Sharpington-by-Sea is
a traditional seaside resort complete with a Victorian Pier, seafront hotels,
crazy golf, The Palladium ballroom, well maintained gardens, promenade, theatre
and illuminations, all the usual things to have a great time by the seaside, as
well as amusement arcades and of course the Sharpington Fun Park.
Which was the first
purpose built amusement park to open in Britain, which had an assortment of
rides, like the Rotor and the Wild Mouse, The Cyclone and the Morehouse
Galloper, all very tame compared to a 21st century roller coaster but still great
fun.
It was also a popular
resort for retirees and boasted a number of static caravan parks.
Seventeen year old
Wendy Corney lived on the Potters Lane caravan park in Sharpington with her
alcoholic mother.
She was a skinny waif
with short mousy blonde hair which made her look like a shaggy dog.
Wendy was a tomboy, a
pretty one with elfin features, but a tomboy none the less, and two things
defined her, one was her mother who neglected her and the other was her
inherent goodness, despite her low self-esteem, and all she needed was a break.
Which she eventually
got as a result of a break in.
It was June 6th and
her mother was passed out drunk on the sofa and Wendy was starving.
There was no food in
the caravan and her mum had spent the last of the money on the booze that had
led to her comatose state.
So she left her slob
of a mother unconscious in the caravan and went out looking for food.
As she walked towards
the town she saw Mr Goodman walking the other way, he was a retired school
teacher and she knew where he lived and that he lived alone.
Once in his back
garden, she stood and stared at the bungalow and wondered what she should do
next.
She’d never stolen
before, but she was desperate and it was that or rummage through the bins
behind the chicken shop.
Wendy hated her mother
for driving her to the brink but she hated herself more for letting her.
Wendy stuck to the shadows
as she approached the house but when she got to the back door she had no idea
what to do.
She could have smashed
the window she supposed but it was bad enough she was planning to steal from
him without causing damage as well.
Wendy walked away from
the kitchen door and grabbed the handle of the garage door instead, she was in
luck the door was unlocked so she pushed it gently open.
She had been rummaging
around by torchlight for about half an hour when all of a sudden the two lights
lit up but one of the bulbs, the one at the rear, blew immediately, returning
it to near darkness.
It was a tandem garage
and there was a car in the front half but the other half was full of everything
and nothing, old pieces of furniture, tools, packing boxes and so on, junk
mainly, and as a result not much light got from one end of the garage to the
other because of everything in between, so she darted for the shadows.
Whoever had switched
on the lights used their phone torch to search for her and in the gloomy light she
made a bolt for the door.
Unfortunately she misjudged
the distance between the figure and the door and glanced against their shoulder
and she felt a hand grab her.
“Got you” he said as he
bundled her towards the workbench and pinned her down while he got a better
purchase on her.
She wriggled and squirmed
and then lashed out at him and she thought she connected with his face, but
then he shifted his body weight which meant her hands had to support herself.
However she alternated
her hands to have quick swipes at him while he tried to subdue her and in the
process he grabbed her breast.
“You’re a girl” he
said and released his hold and grabbed her shoulder instead.
“Of course I’m a girl”
she said inside her head but at the same time she was completely pinned down
while he used his phone again to have a look at her.
“My god you’re just a
kid” he said and slapped her hard on the buttock.
“Get out of here” he
said angrily “And don’t come back again”
Wendy scurried away,
but felt ashamed of what she had done so she waited in the shadows and watched
Mr. Goodman walk back to the kitchen door.
She wanted to
apologize to him but lost her nerve as she got close to the bungalow so she hid
in the garage.
She sat down on the
workbench and tried to summon the courage to go and knock on his door.
But she froze when the
garage door opened and he walked in and reached up to replace the bulb and it
lit immediately and when it did he looked straight at her.
“Didn’t you hear me
tell you not to come back?” he asked her
“Yes” she said meekly
“So what are you doing
back here again?” he asked sharply
“Um”
“Why are you back?” he
said standing directly in front of her
“Well?”
“I wanted to say
sorry” she said quietly and he softened
“How old are you?” he
asked her
“17” she replied
“And what’s your name?”
“Wendy”
“And what were you
after in here anyway?” he asked
“I was looking for
food”
“Why?” he asked with
surprise
“Because I was hungry”
“What?”
“I was hungry” she
repeated
“Where are you from?
Where are your parents?”
“I live on the caravan
park, Potters Lane, with my mum”
“Why hasn’t she fed
you?” he questioned
“She’s not well,” she
said tearfully
“Come in the house” he
said “And I’ll make you something”
So David took her in
the house and sat her in the kitchen while he made her bacon and eggs, which
she polished off in no time flat.
As she was sitting
drinking a hot chocolate Wendy asked
“Why did you feed me?”
“Because you were
hungry” he replied
“But I was trying to
steal from you” she pointed out
“Yes but you didn’t”
“That’s because you
turned the light on and disturbed me” she stated
“But I could tell you
weren’t a bad girl” David said washing up her plate
“But you thought I was
a boy until you grabbed my...”
Wendy left the word
unsaid and blushed
“No you’re right” he
said “I wouldn’t have grabbed you there had I realized you were a girl”
“So why did you feed
me bacon and eggs?”
“Because you came back
and apologized” David explained “That’s why”
“So you don’t think I
look like a boy?”
