The South West Series Box Set

by Rebecca Paulinyi

  “I can’t believe it… I’m so sorry. He’s been in here, you know, looking for you.”

  “Oh?” Lee didn’t know if she was interested or not; surprised or not. She felt nothing.

  “Yeah, in a bit of a state, said you weren’t answering your phone.”

  “Certainly not to him,” Lee said darkly.

  “Don’t blame you. And we told him nothing, so don’t worry - and Gemma had a few choice words for him. He left with his tail between his legs, I’ll tell you that.”

  “Thanks. Anyway, I need to talk with you - and Gemma.”

  “Can you say it tomorrow? I think she’s with a client at the minute.”

  “No, I can’t Tania - can you see if she’s free?”

  There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few moments, and Lee took the opportunity to have a wander round the flat. A small kitchen with a dining table; a bathroom with a bath and shower, and dolphins tiled into the walls; and the two bedrooms.

  “Lee?” Gemma’s voice now - she could tell it was on speaker by the slightly fuzzy quality to their voices.

  “Hi Gemma.”

  “What a bastard, Lee - and I told him that, believe me. I’m so sorry.”

  “Thank you - both of you, I appreciate it. The thing is - I’ve decided to take some leave from work. I know it’s not fair on you both, and I’m sorry, and I know I should really give more notice - but I had no idea this was going to happen. And I just need some time…”

  Again there was silence on the other end of the line; Lee could picture them looking at each other in horror. Or maybe just confusion…

  “Okay… how long for?”

  “A few weeks? I need to do this - need some time out of everything while I make some decisions. I’m going to stay in Devon.”

  “In Devon? Lee," Tania asked, blunt as ever. "Are you having a mental breakdown?"

  "I don't know," Lee said truthfully. "I feel okay. I just need to do this.”

  The phone call ended a little awkwardly, but they both wished her well and promised they would hold down the fort for as long as she needed, provided she let them know how she was getting on. They also promised not to tell Nathan a thing.

  She thought her sister might take it a little better than her colleagues; after all, Beth had always been a free spirit who had chosen her own path in life. Lee settled down on the sofa with a cup of tea (she had to borrow milk, tea and a mug from Gina, and made a mental note to go and buy some groceries later that evening) for a long chat with her sister - enjoying the prospect of another work free day in the morning.

  ***

  After a marathon phone call with her sister - who had also questioned her sanity, and had also had contact from Nathan - Lee had driven to the nearest supermarket to stock up on essentials for the kitchen and the bedroom, before settling down for an early night.

  When she got up the next morning, she almost didn’t recognise her surroundings; life had moved so quickly in the last few days that she felt her brain couldn’t really catch up. She was a little surprised - although she wasn’t really sure why - to find Gina sat in her pyjamas in the living room.

  “Morning,” Gina said, glancing over as Lee walked in before turning back to her novel. Lee didn’t think she could remember the last time she’d lived with someone she wasn’t romantically involved with: probably not since university.

  After making a cup of coffee, Lee padded across the carpeted living room floor and sat on the armchair opposite Gina.

  “So,” Gina said, looking at Lee over her large mug of tea. “What do you do?”

  “Me? Oh, I’m a lawyer.”

  “A lawyer? What are you doing in a flat share?”

  “It’s a long story…” Lee fiddled with the fringing around the throw she was sat on.

  “I’ve got nowhere to be!” Gina said with a grin. “Besides, if we’re going to live together we should probably know a little more about each other than just our first names…”

  The Lee of last week would have probably thought someone living with a person when they only knew their first name was certifiably insane - but she found that it didn’t really worry her now. She had a good feeling about Gina - and so the events of the last few days began to pour out.

  “So you’ve only been in Totnes two days? And you don’t have a job?”

  “Well, I do have a job, but no, I’m not working it at the minute. And yes - two days.”

  “Wow. And I thought I was impulsive… still, guess it makes you think, finding out the man you chose to marry is a total and utter shit.” She covered her mouth with her hand and her eyes widened slightly. “Oops, sorry. Don’t mean to be an insensitive bitch - I’m a bit blunt, or so my friends tell me.”

  Lee laughed - and was a little surprised to find that it wasn’t forced or fake. “No, he is a shit. And it has turned my life upside down…”

  “Why here?”

  “I don’t honestly know,” Lee admitted. “I drove, and I got here and… well, it’s got a certain vibe, hasn’t it?”

  “The lingering smell of pot, most people refer to it as!” Gina said with a smirk. “No, I kid - Totnes has something special, everyone says so. That’s why our high street is always heaving and people are desperate to live here!”

