Chapter 33
‘Kate.’
Bridie looked at her sister wide-eyed. Her first thought when she’d run into her on the promenade outside the theatre had been: did she see me step out and lock the theatre door before I ran? If Kate had seen her, she could say goodbye to her plan to keep the theatre a secret.
‘Where did you come from?’ Kate asked. ‘I didn’t see you walking along the promenade. It’s like you appeared out of nowhere.’
There was a side street a couple of houses down from the theatre.
‘I … I just came from the town.’ Bridie pointed towards the street.
Then she spotted Layla trailing behind her mum.
Although she had her mobile phone in her hand, she wasn’t staring at that, as Bridie expected, but looking from Bridie to the theatre, narrowing her eyes.
Bridie avoided Layla’s curious gaze. Damn, she thought. She saw me coming from the theatre. Why isn’t she saying anything?
George ran over. ‘Is this Barney? Can I stroke him?’
‘Hello, George. I didn’t see you there,’ said Bridie.
She’d forgotten that neither Layla nor George had met Barney before she’d taken him with her to Cobblers Yard.
Bridie eyed Kate. If she’d had a close relationship with her sister, then her niece and nephew would have been over to Cobblers Yard, visiting along with Kate, and would have met Barney already.
While George stroked the puppy, Bridie frowned at her sister when she said, ‘Dad expected you to come over with his puppy and visit.’
‘Would you like to walk him, George?’ Bridie asked, ignoring her sister. She clipped Barney’s lead on to his collar.
George turned to his mum. ‘Oh, can I?’
Kate nodded. ‘Go on then.’
Bridie put Barney down, and George enthusiastically took the lead, walking ahead as Bridie reluctantly fell in step with her sister. She could feel Kate’s eyes boring into her, waiting for an answer to her question.
‘I’ve been too busy to visit Mum and Dad.’
‘Busy doing what?’ Layla asked, cocking her head to one side, walking beside her.
Bridie pursed her lips when she saw Layla glancing over her shoulder at the theatre.
‘I don’t know if your mum told you that I’ve got a job in a shop in Cobblers Yard, and I’ve moved into the flat above the shop too,’ she said to her niece.
I’m afraid you grandma wasn’t very keen on your grandpa getting a puppy, and because I couldn’t bear the thought of him being rehomed, I took him. ’
‘But you’re living in a flat,’ Kate unhelpfully pointed out.
‘It’s comes with a yard. Well, it’s a bit more than that – it’s a small garden.’ Bridie expected her sister to criticise her decision. It was just what she’d been doing all her life.
‘But it’s still a flat, Bridie. The dog is not going to be a small puppy for long. Do you know how big Labradors grow?’
Bridie rolled her eyes. ‘Yes, Kate, I know how big Labradors grow.’ Bridie smiled to herself as she added, ‘I’m not going to be there forever. I’ve got plans.’
‘What plans? You work in a shop. I bet you don’t earn much. I think you’re going to be in the flat for a while yet.’
Bridie bit her tongue. She couldn’t wait to see Kate’s face when she found out that her little sister owned the theatre. Bridie didn’t know how she was going to keep it to herself, but she had to. She could just imagine what Kate would say if she found out now, when the theatre was in such a state.
‘It’s just as well Auntie Bridie has moved out of Grandma and Grandpa’s house.’
‘Shush, Layla! I thought we agreed we wouldn’t talk about that?’
‘Talk about what?’ Bridie asked, looking from Layla to Kate. Something was going on. Bridie came to a halt. ‘What’s going on?’
George had come running back with Barney and had overheard his sister. ‘Mummy and Daddy have split up.’
Bridie looked at her sister wide-eyed.
Kate glared at George. ‘We haven’t split up, George.’
‘So, why have you moved into Auntie Bridie’s bedroom in Grandma and Grandpa’s house?’
Bridie looked at her sister agog. ‘You’re back with Mum and Dad, in my bedroom?’
The look on George’s face tempered her slight feeling of smugness on hearing the news. George reminded her that Kate’s situation was very different from her own; whatever had happened, there were two children to consider too. Besides, Bridie couldn’t imagine Andy and Kate splitting up for good.
‘It’s not for long, George. We talked about this – remember? Sometimes adults need a bit of breathing space when they have a little falling-out.’
‘But my friends parents fall out, and they don’t split up.’
‘We haven’t split up,’ Kate said again. ‘And don’t look so gleeful, Bridie!’
‘I’m not!’ Bridie said genuinely. ‘At least you haven’t lost your job as well.’
Kate fell silent.
‘You haven’t – have you?’