“No I think you look
like an urchin” he corrected her and smiled
“Seriously do you
think I’m ugly?”
“No I don’t, why would
you think that?” David said
It would have been
true to say she wasn’t stunningly beautiful but there was something about her
elfin features, a distinct cuteness, she was a tomboy certainly but a pretty
one.
“Everybody thinks I’m
ugly and worthless” she said and she started to cry
“Even my mum” she
added between the sobs so he went over to her and hugged her and she instantly
locked her skinny arms around his neck.
“No one thinks you’re
ugly” he said reassuringly
“You do,” she sobbed
“No, I think you’re
cute”
“Really?” She said
then cried into his neck
“So why did you think
I was a boy?”
He thought about it
for a while before answering
“Because it was dark
and I’m old” he said
“Now dry your eyes and
I’ll walk you home it’s getting late,” he said giving her his hankie
“You don’t have too”
she said between sobs
“I know but I’m going
to do it anyway” he insisted
She couldn’t believe
how kind he was being.
“Does your mum work?”
he asked as they walked towards Potters Lane
“No” she replied,
“She’s not well enough”
“What about you?”
“No one’ll give me a
job” she said and laughed
“Why not?”
“No don’t tell me,
because you’re ugly and worthless”
She nodded
“Do you want a job?”
he asked
“Yes”
“What do you want to
do?”
“I don’t care what I
do, anything” she said earnestly
“So if I could get you
some work, would you be interested?”
“Oh yes” she replied
as they reached the end of her road.
“Ok, I’ll see what I
can do” he said “But you have to promise you won’t let me down?”
“No way” she said
“Shake on it then” he
said and held out his hand which she shook as she looked him squarely in the
eye before turning off into the caravan park.
“And the next time
you’re hungry come and knock on the door” he called after her
“Ok”
Wendy couldn’t
understand why Mr. Goodman had been so nice when she had been trying to steal
from him.
And he said he would
try and find her a job which she would love, it would give her some worth and
as well as some money in her pocket.
Her mum was still
passed out on the sofa when she got back to the caravan, so she checked she was
ok and then went to bed feeling more positive than she had for months.
She woke up on Sunday
feeling less confident than the night before and the doubts about her
worthiness to be happy had returned.
What hadn’t left her
though was her anger at her mum so she avoided speaking with her and left.
She wandered off in
the direction of the pier and the amusements, not to play them but to check for
any coins left in the trays or on the floor and she made enough in an hour to
buy herself a burger, fries and a large coke.
On Monday she didn’t
have anywhere to go or anything in particular to do so she just walked around
aimlessly for a while, but then she was used to that.
Wendy crossed the footbridge
over the railway and then turned left and ended sitting on the banks of a
little stream dangling her naked feet in the water.
She had been there for
about ten minutes when she was startled by a voice behind her.
“Hello you” he said
startling her
“You made me jump” she
said and giggled.
“What are you up to?”
he asked
“Nothing as usual” she
replied glumly.
“Just as well I’ve
found some work for you”
“Really?” She said
excitedly
“You’re not just
winding me up,” she asked as she was used to being let down.
“No I’m serious” David
said
She felt the tears
welling up so she turned away from him so he wouldn’t see.
“Well come on then” he
said “Get your shoes on, they’re waiting for you”
“What, now?” She said
wiping her face on her sleeve and nearly falling in the stream then she threw
her long arms around him in a big gawky hug.
“Thanks David” she
said and then she sat down again and he handed her a hankie which she gave a
double take at, not knowing whether to dry her eyes or her feet, so she did
both in the end, eyes first.
As they walked back
into the village he filled her in with what odd bits of work he had found for
her so far.
“The gardener Alison
Williams said she will give you a trial and Miss Quinton-Smith says she has
some odd jobs for you”
He said
“But for this morning
Sabr Hemmings has said she can use you in the shop”
“All of them want to
give me work?” she asked in surprise
“Yes” he said
“Thank you so much”
she said
“All I did was ask” he
said “But the rest is up to you”
“I won’t let you down
David, I promise” she said and when they arrived outside the shop David added
“It’s only temporary
while Mrs. Hemmings is ill but if you work hard, I’m sure they’ll use you
again”
And on hearing those
words she stood up straight and gave him a wonky smile.
“What if she doesn’t
like me?” She said nervously and he wiped the last remnants of her tears away
and took her into the shop.
“Sabr! This is Wendy”
he said
Since her mother’s
Belinda’s illness, Hemmings General Store was run by Sabr.
Sabr was an Arabic
word for the Islamic virtue of “patience”, although neither Belinda or her
husband were Arabs or Islamists, she read it in a book when she was expecting
her daughter and fell in love with the name.
“Hello Wendy” Sabr
said
“Hi” she replied
trembling
“Don’t look so
worried” Sabr said “I won’t bite”
It wasn’t complicated
work on that first day, filling shelves mainly but at the end of her shift Sabr
said
“You did well Wendy”
“Thanks” Wendy said “I
enjoyed it”
“Good, same time
Thursday then”
The following Monday
she walked up to David Goodman’s garden to introduce herself to Alison William’s.
She was a
self-employed gardener and was a muscular, big chested and thirty something
with a great unruly shock of vivid ginger hair and Wendy thought she looked
terrifying.
