Making Wishes at Bay View

by Jessica Redland

  The She-Devil must have seen me approach. Either that or her satanic sixth sense had been in operation. ‘These came for you.’ She thrust a large bouquet of yellow and white roses in my direction. ‘Put them in the staffroom then get back to your work.’

  ‘Yes, Mrs Kimble. Thank you.’ I sped down the corridor with the flowers, fighting the urge to grab the card and read it. For a brief moment, I felt sorry for the She-Devil. It must be awful having flowers arrive for someone else on your wedding anniversary. But then I felt sorrier for Mr She-Devil. The poor bloke probably didn’t have much to celebrate while being married to a bully like her, unless she was very different at home, which I seriously doubted.

  As soon as I entered the staffroom, I dumped the flowers on the table and ripped open the card. ‘Sorry about Monday,’ I read. ‘Can I make it up to you tonight?’ Not exactly romantic but it would have to do. I’d text him after lunch. Didn’t want to appear too desperate.

  ‘I hear your sugar daddy sent you flowers. Not dumped after all, then?’ Ruby asked that afternoon, looking up from playing Scrabble with Iris.

  I added a splash of milk into cups of tea for them both. ‘No. Not dumped.’

  ‘Shame,’ she said. ‘My grandson’s visiting this evening.’

  ‘Is that right? What time can we expect the mysterious Rhys?’

  ‘About six o’clock. He’d be a perfect suitor for you, darling, although he’s the same age as you so not a sugar daddy.’

  I smiled. ‘That’s no good then. You know I like my older men. Besides, as we’ve just established, I haven’t been dumped.’

  ‘You should make him work harder for forgiveness, you know. I used to make my men work very hard.’

  ‘I bet you did,’ I said, laughing at her cheeky wink.

  ‘Triple word score,’ Iris declared, helping herself to some more Scrabble tiles.

  ‘You can’t have!’ Ruby cried. ‘Iris Davies, you little cheat. That is not a word.’

  ‘I assure you it is.’

  ‘Callie! She’s making that up, isn’t she?’

  I had to laugh at Ruby’s incredulous expression. ‘I haven’t a clue. Look it up in the dictionary.’

  ‘I will. Where is it?’

  I rolled my eyes at Iris then retrieved the dictionary for Ruby from the nearby games cabinet. ‘I’m on shift until eight tonight,’ I said. ‘So I look forward to finally meeting Rhys. If he turns up this time.’

  ‘Oh, he will. I’ll be sure to introduce you. He’s such a lovely young man.’

  ‘I’ve never met Rhys either,’ Iris said.

  ‘That’s because I only introduce him to people who don’t cheat at Scrabble.’

  I giggled as I left them to it.

  ‘I didn’t know Ruby had children,’ Maria said once the residents’ lounge had emptied, leaving us free to clear away the cups and plates.

  ‘She doesn’t. I checked her file.’ Curiosity had overcome me when I’d filed the report for her fake dizzy spell on Tuesday and her file clearly stated no children.

  ‘Then why was she telling you she’s got a grandson?’

  I shrugged as I tipped a dish of used teabags into the small bin on the trolley. ‘When I was younger, we used to call our next-door neighbours Auntie Pat and Uncle Keith even though they weren’t relations.’

  Maria nodded. ‘We did that. We called the old lady opposite us Granny Jayne. You think this grandson is a non-relation like that?’

  ‘Either that or she’s making him up.’

  ‘Why would she do that?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ I said, emptying a couple of cold cups of tea into the slop bucket. ‘She’s always going on about what a great grandson this Rhys is, but he can’t be that great because I’ve never known him to visit. She could be lonely.’

  ‘Or she could be losing her marbles.’

  I frowned. ‘I hope not. She’s always seemed so lucid.’

  ‘She’s eighty-four. That’s a lot of years’ worth of data and experiences to keep in your mind. Things are bound to get mixed up sooner or later.’ She gently touched my arm. ‘I wish you wouldn’t get so close to them. You know it makes it harder when…’

  ‘When what?’ I snapped, knowing exactly what she meant.

  ‘You know. When they die or whatever. Come on. Let’s get these to the kitchen.’

