Down on Daffodil Lane

by Rebecca Pugh

  ‘I have,’ she admitted quietly. ‘Rather a lot, actually.’

  Brad’s back straightened. ‘And?’

  ‘And…’ Maria breathed out slowly. ‘And I think that…’ The ringing of Maria’s phone cut into her words. She pulled her phone from out of her bag and eyed the screen where Rob’s name flashed. ‘Could I?’ She indicated to the phone.

  ‘Sure, go ahead,’ Brad said. He rose from the chair and went to grab himself a coffee.

  Maria accepted the call. ‘Rob?’

  ‘Oh, Maria. Thank God. I tried ringing the number for the cottage but it wouldn’t go through. I’m so relieved to have got you. It’s Mum.’

  Maria’s body went cold. ‘What do you mean “it’s Mum”? What’s happened?’

  ‘She’s had a fall, Maria,’ Rob rushed breathlessly.

  ‘What kind of fall? A bad one?’

  ‘She was with Geraldine. They were mooching about in the garden, enjoying a cup of tea and biscuits. You know what they’re like when they get together. Anyway, the steps that lead down into the garden, not sure if you’ve ever seen them, but they’re steep. Uneven and not safe at all. Mum slipped and went tumbling down. Thankfully the fall wasn’t right from the top, who knows how much damage could have been done. She’s gone to the hospital. She looked in a bad way, Maria. I think she’d feel much better if you were here. Could you do that?’

  Maria eyed Brad as he began to make his way back towards the table. ‘Yes. Yes of course I can do that. I’ll go back to the cottage, load up the car and get straight on my way. I can’t say how long it will take me but I’ll go straight to the hospital.’

  ‘Thank you, Maria. You’re a star. I’ll see you soon, all right? I’ll text you with details of where she is asap. Me and Rosanna are heading up there now.’

  ‘All right, Rob. Speak to you soon, okay? And don’t worry, I’m sure Mum will be fine, maybe just a little bruised.’

  ‘I hope so,’ replied Rob sadly. ‘Bye.’

  Ending the call, Maria met Brad’s concerned face. ‘Everything all right?’ he asked, taking a tentative sip of coffee. He studied her expression quickly, brows furrowing slightly. ‘Maria?’ he prompted. He put the cup of coffee down and leant forward. ‘What’s happened? You’ve gone awfully pale.’

  ‘I…’ She shook her head. ‘I have to go. I have to go home. Mum’s had an accident and I need to go to the hospital to be with her. Just to make sure she’s okay. I’m sorry to cut this short, really I am, but I have no choice.’ The chair squeaked as Maria shoved it back and stood up.

  ‘Wait, Maria,’ Brad called as she rushed off. ‘Don’t run away from this. From us. Just give me a minute.’

  Maria didn’t hear his words. Instead, blocking Brad’s voice from her conscious mind, she dashed up the street and back to the cottage. She knew she could have stayed with Brad for just a few extra minutes, allowed their conversation to carry on for a little while. At least finished explaining to him her thoughts about them becoming anything more. She couldn’t help feeling that the phone call had been a blessing in disguise. It had given Maria the excuse to run and not have to tell Brad her answer, which had been a firm no.

  The thing was, deep down, despite how wonderful the summer had been and despite how much she’d enjoyed spending time with him, she couldn’t give her heart away quite so easily yet. She was scared, terrified even, of doing so and then watching it all go wrong. Having to deal with the emotions that she’d already dealt with – experiencing the mental and physical exhaustion all over again – felt like too much. She wasn’t entirely sure that Brad would understand it, or maybe he would. Who knew?

  Once she’d arrived back on Daffodil Lane, Maria rushed around as she grabbed her belongings and hurriedly packed. Taking a last lingering look over her shoulder at the place that had played such a massive role in helping her back to happiness, she blinked away the tears and shook off the feeling of loss. The cottage didn’t belong to her. It had been a temporary arrangement. She shouldn’t have allowed herself to become so attached but she hadn’t been able to help it. Not really. It had all grown on her without her even realising it, and now it hurt to say goodbye and leave it behind.