“Aaaalison” she said
“Hello sweetie, you’re
just in time, come and help me unload the mower”
They did five gardens
and at the end of the day Wendy was nervous about how well she had done but
when they finished loading the truck Alison said
“Jump in, I’ll take
you Ravensbrooke and get you some safety boots and overalls”
Ravensbrooke was a
nursery and Garden Center, on the outskirts of Sharpington.
“Did I do alright
then?”
“You did great, now
jump in” she said but Wendy didn’t move “What’s the matter?”
“I don’t have any
money” she said
“You don’t need any”
Alison said “Now get in”
Apart from being a
nursery and Garden Center Ravensbrooke was also a Country Store so it was
possible to buy anything from top soil to designer leisurewear.
They walked through
the automatic doors and headed towards where the work boots were on display.
They found a suitable
pair for her and then went in search of overalls and then as they were looking
at work Gloves a man appeared from the stock room right where they were
standing.
“Hhhhello Aaaalison”
he said
“Hi Ged” Alison said
Alison was so pleased
with Wendy that by the time the first month was over she was working with
Alison for four days a week and in the shop for two as well as some evenings.
She was also doing odd
jobs for Gwen Quinton-Smith in her spare time.
So at the end of the
first month Wendy was carrying some empty sacks from the truck when she saw
Alison talking with David Goodman.
“Hello” she shouted
“Hi Wendy” he shouted
back then he said something to Alison that she couldn’t hear.
When they were
finished at David Goodman’s they went over to Ravensbrooke to pick up some more
materials, Wendy noticed they made a lot of trips over there.
A couple of days later
it was raining and Alison was at Ravensbrooke again so Wendy was to meet her
outside David Goodman’s bungalow.
But Alison was late so
she started pottering about in the garden to kill time.
“WENDY” a voice
shouted and she immediately looked up and waved.
“COME HERE” David
Goodman called to her and accompanied it with a gesture so she stopped what she
was doing and trotted up the path to the back door.
“Hi David” she said
her rain soaked face smiling, and then she shivered.
“Come in out of the
rain for a bit”
“Ok” she said, “have
you got the kettle on?”
As they sat in the
kitchen he said
“So how are you
getting on?”
“Great” she said
“How’s your mum?”
“The same” she replied
“But I’m working most of the time”
“And how’s that
going?”
“Brilliant I work with
Alison the most, and Sabr at the shop use’s me as and when in the shop and Miss
Quinton-Smith has been giving me odd jobs as well”
“Gwen is a good woman”
he said
“Talking about jobs, I
bumped into Emma Goldup at the Dinner Dance last weekend and she asked if you
were available”.
“Is she the blonde
girl with the horse?” She asked
“Yes” he said “I don’t
know what work she has in mind, it might well be shovelling muck”
“Oh I don’t mind what
I do” Wendy said “I just like being useful”
“Good for you” he said
When Alison arrived
she was very apologetic for being late but she was in a very good mood, in fact
she was like the cat that got the cream.
September 6th was
Wendy’s 18th birthday, a very significant birthday for anyone else but for her
it was just another day.
Her mother was too
hungover to know what month it was let alone that it was her daughter’s special
day.
So she spent the
morning mooching around on the seafront and then walked up to Miss
Quinton-Smith’s house.
Gwen wanted some help
tidying her garage so that was how she planned to spend the bulk of the
day.
But despite the fact
that she was not going to celebrate her coming of age she wasn’t bothered after
all it wasn’t the first birthday that had gone unmarked it was just the latest
in a long line, and it probably wouldn’t be the last one that her mother would
be too drunk to remember.
She knocked on the
front door and after a moment it opened and Gwen said
“Hello Wendy, right on
time”
“Hi Gwen, shall I make
a start?” she said and headed towards the garage door.
“No I thought we’d
have a drink first” she said “Come in”
“Oh ok”
Gwen stepped aside and
let Wendy pass and then urged
“Go through”
And when Wendy pushed
open the door she was greeted by a rousing
“Happy Birthday!”
Gwen had organised a
surprise party, complete with banners and balloons and guests.
David Goodman, Leslie
Maher, Sabr Hemmings, Alison Williams and one other, a young dark haired young
man who was introduced to her as Oliver.
There were lots of
hugs and kisses of best wishes and Wendy got very tearful.
“Ok sit down sweetie”
Alison said “open your presents”
“Presents?” Wendy said
“Yes, on the table”
Gwen said
“They’re all for me?”
she ask in disbelief and tears filled her eyes again.
“This one first”
Alison said and brushed her ginger locks off her face as she knelt beside her.
Wendy couldn’t
remember the last birthday present she had received and she wanted to savour
the one Alison had given her so instead of ripping the paper off it so she
carefully pulled the tape off one piece at a time and she was concentrating so much
that she had her tongue poking out the corner of her mouth and when she finally
got to the contents, they were thermal long johns.
“Brilliant” she
squealed and hugged Alison
“You’re going to need
them in the winter sweetie”
After that first gift
she was less patient and opened the rest of the presents in quick succession.
Leslie bought her a
wrist watch, David, a pair of converse shoes, Gwen, an MP3 player and Sabr, a
hoody.
And so as not to be
left out Oliver gave her a box of Crazy Chocolatiers Truffles he bought in
Sharpington that morning.
“Thank you” she said
and they exchanged a lingering look.