  I stomped after Maria down the corridor. Much as I adored her, I hated how detached she could be from the residents. She detested listening to stories of their childhood, their families, their lost loves, or their time in the military, whereas I found it fascinating. She didn’t see the point in building relationships with visiting friends or family and she never stayed after a shift to join in a game or a sing-song. However, when a resident took ill or died and I was sobbing my heart out, I envied Maria’s ability to move on. Did that mean she was in the wrong job because she didn’t seem to care enough or was I in the wrong job for caring too much?

  As we cleared the tea trolley, I wondered if she was right about Ruby. Could she be showing early signs of dementia? Nothing else suggested it, though. She wasn’t forgetful. She wasn’t confused. She just had a potentially fictional grandson.

  ‘Angel!’

  I couldn’t bring myself to run up to Tony at the end of my shift that evening. Instead, I walked slowly towards him and, on my tiptoes, gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

  ‘I said I was sorry,’ he snapped. ‘Are you still pissed off with me?’

  I bristled. Yes, I was pissed off with a grown man for walking out on me like he had, but sometimes it wasn’t about him. ‘I’m upset about one of the residents, Ruby.’

  He put his arm round me and steered me towards his car. ‘I’m sorry, angel, but death’s an inevitable part of your job.’

  ‘She’s not dead.’

  ‘Illness, then.’

  ‘She’s not ill either. Or at least, I hope she isn’t.’

  Tony released a loud, exaggerated sigh. ‘Then do we really need to let it affect our evening?’ He stared at me, eyes narrowed. I didn’t recognise him for a moment as my gentle, loving partner. Then he smiled and his whole face changed. ‘I’ve missed you. Where’s my bubbly girl gone?’

  As he opened the car door for me, I bit on my lip to stop me from telling him that sometimes even the bubbliest person had the sparkle knocked out of them and needed a little sympathy. Where would it get me, though? Another strop?

  I pasted a smile on my face and tried to keep the sarcasm out of my voice as I sat in the passenger seat. ‘She’s right here and she loves her flowers. Thank you. How was your week?’

  Tony closed my door then dashed round to his side and got in. ‘Amazing week. I had a good meeting in Manchester on Tuesday and I’ve found a great site in Liverpool where…’

  I zoned out as we pulled past the front of Bay View. All I could think about was Ruby in her best dress – a stunning satin coral number with cream lace – all alone in the residents’ lounge, waiting again for the grandson who’d never appeared. It broke my heart to see the look of disappointment on her face.

  ‘Are you listening to me?’ Tony said.

  ‘Of course I am.’ I hoped he wasn’t going to test me by asking me what he’d just said. ‘It’s really interesting. Please continue.’

  So he did. I nodded my head and made noises of approval in all the right places, but I felt in a daze, like my body was there but my heart and mind weren’t.

  ‘You said you were going to make it up to me tonight?’ I prompted when Tony finally stopped jabbering about his week. ‘Are we going out?’

  ‘Out? Of course not.’

  I tensed. What was it with him always wanting to stay in? ‘Why do you say “of course not” as if it was a really stupid suggestion? It’s Friday night. People go out on Friday nights.’

  ‘Yes, and I bet those people don’t finish a twelve-hour shift at eight o’clock.’

  ‘That’s sweet of you, but I promise I’m not too tired. I could jump in the s
hower and be ready in fifteen minutes.’

  Tony laughed. ‘Maybe another time, angel. I’ve just driven up from Nottingham. I want to lie on the sofa with my gorgeous girl and make it up to her with her favourite wine and some Belgian chocolates.’

  So he wasn’t really thinking of me at all. He was the tired one. As usual. He was also the wine drinker. I’m more of a lager kind of girl. And he was the Belgian chocolates fan too. Personally, a bar of Galaxy was more my thing – a box of fancy nut-topped truffle-y crap did nothing for me. Not wanting to cause another rift, though, I smiled and said, ‘Sounds great.’

  ‘And, of course, a spot of make-up sex,’ he added.

  Also thinking of him.

  Just like I’d done in the car, I made the right noises in the right places. Lots off oohs, aahs and soft moans to make him believe I was in the moment. But I was really back in the residents’ lounge with Ruby. It was possible her grandson had shown after I left, but that would have made him over two hours late, so a no-show was far more likely. Or no grandson. Should I speak to the She-Devil about it? If this was the start of dementia, I owed it to Ruby to flag it up.