  Sat in the car, preparing to leave, Maria fired off a quick goodbye text to Millie, along with an apology for having to depart so briskly without a proper explanation. She asked Millie to say goodbye to Harriet for her too. Once finished, she reversed off the pretty driveway and forced herself not to look in the rear-view mirror at what she was leaving behind. But in the end, she couldn’t help it and risked a quick glance anyway. And that was when she saw him. Brad. Standing outside of the cottage, watching her car while she waited at the end of the road to turn left and leave. She wasn’t sure if he could properly see her from that distance, but for a second, she felt as though they were looking directly into each other’s eyes through the mirror. She gulped back the rising tears. Rather than taking the time to say goodbye properly, Maria tightened her grip around the wheel before turning left and removing Brad from her view for good. It felt as though a steel vice had hold of her heart and was squeezing tightly. She did her best to ignore the pain and knew she needed to get home to Ellen. No matter how much it hurt, how unsure she felt about everything, she needed to go, and she’d known that all along.

  Chapter Fifteen

  A little under two hours later, with the back seat of the car still jammed with her hastily-packed belongings, Maria finally parked in a spot outside of the Hilltop Hospital and drew in a deep breath. She displayed the parking ticket on the dashboard and slammed the driver’s door behind herself as she hurried off towards the automatic doors.

  After having been directed to the accident and emergency department by a kind nurse she’d found striding down the corridor, Maria flew at her family, perched on the chairs, with sheer relief. Rob and Rosanna looked distraught, while Ellen sat between them both, pale and wearing a pained expression.

  ‘Maria, darling. You’re here.’

  Stooping to wrap Ellen in her arms, Maria squeezed her gently. ‘Of course I am. I needed to make sure you’re okay, didn’t I? How are you feeling?’

  ‘We think she’s broken her ankle,’ Rob explained from beside Ellen. ‘It’s swollen and slightly purple, and hurts when she puts any pressure on it.’

  ‘You’ll be out of action for a few weeks at least, Ellen.’ Rosanna placed a comforting hand upon Ellen’s shoulder and smiled softly. ‘Geraldine’s garden is a bloody death-trap. Pretty? Immeasurably so. But so dangerous! She really does need to get those steps seen to.’

  ‘I’ll be fine,’ muttered Ellen. ‘It’s quite painful at the moment, and if it does turn out to be broken, then so be it.’

  Maria kept her smile to herself. Ellen, ever the trooper. ‘I’m sure everything will be okay. Let’s see what the doctor says first and then go from there, hey?’ She sat down beside Rob and checked her phone. Seeing she had a text from Millie, Maria opened it with a heavy heart and felt the threat of tears all over again. Millie had said goodbye to Harriet for her, but was sad that they hadn’t been able to have a hug before she’d left. The image of Brad outside the cottage shimmered back into Maria’s mind before she quickly forced it away. Not now. Not here. It wasn’t the time or the place. She glanced across at Ellen and hoped that a broken ankle was all they were dealing with here.

  As the time ticked by and A&E began to fill up with more and more patients, Maria offered to get them all a cup of coffee. They sipped at the tasteless, murky liquid and all eyed the clock above the receptionist’s desk eagerly. Finally, Ellen’s name was called and a kind looking doctor appeared in the corridor, beckoning them through to a small room. They all trooped inside, taking a seat opposite the doctor’s desk. Ellen was instructed to hop up onto the bed where Doctor Willis gave her a quick examination. Ellen winced with every ounce of pressure the doctor put on her ankle, and Maria could already see a deep, purple bruising beginning to bloom around the area.

  ‘It do
es sound like you’ve done quite a bit of damage, Mrs Charm. I think the next best step is to send you for an x-ray, just so we can take a closer look at what’s going on here.’ Doctor Willis returned to his desk and tapped quickly at his keyboard.

  ‘And how long will I be waiting for this x-ray?’ asked Ellen impatiently. ‘Weeks? Months?’

  ‘Mum,’ warned Maria.

  Doctor Willis laughed. ‘No, we’ll send you down to the x-ray department today. It’s best if we try and get you in there as soon as possible.’

  ‘Oh. Well, that’s good then.’ Ellen nodded primly.