18 year old Oliver
Kingham was David’s grandson and was staying with him for a couple of weeks and
they were attracted to each other immediately.
They were sitting
together and Wendy kept looking at her presents, apart from her converse and
hoody which she was wearing.
“You like all your
presents then” he said
“Oh yes” she said and
then she whispered to him
“How do I put music on
the MP3?”
“You can do it from
your computer” he said
“Oh” she exclaimed a
little deflated “I don’t have a computer”
“Not to worry” Oliver
said brightly “I can do it from my laptop”
“Really?” she said
“Yes, what kind of
music do you like? Do you have a favourite band?”
“I don’t know” Wendy
said “I mean I know some songs but I don’t know who the singers are”
Wendy liked to sit in
the Fun Park in Sharpington and listen to the music coming from the rides and
the amusements but she didn’t know what she was listening to.
“That’s ok” he said “I
have an idea, I’ll download some tunes and you can tell me which ones you like
and I’ll delete the ones you don’t”
“Would you do that for
me?” she asked with surprise
“Of course” he replied
and she wiped a tear from her eye with her sleeve.
“But you don’t even
know me” she said with her eyes glistening
“But they all do” he
said with a sweeping gesture.
When it was time to go
she put her old shoes and sweater in a carrier bag and quietly said to
Gwen
“Can I leave my watch
here for safe keeping?”
“Of course you can my
dear” she replied
A great deal of hugs
and kisses followed and then with tears in her eyes again she headed towards
the door
“I’ll walk you home
Wendy” Oliver said
“You don’t have to do
that” she half-heartedly protested
“I know, but I want
to” he insisted
When they reached the
end of Potters Lane she said
“You don’t have to
take me any further” and handed him the MP3 player.
“Thank you”
“No problem, give me
your mobile number and I’ll text you when I’ve done it”
Oliver said
“I don’t have a mobile
phone” she admitted
“Don’t you?” he said
“Well never mind I’ll
bring it over to Potters Lane”
“Oh no please don’t”
she urged “I’ll be at David’s on Wednesday”
“Ok I’ll see you then”
he said and gave her a hug.
As she walked the rest
of the way on her own she was feeling the happiest she had felt and for the
first time in her life she felt truly special.
The day after her
birthday surprise she was working in one of the gardens across the street from
David’s bungalow and she was startled by a voice from behind her.
“Hi Wendy”
She turned around and
she saw it was Oliver and she immediately blushed.
“Oh hello”
“I’ve got your MP3
player” he said
“You’ve done it
already?” she said
“Yes I did it last
night” Ollie said
“Thank you” she said
looking at the device “but I don’t know how to use it”
“I’ll show you” he
said and explained what she should do and finished by saying
“Let me know which
ones you like tomorrow”
“I’m working in the
shop tomorrow, Hemmings” she said
“I’ll see you there
then” he said
“I have a break at 12”
she called after him
It had been a busy
morning in the shop and she was really surprised when she looked up at the
clock and saw that it was 11.55am.
However once she knew
what the time was it seemed to slow down and those last five minutes seemed to
take an hour to pass.
Sabr had noticed her
watching the clock, which wasn’t like her, so she assumed she had somewhere to
be so she said
“You’d better take you
lunch now honey, before the rush starts again”
“Ok, great, see you
later” she said and scampered out of the shop, which made Sabr smile.
When she got outside
she found Oliver leaning against a lamp post waiting for her.
They spent most of her
lunch hour sitting on the seawall listening to her MP3 with one earphone each.
It was the best
lunchbreak she had ever had but she couldn’t believe how quickly it had gone,
and she felt a bit sad when he walked her back to Hemmings.
It was late in the
evening and she was crouching in the shadows of Potters Lane sobbing
uncontrollably when Leslie Maher, who was out walking her dog Trio, so called
as he had three legs, discovered her.
There was sufficient
moonlight for her to recognize her
“Wendy?” she said “Is
that you?”
She mumbled something
incomprehensible in response
She could also see the
she was in a bit of a state.
“Come home with me and
you can tell me what’s wrong” she said
But Wendy reacted
angrily and drew her knees up to her chin and sobbed uncontrollably.
“I’ll go and get
David” she said
Leslie and David were
neighbours and had recently become a couple but they still had their own homes,
for the time being at any rate.
David and his grandson
Oliver were sat in the lounge playing chess when there was a persistent
knocking on the front door.
“Who’s that, at this
time?” David said and tutted as he got up from his chair and he muttered to
himself all the way down the hall and then he opened the door and found an
agitated Leslie standing there with Trio.
“Hello” he said
surprised “is everything ok?”
“Come quick” she said
and headed down the path.
“Hold on, let me get
something on my feet” David said and briefly went back inside.
“Oliver!” he called
“Get you shoes on we’re going out”
He and his grandson
were ready to leave at the same time.
“Come on hurry up”
Leslie urged
“Ok what’s the problem?”
he said when he and Oliver emerged and rushed after Leslie who was now almost
out through the gate
“It’s Wendy” she said
“Why what’s happened?”
Oliver asked
“I found her sobbing
in the street” she answered, “She’s inconsolable, and…”
“And what?” David said
“She’s been beaten”
Leslie replied sombrely
“What?” he said
incredulously “who?”