  “And now…” Lee sighed and sipped her coffee, trying to find the words. “I just couldn’t face going back to my ordinary life, you know? Without…him, without everything I thought my life was going to be…” Why she was pouring her heart out to a virtual stranger - one she happened to be living with, but that was beside the point - she wasn’t sure, but it felt good to voice it.

  “Sometimes we sleepwalk through life, I think,” Gina said. “And it takes something like this to wake us up and take stock of what we really want in life. Stay as long as you want, Lee - I have a feeling we’ll get on just fine. As long as you can pay the rent!”

  “Already in your bank account,” Lee said with a smile. “Thanks, Gina. I think Totnes might be just what I need.”

  “As I’m guessing you don’t know anyone, and you don’t have a job here or anything, do you want to come out with a few of us this evening?”

  “I don’t want to intrude…” Lee said, feeling like the invite sounded very much like it was done out of pity.

  “No, that came out wrong - I just meant that since I now know you might actually want to hang out with a bunch of strangers, you’d be more than welcome. They’re turning on the Christmas lights - it’s quite the event! Mulled wine, the town crier - all the fun of small town living. Go on, I won’t take no for an answer.”

  Lee weighed up the options in her mind for a moment - a night in alone or a festive evening with new people.

  “Okay - I’ll come,” she said, plumping for the second option. She hoped it might rekindle her Christmas spirit that had been somewhat dampened by recent events.

  ***

  She chose a black laced top and a pair of black jeans from her limited clothing collection, and paired it with black boots that she’d picked up in a charity shop. It wasn’t that money was tight - she had enough savings to keep her going past the month she said she’d be away - but they’d been in good condition and she’d thought it was better to give money to a good cause than buy another pair of new shoes to add to the many pairs in her Bristol wardrobe.

  At the top of the town, where the market had been the previous day, she met Gina and her three friends - Dan, Kelly and Lydia. They were all a couple of years younger than Lee, but accepted her onto their evening out readily. If Gina had shared the details of her appearance in Totnes, they didn’t let on, for which she was glad; they also didn’t ask her many personal questions, which made life much simpler.

  In the centre of the square stood a massive green Christmas tree, majestic in both height and decoration. There wasn’t really a unifying colour - instead ornaments and baubles in red, green, silver and blue were sprinkled throughout the tree, all leading up to a large star that was s
o glittery it sparkled in just the moonlight. Lights were strung around the tree although they could barely be seen - of course they had not yet been turned on. Christmas market stalls had been erected but weren’t yet open; the signs told Lee that they would open on the first of December - two more weeks. Lee found herself feeling happy that she would still be around to see it; she thought it might be quite a festive experience.

  “Lee?” The sound of her name broke her reverie, and she turned to find Gina looking at her with a slightly bemused experience.

  “Sorry, in my own little world. What did you say?”

  “Do you want mulled wine? We’re all getting some.”

  “Sounds lovely, thanks.”

  They toasted the Christmas tree - apparently one of Gina’s Christmas traditions - and found a good spot to huddle before the lights were officially turned on.

  “Hear ye, hear ye, on the sixteenth of November, these Christmas lights will be lit. Hear ye, hear ye, gather round for the start of the Christmas season!” The town crier, dressed in old fashioned clothing and a large hat, walked the streets, ringing his bell and announcing the event to come. Lee found herself trying not to laugh; she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen anything like it before.

  With five minutes to go, a large group of carollers - mixed in age from around 9 to 90 - gathered in front of the tree and pulled out red folders. Together they began to sing traditional carols, and Lee felt a little shiver travel down her spine, despite the surprisingly mild evening. The Christmas magic felt particularly strong tonight.

  Quite a large crowd had gathered by the time the local mayor stood in front of the tree with a big red button, ready to turn on the lights.

  “Five, four, three…” Everyone chanted the count down, and at zero the mayor pressed the button and looked relieved when everything went to plan. Hundreds of tiny blue and white lights flickered to life, looking like tiny fairies nestled in the branches of the beautiful fir. At the same time, lights strung across from one side of the high street to the other flashed on; a mixture of festive tableaus and words announcing ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Welcome to Totnes’.

  The group listened to the carollers for another ten minutes or so, by which time the crowd had started to disperse.

  “Shall we go and get a proper drink?” Lydia asked as they finished their mulled wine.

  “Sounds like a plan. What about dinner? I’ve not eaten yet.”

  “The vegetarian restaurant’s only a few doors away…” Dan said, hopefully.

  “Oh, Dan!” Kelly said. “You always want to go to the bloody vegetarian restaurant!”

  “The food’s great,” Dan said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

  “If you’re vegetarian - which is only you. Oh, sorry, Lee, are you?” Gina said.

  “No, afraid not!”

  “There,” Gina responded with one hand on her hip, nose ring glinting in the Christmas lights. “One vegetarian cannot decide for the other four. Anyway, we’re going there next week for a meal, aren’t we - so tonight let’s do pizza. Always good vegetarian options at a pizza place.”

