Facing the World (13 page)

‘I’m Geraint.’ He held out a hand and she shook it.

‘I’m Sally and this is—’ She smiled and waited for her daughter to speak.

‘My name is Sadie Travis,’ she provided.

‘Hello, Sadie.’

He bent down and talked to the little girl until the train arrived, then helped her into a carriage and sat near them. He didn’t force his attentions on them, just an occasional remark, and once or twice picking up a book or a toy Sadie dropped. Then when they reached the station and the train squealed to a stop he helped her down with the pushchair and her small case while she held Sadie’s hand. She thanked him and they went out of the station together and bumped right into Milly Sewell.

She said nothing when she saw the young man pick Sadie up and fit her into the pushchair, she just waited until Sally looked at her. Then she raised an eyebrow and muttered to her friend, ‘Another mysterious father, d’you suppose?’ Sally heard the words as Milly intended her to and she hurried away without a goodbye to the friendly young man. Humiliated and aware that the restful interlude was well and truly over, she almost ran back to Greenways, her
shoulder agonizingly painful as she dragged the suitcase and pushed her daughter’s pushchair. She was in a place where critics were
determined
to think the worst of her and home meant hours of hard work and little comfort. Something would have to change.

The fire was alight when she opened the living-room door and the warmth was a wonderful welcome. For a while at least she could wallow in the pleasure of the knowledge that not everyone was as unpleasant as Milly Sewell; the town held more people who were kind than were unpleasant.

Valmai had left food and a note on the table to welcome her home and that helped too. But it wasn’t until Sadie was asleep that she could face walking up to look at the disaster in the bedroom. She took a deep breath, convinced it would look even worse than the first time and switched on the light. The room was completely decorated. The wallpaper perfectly hung, a matching lampshade added, and even in the poor light she could see that the windows had been cleaned of paint splashes. The floor had been thoroughly scrubbed and the room smelled refreshingly of pine soap.

Who could have done this? Certainly not David. Could Valmai have made such a good job of it? There was no one else. It was too late to find out tonight. Once Sadie was asleep she couldn’t go anywhere, so she settled beside the glowing fire and thought about the good friends who must have somehow arranged this wonderful surprise. Tomorrow she would find them and thank them.

Her Monday jobs kept her busy until lunchtime and after collecting Sadie she went to the butchers to buy sausages and in the doorway as she turned to leave was Milly Sewell.

‘Nice time with your new friend, was it? Saundersfoot’s a bit cold for me in December but if you’ve got love to keep you warm I don’t suppose it matters what time of the year, does it?’

‘Sadie and I were on our own and—’

‘Sorry, Mrs Sewell, but I’m closing for an hour,’ the butcher
interrupted
. ‘I
might
serve you if you come back later, if there’s anything left.’ The butcher ushered the woman out of the shop but continued to serve others who were waiting. ‘And any such comments from any of you and you’ll be banned, the lot of you. Right?’ He winked at Sally and continued to serve a very subdued queue. 

Sally didn’t go back home. She knew Valmai finished around lunchtime and went to her house. Sadie ran excitedly towards the shed and Sally chased after her, arriving in time to see Gwilym, out of his chair, exercising his limbs. She stared, embarrassed at the man’s expression of, what? Shame? Guilt? With the aid of sticks he walked back to the bench to hide his disability.

‘Hello, I hope you don’t mind us calling. We want to ask Mrs Martin about the miracle of the ruined bedroom.’ She spoke
light-heartedly
as though she had not witnessed his movements. Sadie climbed into his lap and began talking about sandcastles and train rides.

The sound of a bicycle bell announced Valmai’s arrival and Gwilym said, ‘Not a word to Valmai. She’d be keeping on, pushing me to get out and I can’t, see. I just can’t.’

‘One day something will happen and you’ll have to,’ was all Sally said, before turning to greet his wife.

To Sally’s surprise she learned that Eric and Rick had papered the room and Valmai had cleaned it.

‘I thought I must be dreaming when I went to assess the damage and found the room finished, and perfectly done too. How can I thank you all?’

‘No need. What are friends for? Now, what about a bite to eat before I have to go back to work. I bet you’re starving, aren’t you, Sadie?’

With Sadie helping by throwing assorted cutlery on the table and setting the table in her own inimitable style, and Sally putting out plates of sandwiches quickly made by Valmai, they ate a pleasant lunch before Valmai set off for work pushing her bicycle with Sally and a chattering Sadie walking beside her.

