I’ll definitely come with you. I can’t wait to see what it’s like.’
‘Me too. To be honest I’m a bit scared. It might be a right hovel.’
‘It won’t be,’ Sam reassured her.
‘Well last night I went through all my mum’s photo albums again and hunted through them for pictures of it. There were a few shots of bits of it in the distance but nothing I could use to really gauge it by. I still don’t know what it looks like, other than that it’s thatched. I do, at least, know what my great aunt and uncle look like; there are a few photos of them. Well I think it’s them.’
‘What are you going to do about your job?’ Sam said quietly.
Ella frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You hate it and you could actually live on that income.’
Ella stopped chewing and swallowed a mouthful of food, it stuck in her throat before it went down.
‘It’s tempting. Although it’s a little bit less than I’m currently earning.’
Sam shook her head slowly. ‘Yes, but you won’t be paying rent. Mmm, you’re right; you probably shouldn’t burn your boats just yet. You can wait. At least see the place first.’
‘What, in case it’s shit, you mean.’ Ella laughed loudly. She felt giddy, silly, excited, afraid. Almost hysterical.
‘Sshh,’ Sam said, frowning. ‘Just don’t do anything hasty.’
‘It’s too late for that. I’ve already signed for the cottage. If I walk away now I end up with nothing. Maybe I should have thought this through a bit better.’ She paused. ‘You’re right. I won’t jack the job in yet.’
‘No,’ Sam said.
Ella glanced up at the clock, took another mouthful of food and set her knife and fork down on the plate. ‘I need to go, Gwynnie will be back in a min and I want her to think I’ve worked through my lunch while she’s had an extra long break having her hair done.’
Back at her desk Ella went on the internet again and googled her cottage. She managed to get a satellite view of it, but the weather was dull and all she could see was a dark thatched roof and little else. She couldn’t get a decent street view either, the cottage seemed to be in a dead end road and the view was obscured by a large tree.
Still, from what she could see it looked promising. She felt almost sick with excitement. Saturday couldn’t come fast enough.
The door banged at the far end of the office and Gwynnie appeared with Tiffy trotting alongside her. Ella quickly closed her browser and got her head into her work.
‘Hi,’ Ella said as they came back to their desks, glancing up and forcing a quick smile. Then she did a double take. Gwynnie’s hair was the straightest it had ever been, poker straight and cut into a very short bob. ‘Wow, your hair’s amazingly smooth.’
‘Chemically straightened,’ Gwynnie said, running her hand over her head.
‘Looks fab, doesn’t it?’ Tiffy prompted Ella.
‘Yes. It’s certainly smooth and straight.’ Ella, wasn’t sure fab was the right word for it. It reminded her of a scarecrow’s straw hair, same colour too. She shook herself and got back to her work; she didn’t need or want to be bitchy, not now that her own life was improving.
Minutes later an email pinged into her inbox. Emergency team meeting: Think Day progress. Oh for God’s sake, why?
Ten minutes later the whole team was in a meeting room. Ben and Kevin sat smirking at each other across the table; Ella looked out of the window and Gwynnie and Tiffy sat side by side like matching smiley cats.
‘So, how’s it going? What are we all thinking? Say whatever is on your mind, whatever you’re thinking.’
There was silence as everyone glanced at each other then studiously down at their laps. In the glaring light of the meeting room the whites of everyone’s eyes shone brightly, giving the impression of eagerness. The light also glinted off Gwynnie’s newly straightened hair. Ella, who’d had the foresight to bring a cup of extra strong coffee with her picked it up and sipped slowly, hoping it would act as a deterrent to Gwynnie and mean she wouldn’t be forced to speak.
‘Someone must be thinking something. Anyone? It is Think Day. Come on team; get your thinking caps on. Try to be creative. Kevin?’
Kevin, shy by nature and by design stumbled over his words before finally speaking. ‘That’s a really cool wig,’ he said. ‘What’re you going as?’
Ella’s coffee came out of her mouth in a spurt as she coughed it up. Coffee gushed from her mouth and splashed onto her white shirt, it ran in rivulets down her front. Ben dashed off and returned with some paper towels, Tiffy looked on in disgust and Gwynnie gave Kevin the evil eye.
‘Sorry, went down the wrong way,’ Ella said, when she had finished choking and mopping herself down.
‘Mmm,’ Gwynnie said, getting up. ‘I think the meeting’s over; we’ve all got plenty of work to be getting on with.’ She walked towards the door and led the way out, turning only to look Ella up and down.
Ella, Ben and Kevin exchanged glances but didn’t dare speak. On her way back to her desk Ella got herself a glass of water, her throat was sore from choking.
An email from Ben arrived: Kevin wasn’t taking the P. He really thought it was a wig.
Ella replied: His days are numbered… When she heard the email reach his inbox, she glanced up at Gwynnie to make sure her super smooth head was down then turned and exchanged smirks with Ben.
Poor Gwynnie, Ella almost felt sorry for her. But that feeling didn’t last long. It stopped when Ella went to the toilet and saw herself in the mirror.
She thought she’d mopped the coffee up, in the harsh white light of the meeting room it had hardly noticed, but now she could see two dark brown stripes down her front ending in big brown blobs over her nipples. No one had said a word; she had sat there most of the afternoon looking like that.
She walked back to her desk with her arms crossed over her chest. She closed down her computer, collected her bag and coat.
‘I need to go now,’ she said to Gwynnie, daring her to say something. Gwynnie looked at her watch then back at Ella for an explanation. ‘Headache,’ Ella said over her shoulder as she marched out and ‘bitch,’ once she was through the door.