“I think her mother
hit her,” she said “hard”
“Where is she?” he
demanded
“In the bushes in
Potters Lane” she answered “but she won’t come out”
They ran the short
distance to Potters Lane and sitting in the shadows was the quivering figure of
Wendy with her knees drawn up to her chin and she was still sobbing
uncontrollably.
“You two wait here” David
said to the other two and started walking towards her.
“Hey Wendy” he called
and she looked up and as soon as she saw him she was on her feet and bowling
towards him at a rate of knots and she was still crying as she launched herself
at him
“Oh David” she cried
“It’s alright, I’ve
got you now” he said and just let her sob into his shoulder.
After about five
minutes she had calmed down considerably.
“Ok” he said, “let’s
have a look at you”
Wendy had a bruise on
her forehead and her right eye was badly swollen, she had a fat lip and her
nose was bloodied, Mrs Corney had given her daughter a real pasting.
“Right let’s get you
home” he said with a smile and her whole body went rigid and panic covered her
face and her head was shaking.
“No baby girl not that
home, my home” he reassured her and he could see the relief cross her face
instantly.
He took out his hanky
and gently wiped away the blood, snot and tears from her face.
“Come on then and
we’ll get you cleaned up”
“Ok” she said managing
a week smile
“Do you want me to
come too David?” Leslie asked quietly
“Yes please” he said
as he put his arm around Wendy’s shoulder and steered her slowly down the lane,
but by the time he had reached the road she was managing to walk under her own
steam and she continued to do so for the short distance from there to his front
door.
When they reached the
front door Oliver opened it and let Wendy in
“I’m sorry” she said
“What for?”
“For being a nuisance”
she replied
“Don’t be daft” he
said and kissed the top of her head
“Now go to the kitchen
with Ollie”
David looked over his
shoulder to where Leslie was fussing around the dog
“I’ll follow you in
when I’ve tied Trio up” she said
“Don’t be silly, bring
him in” he insisted “he’s no trouble”
Leslie nodded and she
and Trio followed him inside where he was waiting to give her a kiss.
In the sanctuary of
the kitchen, as Leslie made coffee and Oliver held Wendy’s hand, David got to
work cleaning Wendy up and attending to the cuts on her face.
“Does this happen
often?” David asked
“No” she answered with
a sniffle “she’s normally too drunk to catch me”
“What happened today?”
Leslie asked
“I fell over and she
caught me” and she sniffled again while Leslie shook her head.
“She’ll be really
sorry tomorrow” Wendy said defensively
“So she ought to be” Leslie
muttered with disgust.
“What brought it on?” Oliver
asked “why did she want to hit you?”
“She wanted my money”
she said “for booze”
“And did she get it?”
David asked
“No” she said “because
I don’t have any”
Her answer puzzled him
somewhat because since he had intervened in her life she was always working,
either with Alison the gardener or Sabr at the corner shop, odd jobbing for Gwen
or mucking out at the stables and countless other odds and ends Wendy Corney
was a regular cottage industry and she never went anywhere to spend her
earnings.
“How come?” he asked
“Sabr opened a post
office account for me, all my money goes in there” then she laughed “I’ve got
loads”
“I take it your mum
didn’t laugh” Leslie said
“No” she said and put
her hand to her swollen eye.
“I told her I didn’t
have any money so then she wanted me to give her the book”
“But you didn’t” I
added
“No” she said, “because
I don’t have it”
This time she noticed
the puzzlement on David’s face and added
“I gave it to Gwen to
look after”
“Clever girl” he said
proudly “I assume that didn’t go down well”
“No, she went
absolutely berserk and that was when I took my chance and got away”
“Good for you” Leslie
said and patted her back, which made Wendy wince and she immediately
apologized.
“I’m sorry luvvie, did
I hurt you?”
Leslie gently pulled
her shirt up and could see the bruises immediately and they resolved at that
moment that she would not be living under her mother’s roof for one more night
as Leslie and David exchanged a look.
No one deserved to be
treated that way but especially not Wendy.
“How about a long hot
bath?” Leslie suggested and looked at David
“That’s a great idea”
he said
“Oh yes please” she
answered brightly “with bubbles?”
“Yes with bubbles and
whatever other lotions and potions your heart desires” Leslie said
It was amazing to
think that a simple thing like a bubble bath could illicit such joy and it was
simply heart breaking that this hard working and good natured girl had been
denied such a simple pleasure due to the short comings of her alcoholic mother.
Leslie led Wendy down
the hall to the bathroom and David sorted out some fresh towels and then left Leslie
to take charge.
When Leslie returned,
David and Oliver were still in the kitchen.
Ollie had a very grave
expression on his face as she entered.
“Is she alright?” he
asked
“She’s feeling a bit
happier now” Leslie reassured him
“I’m just going to pop
next door to get her some clean clothes, I have a few bits that Karen and Amy
left the last time they visited”
Karen and Amy were her
granddaughters.
“They’re very
different shapes of course but they’ll be better than what she had on”
And with that she
hurried out of the door as she was about to cry.
She returned 10
minutes later having dried her eyes and composed herself
“These should do the
trick” she said and went and put the clothes on the bed, she told Wendy where
they were and returned to the kitchen a few minutes later.
Oliver was pacing up
and down looking very anxious while David and Leslie sat silently at the table
and drank their coffee.