  Following directions from the very helpful Doctor Willis, the four of them headed to the x-ray department to wait once again. Rob pushed Ellen in a wheelchair they’d been provided with as she couldn’t bear to put any weight on the affected ankle. It was less busy here than in the A&E waiting room. Maria glanced at the few other people waiting to be seen to, then turned to Ellen.

  ‘Hopefully you haven’t done too much damage. You’ll be wearing a cast for the next couple of weeks.’

  ‘Oh, joy,’ Ellen said sarcastically. ‘Just what I need.’

  Maria snorted. ‘If it’s going to make you get better, then sadly Mother, you have no choice.’

  ‘Yes, yes, all right.’

  A couple of hours later, Maria, Rob, Rosanna and an unsteady Ellen on crutches left Hilltop Hospital. Ellen had been instructed to take it easy and try her absolute best not to put any weight on the affected ankle which was now enveloped in a white cast. She wasn’t happy about wearing ‘the ridiculous thing’ at all, and had sighed dramatically when told to stay in for a couple of weeks if possible, to help with the healing process. She had a couple of follow-up appointments in the next six weeks or so, to see how the ankle was coming along. Thankfully, it hadn’t been deemed serious enough to involve surgery which Maria had been happy about.

  ‘Right. Well. I suppose we’d best get you home,’ announced Rob, unlocking the car as they approached with the key fob.

  Maria followed Rob’s car back to Ellen’s house, where she’d now be living until she managed to find a place of her own, and they filed inside, giving Ellen plenty of room with her crutches. It seemed they were going to take a bit of getting used to.

  ‘Home sweet home.’ Rob led them all through to the kitchen and headed straight for the kettle, flicking it on. He began gathering cups straight away, as the rest of them settled around the kitchen table.

  ‘What a day,’ said Ellen, shrugging off her jacket and hanging it on the back of her chair. ‘I can’t wait to see how I sleep tonight.’

  ‘You’ll be fine,’ assured Maria. ‘Perhaps a bit uncomfortable, and the doctor said you can take painkillers didn’t he? So if it does get too much, they’re always there as an option.’ Maria placed her hand on top of Ellen’s and smiled. ‘Before you know it, the cast and crutches will be gone and you’ll be back on your ankles, both of them, right as rain.’

  ‘Here you go.’ Rob delivered a hot, milky cup of tea to them all and then took the seat beside Rosanna. ‘I bet Geraldine is mortified about this, isn’t she?’ Rob looked amused. ‘No more garden awards if this news gets out.’

  Despite her obvious discomfort, Ellen stifled a laugh. ‘No, I suppose not.’ She sipped at her tea and sighed loudly. ‘I’ve never broken a bone before. I’m so angry at myself. Those bloody steps!’

  ‘You could sue?’ offered Rob. Maria couldn’t tell whether he was joking or not and shared a roll of the eyes with Rosanna.

  ‘No, don’t be ridiculous. I couldn’t sue Geraldine. In truth, she was very apologetic about it all, and it’s not her fault anyway. I’m sure she’ll be around soon enough, bearing gifts and flowers and pots of stew. Anyway, Maria, I can’t thank you enough for coming back so promptly.’

  ‘No need to thank me,’ she replied quickly. ‘It’s what any daughter would do. As soon as I got off the phone with Rob, I ran back to the cottage from the café and shoved everything into the car.’ Again, the image of Brad outside of the cottage watching her leave tore at her heart. ‘Everyone understood. I didn’t get chance to say goodbye properly, but I sent a text to Millie to let her know what was going on.’

  ‘At least you’ll be around to take care of Mum for a couple of weeks,’ said Rob. ‘Now that you’re back at home.’

  Maria tried to smile brightly, but it seemed her mind was already wandering back to Daffodil Lane. ‘I sure will. I’ll be able to come to your check-up appointments with you, so that’s a bonus too.’

  ‘You don’t need to do that,’ Ellen laughed. ‘I’m a grown woman, darling.’

  ‘No, it’s fine. I’d like to.’ Maria finished off her tea and left her family chatting in the cosy, low-lit kitchen. She returned to the car to bring her belongings into the house and up the stairs to her bedroom. It was dark when she stepped inside the room. Fumbling along the wall for a light switch, Maria couldn’t help the sadness beginning to overwhelm her as she thought of her lovely bedroom back in the cottage. Everything was so different back here. It was glaringly obvious and she realised that it was going to take a long time for her to get used to it, to the switch between Daffodil Lane and here.