Waiting for her at the gate was someone she didn’t recognize at first – a smartly dressed young woman in a fur-trimmed coat and a fur hat. When she turned to face them she saw the sharp-featured face within the furry frame, of Amy, Rick’s fiancée. She wasn’t smiling. Oh dear, Sally thought. She looks as though something has upset her and it’s probably me. And I thought we were becoming friends!

‘Amy? This is a nice surprise. Will you come in?’

‘I can’t stay long. I just wanted to ask you not to expect my fiancé
to help you out of any more of your so frequent problems.’ Her voice was shrill. Her face showed disapproval and she ignored Sadie completely. ‘He has quite enough to do with the wedding imminent and getting our home ready in time.’

‘I quite understand, I really do, but I don’t ask him for any. He’s just a very kind-hearted man and I’m grateful for his help. But if we both have a word with him and remind him how inappropriate it is, I’m sure he’ll ignore my “frequent problems” and concentrate on yours.’ She ushered the woman inside and lit the electric fire. ‘Stay and have a cup of tea. I’d love to hear about all your plans for the wedding and your future home. It’s such an exciting time, isn’t it?’

‘No, I won’t accept tea. We aren’t exactly friends, and I’d be glad if you’d avoid both of us in future.’

‘Have you been talking to Milly Sewell by any chance?’

‘Well, yes, I have.’

Sally gave Sadie a few toy building bricks and said firmly, ‘Please sit down, Miss Jones. I think you should at least listen to my side of the story, don’t you?’

‘It’s Seaton-Jones, actually.’

With a smile, Sally said, ‘All right, Miss Seaton-Jones-Actually! Firstly I am not promiscuous. My fiancé, Rhys Martin, ran away when he was afraid the police were about to question him about some robberies. He wanted to train as a teacher and knew if a
criminal
record was attached to his name he wouldn’t be accepted. So I have been sending money to him each month and in July he had completed two years and presumably qualified. Only he didn’t come home, and when I went to look for him I found out that he hadn’t been to college and certainly hadn’t qualified. What he was doing with my money I have no idea. And why he ran away yet insisted he was innocent, well, that’s another mystery.’ She went on, over Amy’s attempt to speak, ‘Sadie and I have enjoyed a couple of days in Saundersfoot, just the two of us until another kind young man helped us off the train, and—’

‘Really, this is nothing to do with me.’ Amy moved towards the door.

‘No? Yet you were happy to listen to Milly’s gossip, Miss
Seaton-Jones-Actually
,’ she retorted sharply.

Then Amy smiled. ‘Call me Amy,’ she said. 

‘And there’s another thing,’ Sally went on and when Amy looked startled, she added, ‘I have decided to invite a few friends to lunch on Sunday. People I owe a big thank you to. I’d like it if you and Rick would join us. Trays on laps, I’m afraid, but as you see, this place isn’t exactly well furnished.’

‘We usually go to Mummy’s on Sundays, but, yes, thank you, we’ll both look forward to that.’

When Sally showed her the work already done on the house she was impressed. Particularly the troublesome bedroom. ‘I didn’t dream that Rick could do anything like this. Mummy arranged for a decorating firm to do the work on our home.’

‘I don’t know, but I imagine Eric was the guiding hand. He’s such a lovely man, a particularly fine craftsman too. It was just bad luck he lost his job at the age when it’s difficult to start again. His wife took all his savings and left him in serious debt a few years ago, leaving Eric with nothing. And now he never hears from her or his daughter.’

‘Eric?’

‘Yes, he’s the one you called the tramp.’

Amy looked ashamed. And when she had gone Sally felt guilty. How could she have been so rude to the woman? She hoped she and Rick would still come on Sunday.

A cold wind was rising with the end of the day, and she wrapped Sadie up in her warmest coat and a thick scarf and went to put an invitation through Eric’s door and another through Valmai’s without interrupting Gwilym. Perhaps she had better make amends and do the same for David. He might have ruined the wallpapering but he had tried to help and he had done many kindnesses before. She felt happy with her day. She was badly shocked by Milly’s remarks but it had resulted in a Sunday lunch party to plan and at least a slight thawing of her acquaintanceship with Amy
Seaton-Jones
. She was excited at the prospect of welcoming friends to the house for the first time.