Finally Leslie broke
the silence
“That poor girl’s body
is black and blue David”
He nodded in response
“That woman should be
locked up,” she continued and he nodded again
“So what are we going
to do about it?” she asked angrily “and don’t just nod your head”
But he remained silent
“We have to do
something” Oliver said
“And we will” David
said
“But what?” Leslie
pressed
“Well for one thing
she’s not going back to her mother’s”
“I agree,” she
concurred “but where can she go, she can’t stay here”
“I know” he said “And
I have a plan”
“Oh”
“I think you should
let Gwen know what’s happened” he suggested, “She thinks a lot of Wendy”
“I know she does, but
how will that help...” she began then as she slowly processed the input she
continued to answer her own query
“Yes I see what you’re
getting at, that’s very clever, yes that could very well work”
Then she drained her
coffee cup and stood up with a look of determination on her face she called
“Come on Trio, We’re
off on a mission”
It was another five
minutes before Wendy reappeared looking altogether better.
The unbruised sections
of her face were pink and fresh and her hair was damp and tousled.
The clothes Leslie
sorted out for her, fitted well enough though the trousers were a bit short.
“Are you feeling a bit
better now?” Oliver asked her with real concern.
“Much” she said, “where’s
Leslie?”
“She’s gone to tell Gwen
what happened” David said, “she worries about you, you know”
Wendy went very quiet
and looked at her feet
“Do you mind her
knowing?” David asked
“Oh no I like Gwen
she’s a really nice lady” she answered then she went quiet again
“What’s wrong?” Oliver
asked but she just shrugged
“Come on, out with it”
David insisted
“I don’t understand
why you’re all so kind to me,” she said which made David laughed and Ollie
smile
“Isn’t it obvious?” he
said, “It’s because we all like you”
And David gave her a
hug and Oliver held her hand
“Now then” he said, “have
you eaten anything?”
“Yes Sabr fed me at
the shop”
“Good, how about some
hot chocolate then?”
“Yes please”
“I’ll make it” Oliver
offered and stood up but Wendy was reluctant to release his hand.
“I’ll only be a
minute” he said softly
“Go and sit in the
lounge and then Ollie will bring it through” David suggested
“Ok” she said meekly
“Put the TV on if you
want” David added
While Ollie was
boiling some milk there was a knock at the front door, David got up from the
table and went to open it.
When he did Leslie, Gwen
and Trio were standing there.
“How is the poor girl?”
Gwen asked with real concern
“Much better” he
answered, “come in”
They went into the
kitchen and while Oliver finished making the hot chocolate he chatted to the
ladies.
“I was beginning to
wonder where you’d got to” he said
“Well, we would have
been quicker but Slugger Quinton-Smith here wanted to go and smash Linda Corney’s
face in”
“Seriously?” Oliver
asked
Leslie nodded and Gwen
blushed
“I was a bit miffed” Gwen
said
“What happened?” David
sked
“I persuaded her that
it probably wasn’t the best course of action” Leslie relayed
“And that Wendy should
be our main concern at the moment”
“Quite right” Oliver
said pouring the hot milk into the waiting mug.
“Ok let’s go and see
her” David suggested, “She’s in the lounge, go through”
And Ollie followed on
with the hot chocolate.
But when they arrived
in the lounge they found Wendy fast asleep on the sofa.
Oliver put the mug
down briefly while he picked up a flowered throw and gently covered the
sleeping figure.
He then picked up the
hot chocolate and all four of them tiptoed from the room.
In the kitchen Leslie
said
“Well that solves the
problem of where she’s going to sleep”
“For tonight at least”
he added
“I’ll look after her”
Oliver said as Gwen appeared to be lost in thought and said nothing.
Leslie and David just
exchanged a look and smiled.
Oliver went to bed and
let David and Leslie kiss goodnight but once his grandfather had settled down
for the night he sneaked out of his room just as the rain began to fall
planning to spend the night sleeping in an arm chair in the lounge.
He had been asleep for
a couple of hours and then the thunder rolled in and lighting flashes lit the
sky, he was facing the window and had a great view through the open curtains.
But when a
particularly loud clap of thunder shook the house at about 3am Wendy let out a
yell
“NO DON’T”
Ollie leapt straight
out of his chair and knelt beside her
“It’s ok Wendy” he
said “You’re safe now”
“Oh Ollie” she said
and locked her skinny arms around his neck.
“Don’t leave me”
“I won’t” he said and
kissed the top of her head “I promise”
Although he had
planned to sleep in the armchair Oliver actually spent most of the night on the
floor beside the sofa where Wendy was.
He woke the next
morning with the smell of bacon filling his nostrils.
After an uncomfortable
night keeping Wendy company he was as stiff as a board when he got up.
“Hello” Wendy said
“Thank you”
“What for?”
“For looking after me”
she replied
“I wanted to” He said
and kissed her forehead “Now come on I smell bacon”
“Hi Grandad” Oliver
said as he walked into the kitchen
“Morning, how’s the
patient?”
“She’s ok I think”
Ollie replied
“Good” David said just
as Wendy appeared and walked gingerly to the table.
“Oh dear, are you a
bit stiff?”
“Very” she replied and
lowered herself gently onto the chair next to Ollie.
They all sat together at
the kitchen table eating eggs and bacon and when they had cleared their plates
David said
“You know we can’t let
you go and live with your mum anymore?”