Ella drove home annoyed but also pleased at the way she had flounced – yes that was the word, flounced – out of the office. She parked the car in her street and headed for her flat. As she went through the communal door she was thinking about her shirt, she’d have to get it off and soak it straight away, that coffee had been strong; would it stain? She unbuttoned her coat and started to bound up the stairs when she came face to face – if not quite chest to chest – with Hal, the hot neighbour. He gave her the biggest smile. God he was gorgeous.
‘Hi,’ he said. Then backed up the stairs to let her pass.
‘Hi.’ Ella could feel her face colouring; this was ridiculous.
‘You’re home early.’ He stopped at the top of the stairs effectively barring her way.
‘Yeah, had a bit of an…issue,’ she didn’t want to say accident, ‘at work.’ She gave him a big bright smile.
‘Mmm, so I see.’ His eyes alighted on Ella’s chest. Oh God. She pulled her coat closed and pushed past him. Yet again she’d humiliated herself in front of Hot Hal.
Once inside she shook her head and laughed. What did it matter? She’d soon be out of here. She’d be just a memory that he might laugh over with his leggy girlfriend; at least she hadn’t witnessed Ella’s stains.
For the rest of the week Ella had to fight her impatience, she willed Saturday to come, counted off the hours until she could see her inheritance.
‘Charlie can’t come,’ Sam said over lunch on Friday. ‘Says he’s sorry.’
‘That’s a shame. I was hoping we’d have a man with us.’
‘Ella. Really.’ Sam shook her head.
‘Might be spiders. Probably will.’ Ella said and watched Sam’s eyes widen in fear.
‘Do you think?’ Sam’s shoulder shuddered. The last time Ella and Sam had been faced with a spider scampering across Sam’s sitting room rug they had both stood on the sofa screeching while Charlie picked it up and put it outside. Even though both Ella and Sam had begged him to kill it, he wouldn’t.
‘We’ll just have to manage,’ Ella laughed.
‘Mmm. He would have come, but the band’s interviewing guitarists to replace Nathan. He’s really let them down just going off like that. I told you, didn’t I, that he wrote the only original songs they played. Everything else is a cover.’
‘Well if that shitty song they did in The Swannie is an example, good riddance.’ Ella felt sick at the thought of it. Nathan. Bastard.
‘You sure it was about you? I asked Charlie, he didn’t seem to think so.’
‘Well he doesn’t know what happened.’ Ella stopped. ‘Does he?’ she added, alarmed.
‘No, I didn’t tell him. Anyway we’ve always thought Nathan was gay, so I’m confused.’
Ella thought about the kiss and the fumble in the car park. ‘Definitely not gay.’
‘Maybe bi then,’ Sam said, then saw Ella’s chin drop. ‘Sorry, didn’t mean…’
‘Doesn’t matter. Forget it. I’m not letting nasty Nathan spoil my new life. I’m so excited. Stupidly excited.’
‘What time are you picking me up?’ Sam said, clearing her plate onto her tray.
‘Nine okay?’
Ella sat outside Sam’s house and messaged her; she didn’t want to waste time getting out of the car but after five minutes with no reply and no Sam she switched the engine off. She was just about to get out of the car when Charlie appeared on the doorstep; he held up his hand and mouthed ‘two minutes.’
Sam appeared next to Charlie; he gave her a hug and kissed the top of her head, then stood smiling and waving as she got into Ella’s car. That’s what I want, Ella thought, someone to love me like that.
‘Sorry about that,’ Sam said, doing up her seatbelt. ‘I felt so sick.’
‘Oh, you okay? Something you ate?’
‘No. It’s…’ she patted her little bump.
‘I thought you’d finished with morning sickness now.’
‘Comes and goes. And it’s not just confined to the morning; I don’t know who
named it that. Anyway fine now. So let’s go and see your cottage. How exciting.’ Sam put on a big smile for Ella, but Ella could see how white Sam looked, how dark the circles around her eyes were.
‘You sure you’re okay?’
‘Yes. Let’s go.’
Getting out of town took a while but they were soon trundling down little country lanes.
‘Seems quite remote, this village. What’s it called again?’
‘Lyffingdon. Yeah I did wonder about the route but this is the way the satnav is sending us. I bet there’s a better way. I’d rather be on main roads.’ According to the satnav they would arrive at Spring Cottage in four minutes.
They took a sharp left, then a sharp right and suddenly the sign for Lyffingdon loomed on their left. They carried on slowly, approaching a village green complete with duck pond.
‘The Giddy Goat,’ Ella read out as they passed the village pub. It looked ancient and welcoming, had real ale and a prominent menu board. ‘Maybe we could have lunch there. Oh look, village shop and Post Office. And a butchers, a proper one. Public toilets. Ha ha.’
‘Stop, stop now. Quick.’ Sam was already undoing her seat belt.
Ella swerved the car into the curb and Sam jumped out and ran for the public toilets. Ella watched her friend push through the door and heard it bang behind her. She re-parked the car, lining it up properly with the curb and got out and locked it, then turned to look around the village. Everything was green and pretty in the weak spring sunshine. She could see a church tower behind the pub, its stone ancient and grey.
There wasn’t anyone about, at least not on foot; then a car passed. The occupants, an old couple Ella thought, tooted and waved from inside the car. Ella raised her hand to wave back, then glanced behind her – it probably wasn’t her they were tooting at, how could it be? But there was no one else around.
Sam was taking ages so Ella followed her into the toilets. They were amazing, from a bygone era; shiny dark green and white tiles, mahogany doors and frames, polished brass taps, pipes and door knobs. A plaque on the wall explained how the village took pride in the conveniences and asked people to respect the premises. Ella suppressed a snigger and called out to Sam.