  With only a slight grumble from Dan, the five set off up the hill, chatting companionably about not very much at all.

  Chapter 7

  Lee had been living in Totnes for six days before she made it back to the little café that she had first eaten in on the day she’d arrived. She had still not made any contact with Nathan, although she had endured a rather painful conversation with her mother who had asked what on Earth she was doing in the middle of nowhere and whether her marriage truly was over.

  Lee had assured her that her marriage was most certainly over, and that she was getting her head together in the middle of nowhere. And it seemed to be working; it was getting slightly less painful to think of Nathan each day. Painful, but not that soul ripping pain she had endured on the day she’d walked in on them. Perhaps it was just time; perhaps it was being away from everything. She didn’t want to go back and find out which it was.

  She went into the café for lunch this time, and was served once again by Val.

  “Hello dear!” she exclaimed as soon as the door closed behind Lee. “And here I thought you were only here for a night and would never return!”

  “Well,” Lee said with a smile. “I have a confession - that was the plan. But I couldn’t leave… so I’ve decided to stay for the foreseeable future. There’s something about this place…”

  “Oh that’s certainly true! I came here in 1972, planning to only be here a few months before moving on - and here I still am!”

  “Any luck with selling your lease?” Lee asked as she ordered jacket potato for her lunch.

  She regretted the words once they had left her mouth; Val’s face fell and she shook her head sadly. “There’s been some interest, but no-one seems to be ready to part with the money - no-one except massive corporations that I know the town just won’t accept.”

  “I’m sorry,” Lee said truthfully. “I wish I could help.”

  “Thank you dear. You enjoy your lunch, don’t worry about me. I’m glad you’ll be sticking around for a while longer - always nice to see fresh faces!”

  As she ate her lunch, Lee mulled over Val’s problem. She had no idea how much a lease cost, no idea how she could help such a kind, friendly woman. She enjoyed the same seat again, watching the world go by outside the window for a long time after her plate had been cleared away, letting her thoughts take over her mind…

  ***

  She enjoyed a slow walk back up the hill, popping into shops and picking up another couple of second hand novels from the charity shop. As much as she was enjoying the slower pace of life, there was a niggling thought at the back of her head; what was she going to do with her time if she stayed here for a month? She had rarely taken more than a few days off work, and that was usually when they were going somewhere abroad on holiday. She hadn’t had time at home to just be for a long time - possibly not since she’d been at uni.

  As Gina was working lunch today, she planned to get home and spend an hour or so reading, before perhaps doing some housework. Although she was paying rent, she still felt a little odd about living in someone’s home, and thought it would be nice to help out a bit and make things a little easier for Gina. Besides, it would give her something to do.

  She was only ten minutes into her novel and cup of tea combo when the door burst open and an irritated looking Gina walked in.

  “They cut my hours back to nothing,” Gina said, looking miserable. “I don't know what I'm going to do.” She threw herself onto the brightly coloured sofa, sighing deeply, and looked at Lee. “I've worked there for the last two years on and off and now they haven't got enough hours for me. Right before Christmas too. It sucks. I don’t know how I’m going to pay the rent, especially not if you leave…”

  “How can they do that? That doesn't seem fair.” The lawyer in Lee began to get angry. “Let me look at your contract; I'm sure there's something we can do.” Gina smiled a half smile. “It’s a zero hours contract,” she said, shrugging. “There's nothing I can do - they haven't actually sacked me, there just aren't any hours - zero hours in fact.”

  “It is terrible timing,” Lee said. “I'm so sorry.”

  Lee’s mind began to whir at this point, thinking through all the things that happened in the day and how they could possibly - just possibly - come together. Somehow she thought she had fallen in love with that little café at the bottom of the town and she couldn’t bear the thought of it being turned into something else - or some massive corporation that would be so out of place in this idyllic little town getting its hands on it. And she certainly could not just stay at home and do nothing for four weeks - or maybe longer; who knew what would happen? When she did leave, maybe there was a way to leave part of her in this town. Hopefully not the only happy part of her…

  “I've got an idea,” Lee said with a glint in her eye and a smile on her lips. “Something I think might be good for bo
th of us - and maybe a few other people round here.”

  Gina was immediately intrigued: “Go on,” she said.

  “I need to check a few things out first,” Lee said. “I don't want to get anyone's hopes up if it's not possible. But don't lose faith just yet - maybe we can have a little Christmas miracle of our own!”

  ***

  Lee considered waiting until the next day, but the idea was buzzing around the back of her head, making her think of nothing else. She drove this time, as the weather had turned wet and dark and she had a plan to drive to Dartmouth that evening, to see if it was anything like she remembered.