  ‘I’m nearly done, angel,’ gasped Tony.

  Oops. Back in the room. ‘Ooh, yeah, oh, that’s it. Yes! Yes!’ No! No!

  He grunted then rolled off and disappeared to the bathroom. I thumped my head against the pillow a few times before getting up, pulling on my robe, and going into the kitchenette to gulp down some water.

  ‘Are you staying the night?’ I asked when Tony re-appeared. I hoped he’d say no. My worries about Ruby were making me feel irritated by his presence and I longed to be alone.

  ‘I can’t. I’ve got to get home. My sister’s coming to visit tomorrow with her kids, and I’ve got no food in. I’ll let you get your beauty sleep. Don’t eat all those chocolates, will you? Not when I’m not staying to work the calories off with you.’

  ‘You take them,’ I said, smiling sweetly whilst inwardly grimacing at another comment about my weight. ‘Then you’ll know they’re safely out of my reach.’

  Tony tilted his head on one side and stared at me for a moment while I continued to smile. ‘I don’t know if I’ve said something to piss you off again, but I don’t want us to argue so I’m just going to get my stuff and leave.’ He walked past the sofa and through the open double-sliding doors into the bedroom.

  I leaned on the kitchenette counter and watched him dress for a few moments. ‘Tony?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Do you love me?’

  ‘You know I do.’ He sat on the bed as he pulled on his socks.

  ‘Why do you love me?’

  He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around me, pushing one hand into my robe to cup my breast. ‘Because you’re young, gorgeous, and amazing in bed. What’s not to love?’ He kissed my neck then headed into the hall.

  ‘Here’s the chocolates.’ I passed the part-eaten box to him. ‘Save some for your sister.’

  ‘I’ll call you,’ he said, drawing me in for a kiss. ‘Bye.’

  Closing the flat door, I sighed. It was twenty past ten and I was far from tired. I gathered the wine glasses from the lounge area and reached for a cold lager from the fridge. Stepping out onto my tiny balcony, I sipped my drink while I leaned against the railing and stared out towards the distant inky sea. The lights of Whitsborough Bay’s North Bay twinkled invitingly and, as the late June evening breeze wafted through my hair, I wondered how I’d been so blind. When Tony had first said he loved me, I asked him why, and he’d given me the same answer: because I was young, gorgeous, and amazing in bed. At the time, I’d giggled and shown him just how amazing in bed I was. I’d never for one second imagined he’d been telling the truth. And if that genuinely was his reason, it suggested he probably didn’t love me at all; he was just using me for sex. Not good. Not good at all.

  3

  ‘I’m not taking no for an answer,’ Nick insisted, his voice echoing through the intercom the following morning. ‘That’s why I turned up instead of phoning.’

  ‘I’ve got plans.’

  ‘What sort of plans?’

  ‘Erm… cleaning the flat?’

  ‘That’s crap and you know it. You might as well buzz me in because you know I’m not leaving. We’re going to have a brother and sister day of fun together. It’s way overdue.’

  I sighed and pressed the entry buzzer then waited in the doorway, listening to him clattering up the two flights of stairs. ‘Is Tony here?’ he asked, kissing me on the cheek.

  I shook my head. ‘He left last night. Why do you look so cheerful?’

  ‘It’s a gorgeous day and I’m going to spend it on the stunning North Yorkshire Coast with my baby sister. Who wouldn’t be cheerful?’

  I closed the door and followed him into the living area. ‘I hate that you’re such a morning person.’

  ‘And I hate that you’re not. You have ten minutes to get showered, dressed, and out of the dark mood you’re in.’

  ‘Where are you taking me?’

  ‘Today we’re going to play at being tourists and do all the things we never do in Whitsborough Bay because they’re right on our doorstep.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘You want a list?’ He grinned at me. ‘It might not be in this order, but the day’s itinerary includes: a visit to the castle, crabbing in the harbour, crazy golf, jet boat, Ferris wheel, ice-cream, slot machines, sandcastles, doughnuts, an open-top bus ride round The Headland, and fish and chips on the beach.’