“I know” she concurred
sadly “But I can’t live here”
“I know” David
responded, “Which is why we need to find you somewhere else”
A puzzled look spread
across her face.
“Don’t worry hon I
have somewhere in mind” he reassured her “I can’t say where yet but…”
He was interrupted by
a loud banging on the back door and when he looked up it was the gardener Alison.
“Hello Alison” he said
brightly
“I’m looking for Wendy,
is she here?” she asked
“Yes, come in”
“Is she ok?” Alison
asked with concern as she bent down to undo her boots
“Never mind the muck
just come in” he said and once inside the kitchen she clucked around Wendy like
a mother hen
“Oh sweetie, look at
the state of you,” she said
“I’m fine now,” Wendy
said bravely
“Fine my arse” Alison
barked poking Wendy’s black eye until she winced.
“And your mum did
this?”
Wendy nodded
“I might have to kill
her sweetie,” Alison said without humour
“You’ll have to get in
the queue behind Gwen” Oliver said
“Really?” she queried
with raised eyebrow and David nodded
“Good for her” Alison
said proudly
“But seriously what
are we going to do?” she said soberly
“We can’t let her go
back there again”
“What about my stuff?”
Wendy suddenly said, “I need my clothes for work”
Alison was about to
say don’t worry
“And clean knickers” Wendy
blurted out, and then blushed scarlet when she realised what she had said.
“I can take you home
to collect your stuff” Alison suggested “But then what?”
“Bring it back here,” David
said matter-of-factly
“She can’t stay here” Alison
said bluntly
“That’s what I said,” Wendy
confirmed
“I know that she can’t
stay here” He said and Alison relaxed
“I actually have a
plan” he added but didn’t elaborate
Alison drove a rather
nervous Wendy and a concerned Oliver to the caravan and parked the truck.
Oliver understood now
why she was so vehement about him not going to Potters Lane.
Oliver held Wendy's
hand as they walked up the path to the half open door and Alison followed on.
When they were inside
they found her mum collapsed on the sofa in a drunken stupor.
“I’ll watch her while
you grab your stuff” Alison instructed
“Okay” Wendy said but
wouldn’t release Ollie’s hand.
It didn’t take long,
maybe 10 minutes to gather together everything of importance to her in one
shoulder bag and all her clothes in a black sack.
“Do I really not have
to come back?” she asked almost pathetically “Ever”
“Not ever” Alison
replied and Oliver hugged her and she looked down contemptuously at the prone
figure of her mother and wiped a tear from her eye.
“Now go and change your knickers and get your
dungarees on,” Alison commanded, once they were back at David’s
“We have work to do”
“Ok boss” she said and
headed upstairs
“Are you sure she
should work today?” Oliver asked after Wendy had left.
“Definitely” she
replied “it’s just what she needs”
Then with a doubtful
look she added
“And it will give your
Grandfather time to work on his master plan, whatever that is”
The “Master Plan” such
as it was involved a drive over to Dulcet-on-Brooke and lunch at The Waterside Inn with an
abundance of wine.
Those present were
David, Leslie, Gwen and Oliver, who was the designated driver.
As they sat at a table
Leslie asked
“Shall we have wine?”
“What a good idea” David
said working off Leslie’s script.
“I’m game,” said Gwen
and so it began.
The “master plan” as Alison
had put it, in essence involved getting Gwen Quinton-Smith, a little bit
squiffy on wine and then suggest to her what a good idea it would be for her to
take Wendy in as a lodger.
They knew Gwen was
very fond of her and she had plenty of spare rooms and to cap it all she was
lonely.
Furthermore they knew
that Wendy liked Gwen and needed someone to care about her.
So the plan was
virtually symbiotic.
Two hours and two
bottles of wine later they had succeeded in their mission and Gwen had agreed
to have Wendy as her lodger.
“I was going to
suggest it myself,” she said as David settled the bill.
Gwen’s only condition
was that she should tell Wendy herself.
So having phoned ahead
to ensure she should be there they drove back to his bungalow and when he
stepped through the back door, he found Wendy and Alison sitting at the kitchen
table.
“At last” Alison snorted
“Well hello gardening
ladies” he slurred
“Sorry I’m late but I
had to go and meet Wendy's new landlady”
“Really?” Wendy asked
“Yes indeed” he
replied “Would you like to meet her?”
“Yes please” she
replied excitedly so he stepped aside and Gwen walked in.
“Gwen” Wendy shouted
and raced across the kitchen and hugged her “I’m so glad it’s you” she squealed
and they both started to cry.
She moved in that
night and Ollie carried her things over for her.
On Friday morning the
rain had come once again, with a vengeance and added to the gloom she already
felt.
It had been a
rollercoaster of a week beginning with her surprise birthday party and was
ending with her having to say goodbye to the boy she had fallen in love with in
between.
Oliver was starting at
Abbottsford University the following week and had to go home to Purplemere to
pack and like a thief in the night he had stolen her heart and was now leaving
with it.
They were standing on
the door step of Gwen house saying their goodbyes.
“I’ve got you a present”
he said
“What is it?” she
asked
“It’s a mobile phone,
it’s just a “Pay as you go”” he said “I’ve programmed my number in so we can
call and text”
“Can we?” she asked
innocently
“If you had a computer
we could even Skype”
“I don’t know what
that is” Wendy said
“Ask Granddad, we
Skype a lot” he said “He’ll show you”
“Oh ok” she said and
looked around nervously until he worked up the courage to do what he wanted to
do and kissed her.