  Tiredness beginning to creep over her now, Maria flopped down onto the single bed and closed her eyes for a few moments. She allowed herself some peace of mind, breathing in and out, deeply and slowly. Her muscles began to relax for what felt like the first time that day and she reached her arm across to grab the top pillow and dragged it towards her. Burying her face in the soft material and lulled along by the faint sound of her family’s voices floating up from the kitchen below, Maria gradually floated off to sleep.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The next morning, once Maria had wolfed down a cooked breakfast complete with fried bread, she took to the computer sat in the corner of the lounge on the old, coffee-ring-stained desk, and began the good old search for employment. She needed to get her arse into gear and create some sort of a plan for herself. After all, no matter how tempting moping about in her pyjamas and slippers was and hoping for a miracle to happen, Ellen simply wouldn’t allow it. Maria glanced over towards the kitchen now, only to find her mother peeping around the doorframe, watching her. Ellen, having been caught, scurried – or rather hobbled – away like a startled mouse.

  Thoughts of a job search made Maria think of the café and of how much she’d adored working there. From the food and the feel of the place to Harriet and the customers, it had been a wonderful part of her life for too short a time, and she knew, as she felt her heart sink some more, that the chances of her finding a job that would make her feel the same way were zero.

  Brushing that aside, Maria straightened her back in the desk chair. She couldn’t be picky. She knew that. She needed to apply, apply, apply and, if she were to hear back from a single one of them, be grateful for the opportunity. From the looks of things, the further she got down the list of available vacancies, there didn’t look to be much chance of hearing back at all. Maria took a deep breath and glugged down a huge mouthful of coffee before soldiering on.

  ‘How did it go?’

  ‘How did what go?’

  Maria knew what Ellen was referring to. She was referring to the job search. The dismal, soul-destroying job search that hadn’t gone well at all. After she’d applied for almost every job available, even – in sheer desperation – a few that she wasn’t at all qualified for, she’d given up and wandered into the kitchen to begin cooking dinner.

  Now, with a hefty helping of the lasagne she’d made sat on the plate in front of her, Maria knew she needed to get a grip. There was nothing more she could do now except wait to see if she heard anything back, and keep checking back on the website for any new vacancies each day.

  ‘The job search. Were there any that caught your eye?’ Ellen smiled and took a sip from her glass of red wine.

  ‘Quite a few actually,’ Maria lied. ‘I applied for as many as I could, so fingers crossed I hear back s
oon.’

  ‘That’s wonderful news, darling. Well done.’ Finishing another mouthful of food, Ellen continued, ‘Geraldine wanted me to ask you if you fancied joining us for lunch in town tomorrow. I need to get out of the house. Granted, it’ll take longer than usual to get up the high-street, but I can’t stand another day stuck in the house. She’s dying to hear about how you got on at the cottage. I’ve told her bits and pieces but you know what I’m like. Memory like a sieve.’

  It wasn’t like she had anything else to do, so Maria agreed to join them. After all, it would be nice to catch up with Geraldine, even if she was a tiny bit of a busybody. At least she’d have someone to talk about the cottage and Daffodil Lane with. She was worried of boring Ellen to death so tried her best not to bring it up too much. Plus, she wasn’t able to bring it up without bringing up the thought of Brad at the same time, and that was still hurting her. She did miss him. She missed his joyful banter, rubbish jokes and general presence. Life was feeling a bit… empty, without him there.

  *

  ‘Job vacancy, darling!’

  Maria walked right into Ellen’s back, who had paused on the pavement with her crutches in front of her and was nodding towards the establishment they were now stood outside of. It was pretty in an outdated, Victorian-style sort of way, with iron railings running up the short flight of steps leading to the white-painted door.

  ‘Oh, yes. You’re right.’ Maria peered up at the sign above the door and read the words Prudence’s Cakes. It was then that she spotted the beautifully decorated cakes in the window. The pastel colours and dainty, delicate cake toppers were truly something to admire.