  I raised my eyebrows. ‘Seriously? What are we? Six?’

  ‘Seriously and I guarantee you’ll love every second of it. Now get your arse in the shower. You have eight minutes left.’

  Our touristy day turned out to be exactly what I needed. I’d always loved nature and fully appreciated the beauty of living on the North Yorkshire Coast but had stopped making the most of it. I couldn’t stop laughing as the jet boat had crashed over the waves, I screeched with excitement when I won a soft toy on the grab machines in the arcades, and I gasped at the magnificence of the views from the top of the Ferris wheel in Pleasureland.

  ‘Thanks, big bruv,’ I said as we sat on the sand at about half six that evening with a tray of fish, chips, and mushy peas each.

  ‘For what?’

  ‘For today. How did you know I was down?’

  ‘Facebook.’

  ‘I didn’t put anything on Facebook about being down. In fact, I’ve barely been on it this week.’

  Nick leaned over and dipped a chip in my mayonnaise. ‘That’s how I knew something was wrong. Is it over with Tony?’

  I shook my head. ‘No. Not yet anyway.’ I popped another chip in my mouth. ‘Can I ask you a question? You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to, but I hope you will.’

  ‘Sounds ominous.’

  ‘You loved Lisa, right?’

  Nick breathed in sharply. ‘Yes. Why?’

  ‘What did you love about her?’

  He shrugged. ‘It was eight years ago.’

  ‘I know, but you can’t have forgotten. What was it about her that made you want to marry her?’

  Nick stabbed his wooden fork into the remnants of his chips and lay the tray down beside him. ‘Before she ran off with my best mate? I don’t know. Her personality, her sense of humour, our friendship, the good times we had.’

  ‘So you didn’t love her because she was young, gorgeous, and great in bed.’

  ‘Callie! No! We were both young. I was twenty-one and Lisa was only nineteen. Yes, she was gorgeous, but looks are only part of the initial attraction, and as for being great in bed, I am absolutely not going to discuss my sex life with my sister. Ever. So eat your chips and shut up.’

  I ate a few more chips then lay my nearly empty tray down in the sand. We sat in silence, watching children chasing each other along the beach and couples walking along the shoreline.

  ‘Tony’s told you he loves you for those reasons, hasn’t he?’ Ni
ck said eventually.

  ‘Yep.’

  ‘It’s not really the basis for a long-term relationship, is it?’

  ‘Nope.’

  ‘So are you going to end it?’

  ‘Nope.’

  ‘Oh, Callie!’ He put his arm round me and I snuggled against his chest. ‘What are we going to do with you? Do you love Tony?’

  ‘Yes. Well… I thought I did… but then he threw a strop and walked out on me on Monday for no reason and now I don’t know what to think.’

  Nick stood up, pulled me to my feet and picked up the chip trays. ‘I’ll put these in the bin then we’ll go for a beer and you can start from the beginning. Without any reference to your sex life, please.’

  ‘That’ll be tricky. Sex is about the only thing we ever do together.’

  Nick grimaced. ‘Argh! Stop! I can’t cover my ears with these in my hands.’

  ‘Okay. I’ll try and stick to a PG rating for your delicate ears.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  Nick stopped to chat to someone he knew as we left The Lobster Pot, a cosy two-storey pub by the harbour, a few hours later. I crossed the road onto the esplanade and sat on the sea wall, waiting for him. It had been helpful talking things through with him. The very act of trying to talk about our relationship in PG terms made me realise that it was far from it. Our relationship was purely about sex from that first moment in the laundry room up until last night in my flat. We’d only been out together a handful of times and each of those had been drives down country roads or to remote coves where, you’ve guessed it, we had sex. We’d never been out for a drink, a meal, a walk along the beach or anything that ‘normal’ couples did. I’d managed to convince myself that, because we only got to see each other once or twice a week, it was natural that we’d spend a lot of that time in bed. I couldn’t convince myself of that anymore, not after nearly a year together.

  ‘Then I put a question to you,’ Nick had said. ‘What do you want from this relationship? If you’re looking for someone who has potential as a future husband, Tony doesn’t sound like the one. But if you’re only after a bit of no-strings fun, maybe he is.’