After two weeks of
washing and ironing her clothes Gwen had become aware of the meagre selection
that she had and the overall quality.
With all her jobs,
Wendy had accumulated a nice pot of money, Gwen knew that because she looked after
her savings book, but she never did anything or went anywhere to spend it.
So Gwen suggested
taking her into Abbottsford on a shopping expedition.
“Abbottsford? Really?”
she said
“Yes” Gwen replied
“When was the last time you were there?”
“I’ve never been to
Abbottsford before” she said “I’ve never been out of Sharpington”
“Well we had better
make a day of it then” she said
She was very excited
about going shopping and she’d talked of nothing else all week to Alison and
Sabr at the shop or Emma at the stables and of course Oliver.
However she didn’t
know how much money to take, she knew how much she had, and she had an idea of
what she wanted to buy but she didn’t know how much cash to take.
So she asked Gwen for
some guidance and she advised that she should only take about £50 in cash as
she would use her credit card for most purchases and then Wendy could reimburse
her later.
“But you have to let
me pay” Wendy insisted
Come the day, the
expedition was every bit as exciting as she imagined it would be.
They set off from
Gwen’s at 6.30 in the morning and were in the Espresso Phoenix Coffee House in the Phoenix
Centre having breakfast by 8 o’clock.
And from the moment
the first shop opened they shopped till they dropped and on the return journey
Wendy fell asleep in the car.
As it was gardening
day he expected to see Alison and Wendy pottering about in the garden but when
he looked out through the window he could only see Wendy who was raking leaves
off the lawn so he opened the door and called out
“Wendy!”
She turned around
instantly and smiled
“Hello David”
“Come inside a minute,
I’ve got something for you”
“Ok” she replied “just
for a minute though”
Wendy came into the
kitchen and stood on the mat.
“Where’s Alison
today?” David asked her
“She cut her hand
yesterday so I’m on my own” Wendy said rubbing her hands “she needed 8
stitches”
“I’ve got something
for you” he said, “So sit yourself down”
“What is it?” she
asked
“Well, have a look and
you’ll find out” he said
She stooped down and
untied her boots and then slipped them off before walking to the table and
sitting down and then he turned the laptop around to face her.
“Hi Wendy” Oliver said
and David took his coffee into the other room.
After that first Skype
with Oliver in David’s kitchen she liked it so much that they arranged to do it
once a week at David’s bungalow.
Of course had she
realized that she had more than enough money in her savings to buy her own
laptop they could have Skyped every day.
But she didn’t know so
they made the best of it and she spent the whole week looking forward to it and
when it came she loved every second.
The weekly Skype went
on from that first time in October right through until December which was a
significant time as that would be when she got to see him again.
When she wasn’t
thinking about Oliver or looking forward to seeing him again, she was working
hard.
But she did get some
time off, but even at those times she kept herself busy and one day a few days
before Christmas she used her free time to deliver cards and presents to her
friends and family.
She started at her
mum, it was the first time she’d been back since that day in September when she
picked up stuff, she hadn’t seen her mum since that day and she wasn’t in any
hurry to change that.
But she was still her
mum so she went to the caravan early when she knew she would still be out of
it.
She would give Alison
her present the next day when she saw her at work and as she was working at the
shop on Christmas Eve she would give Sabr and the Hemmings their gifts then and
Gwen’s was already under the tree.
So after her mum’s she
was mainly delivering Christmas Cards but she did have a gift for Leslie and
David.
She called at Leslie
Maher’s house first and just as she reached the front door she stepped out onto
the doorstep.
“Hello Wendy”
“Merry Christmas
Leslie” she said and handed her a package adorned with ribbons and bows.
She took it from her
and read the tag.
“Have a Merry
Christmas Leslie, with love and gratitude”
“Well that’s a really
nice thing to do,” she said and they exchanged a kiss and a hug before she had
to go and Wendy went next door and knocked at David’s door.
When it opened, she found
David standing there wearing a Santa Hat.
“Happy Christmas” she
said beaming “And handed him a present”
“Hey! Happy Christmas
hon” David responded, “come in”
“Ok” she said still
smiling broadly “Just for a minute”
“Just for a minute” he
agreed and Wendy stepped inside
“You didn’t have to
get me a gift,” he said to her as he took her coat and as she sat down on the
sofa she said.
“Last Christmas my mum
was drunk for ten days in a row, we had no decorations, no Christmas dinner and
no electricity”
Tears were beginning
to form in her eyes as she added
“This year, I have
three jobs, I have a proper home, I have someone to mother me, I have money in
the bank and a boyfriend and it’s all thanks to you”
David tried to
interrupt but Wendy continued unabated.
“If you hadn’t helped
me, looked out for me, set me on the right path, I wouldn’t be here now having
the best Christmas I’ve ever had and I will always be grateful for that”
Then she stood up and
gave him a big hug.
“Well why don’t you go
in the lounge and put the present under the tree for me then and I’ll bring the
drinks through” he suggested
“Ok” she said
She walked down the
hall and pushed open the door into the lounge and when she looked ahead she did
a double take because standing by the Christmas tree was Ollie.
“Ollie” she squealed
and launched herself at him.