The following morning the invitation to David was sticking out of her letterbox with the invitation scored through and the words ‘No thanks!’ added.

She had obviously offended him and she determined to make amends. After collecting Sadie from nursery she went to where David
lived with his mother. Mrs Gorse opened the door and greeted her with a smile.

‘Sally! Come in, come in, dear. Lovely to see you and this pretty little girl. Let’s see if I can find a chocolate.’ Taking Sadie’s hand, she led them into the living room.

The house was dark and filled with clutter and the windowsills were so covered with ornaments and greenery that hardly any light entered. The living room was cosy with a fire burning brightly, sending patterns of brightness over the dark walls.

‘It’s David I’ve called to see,’ Sally explained, as Mrs Gorse searched among several tins for some chocolate.

After giving Sadie the promised chocolate, she said, ‘David’s asleep. Keeps strange hours, he does, wandering around all hours of the night unable to sleep, then dozes for much of the day. Ever since the factory closed and he couldn’t find another job. I keep asking him to see the doctor – he needs help adjusting his sleep pattern – but will he listen?’

‘I owe him an apology. As a surprise, he very kindly helped me with some decorating and I – well – it wasn’t as good as I’d hoped and I was rude to him. He was only trying to help.’

Mrs Gorse frowned. ‘Are you sure it was my David? He’s wonderful at wallpapering and the like. Look at this room – did it on his own, he did. Made the shelves and that glass-fronted cupboard. Clever with things like that, he is.’

Sally looked more closely at the small amount of wallpaper still visible among the confusion of pictures and shelves covered with ornaments. She prepared for the worst but in fact the papering was neat and perfectly matched. If he had done this, then why had he made such a mess of the bedroom?

‘I must have got it wrong, Mrs Gorse. It must have been someone else who messed up the bedroom. Will you tell him I’m very sorry and I would really like him to come to lunch on Sunday?’

‘Sundays we always eat together – he’s always up and dressed ready for lunch on Sundays – but I’m sure he’ll accept if I assure him I won’t mind.’

‘Thank you. You’re very kind.’ She hesitated then said, ‘I’d be more than happy if you come as well.’

She hurried from the house, not wanting to see David and have to
grovel. There hadn’t been a mistake. David had told her the work was his. Yet it was impossible for him to have made such a disaster of the bedroom and yet be capable of doing a perfectly acceptable job in his mother’s living room. What was going on?

On Sunday, Sally woke very early and with Sadie still peacefully sleeping, she began her preparations for lunch. She had some qualms having invited so many into a house that looked more like an
abandoned
building than a home, but once both fires were alight and the place was warm she knew people wouldn’t be disappointed. There were some early daffodils in the shops and she filled a few vases and added some branches with leaf buds and some ivy trails. The rooms looked as good as she could make them.

David and his mother were the first to arrive and she stifled a sigh. Too early could be as difficult as people who were always late, she mused, as she took their coats. She still had a lot to do. Mrs Gorse followed her into the kitchen. David didn’t say a word or even look at her.

As it happened she was glad they were there half an hour before anyone else as Mrs Gorse had brought flowers to add to the displays and also some cakes and mince pies. ‘Handy they’ll be to offer with a cup of tea before your guests leave,’ she said, unpacking them on to plates, which she had also brought.

Sally planned to use two rooms and with the extra flowers and foliage the place looked surprisingly festive. The bustle of people arriving filled the silence and the ill will emanating from David was lost in an atmosphere that was friendly and lively.

She happened to be looking at David when Rick walked in with Amy and was startled to see his expression change to dislike. Oh dear, she thought. I’d better keep those two apart. She sat the new arrivals down beside Eric and was relieved to see Amy talking to the man, stiffly at first but thawing as minutes passed. David had
disappeared
. Valmai sat on a sofa with a chatting Sadie on her lap.

As the food was consumed and cups of tea were replenished, the group rearranged itself and the conversations grew louder,
interspersed
with laughter. Sally looked around and smiled. It had been a success despite the lack of a formal setting. They consumed more of Mrs Gorse’s mince pies and the conversations became low and easy. She saw David get up and at almost the same time, Rick also rose
and left the room. He came back with a coal scuttle to add fuel to the fire and David snatched the tongs from him and muttered, ‘Thank you but I’ll do this.’