‘It’s all her fault!’ George stamped his foot and glared at Layla. ‘If you hadn’t joined that stupid drama class …’
Bridie raised her eyebrows. The drama club – of course.
Andy had signed the permission slip for Layla to attend Oliver’s after-school drama club, and then she guessed Andy and Kate had fallen out because Kate had decided Layla wasn’t attending after what Bridie had done on stage – the nail in the coffin for Layla following in her footsteps.
Although her aunt’s embarrassing episode on stage hadn’t put Layla off pursuing her dream, it had been another reason for Kate to try and stop her.
But surely, Bridie reasoned, that couldn’t have led to this – Kate moving out of the family home? It all seemed a bit drastic. Any minute, Bridie was expecting George, or Layla, or Kate, or all of them to blame her.
Layla looked up from her phone and glared at her brother. ‘Don’t blame me! It’s not my fault Mum lost her job. That’s what they were arguing about – money.’
George walked off with Barney ahead of them.
Layla turned to Bridie. ‘By the way, I’m still going to the drama club. I don’t care what she says.’ Layla threw her mum a look.
‘No, you are not, Layla. I ripped up the permission slip – remember?’
‘Yeah, in a temper before you packed a suitcase and walked out.’
Bridie looked at her sister. She didn’t think ripping up Layla’s permission slip was a nice thing to do.
‘I wish I hadn’t agreed to come with George to see you today!’ Layla shouted.
Bridie expected Layla to storm off, but instead she hung back, texting on her phone, leaving Bridie to walk with Kate. ‘You’ve lost your job? When were you going to tell me?’
‘It only happened yesterday. There had been talk of redundancies. Then I was called into my manager’s office.
I assumed it was the usual Friday meeting to discuss our targets for next week.
Instead, I walked into my manager’s office to find two people from HR looking extremely uncomfortable.
That’s when I knew I wouldn’t be returning on Monday. ’
Bridie didn’t know what to say. This was huge.
Kate was the main breadwinner. She would have to get another job as soon as possible.
Although Bridie had heard that Andy intended to look for a job once George joined Layla at secondary school next year, he wasn’t qualified in a profession.
Andy had previously worked at the local supermarket; he was very different to his high-flying careerist wife.
It had never occurred to Bridie to think about what would happen if Kate lost the income they depended on.
She imagined they didn’t have a Plan B. Kate would never have expected to be laid off.
Bridie wouldn’t have imagined it could happen either.
Kate always worked hard. She was the last person Bridie expected the company would let go.
On the other hand, she did wonder if her sister, who could be quite inflexible at times, took her attitude into work with her.
‘Oh, Kate, I’m so sorry.’
‘What are you sorry about?’ Kate snapped. ‘I thought you’d be gloating, enjoying this.’
Bridie sighed. That summed up their sisterly relationship – or lack of. Bridie wasn’t gloating, but Kate had been when she’d heard about what had happened to her little sister, losing her fiancé and her career. She decided not to remind her of that fact.
Bridie assumed they’d have some savings to fall back on, and even if they hadn’t, Bridie imagined there would be a large redundancy payout while Kate looked for another job. Bridie said, ‘At least you’ve got time to find another job.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘The redundancy payout.’
Kate frowned.
Bridie looked at her. ‘You did get one – didn’t you?’
Kate shook her head.
‘But … but you’ve worked for that bank since you graduated. If your role was made redundant then you should have got a payout. They can’t get away with not giving you—’
‘They offered me another job.’
Bridie stopped in her tracks. ‘Oh. Right. Why didn’t you tell me? There I was thinking you were out of work.’
‘I am out of work.’
Bridie stopped mid-stride. Kate took another couple of paces, then did an about-turn.
‘I don’t understand …’
Layla, who had been a few paces behind them, had overheard the conversation. ‘Mum said the job was beneath her and refused to take a demotion and a pay cut. So now she’s got no job, and no redundancy payout or notice period either.’
Bridie raised her eyebrows. ‘Kate – is that true?’
Kate scuffed her shoe on the pavement.
Bridie stared at her. ‘You’ve got some savings, right? While you figure out what to do?’
‘Dad said the savings aren’t going to last long. That’s why Mum walked out – they were rowing over money. Dad said you should have accepted the job.’
‘Layla – shut up!’
‘No – you shut up! I’m done with this stupid walk. I don’t know why I agreed to it in the first place. I’m going to meet my friends.’
‘Layla!’ Bridie called after her.
‘Oh, let her go,’ Kate said miserably.
Bridie stared at her sister.
Kate looked at her. ‘What?’
She wasn’t surprised Kate had turned down a demotion, but Kate had others to consider, not just herself. She kept that thought to herself, and just said, ‘Nothing.’