Chapter 20
20
‘Hello, ladies, how’s Edna?’ Andi asked as Dee and Babs popped into Moira’s Café to tell her about the afternoon’s events.
‘News travels fast,’ Babs said.
‘Kenny’s been in. He told us about your house-breaking escapades.’ Andi grinned. ‘Fair play to you both. Edna could have lain there for ages.’ Her face sobered. ‘She could have died.’
‘We’re just glad that we got to her in time.’ Dee sat down. ‘She’s doing fine, sitting up and talking. We’re on our way to visit her again later but thought we’d pop in and let you know what happened. Also—’ she lowered her voice and looked around. The café was almost empty, as it would be closing soon and no one was paying attention, but even so. ‘Edna wanted us to get her handbag, with her phone inside, from her cottage and to lock it up. She seems worried that her son might try to persuade her to sell the house and put her in a home.’
Andi pulled out a chair and sat down beside them. ‘I think she might be right. She told me that Martin has been trying to persuade her to sell up ever since Bert died a few years ago.’ She chewed her bottom lip. ‘I think he means well, he can be a bit overbearing though. He could seize on this opportunity to say that Edna isn’t fit enough to live on her own.’ She leaned back in the chair. ‘If I’m honest I think he might be right.’
‘You must be close for her to confide in you,’ Dee said.
Andi nodded. ‘As I said she comes in a couple of times a week since her husband died, looking for company, I think. I always make a bit of time to chat with her and she’s told me that Martin’s a bit bossy.’
Dee hesitated, wondering if she was breaking Edna’s confidence to mention the box, then decided against it. ‘Edna said that she wants to phone her sister, Mabel. I think she’s hoping to move in with her.’
Andi’s face brightened. ‘That would be a better move than living alone. Mabel is lovely and Edna gets on really well with her. She’s been down to visit a couple of times and Edna’s brought her to the café,’ she added.
They finished their drinks and had a sandwich and decided to set off back to Sunset View so that they could pick up Edna’s things and take them to the hospital. ‘Tell Edna I’ll visit her tomorrow after work,’ Andi called after them.
‘We will,’ Dee promised.
As they walked back up the hill and turned into the car park, a black Lotus shot out. The driver, a dark-haired man, was scowling.
‘Something’s upset him,’ Babs said. ‘Do you think he’s Edna’s son? He might have been hoping to find the keys and let himself in.’
Dee felt a little uneasy about it all, but they had to abide by Edna’s wishes.
* * *
When they got to the hospital the nurse said they couldn’t see Edna yet as she already had a visitor, so they grabbed a hot drink from the machine and sat down in the corridor to wait.
A quarter of an hour later a man came out. The same man who had sped past them. He walked by Dee and Babs without giving them a second glance.
‘I was right, he must be Edna’s son,’ Babs whispered.
When they entered her room, Edna was sitting up in bed, a determined look on her face. ‘Did you get everything?’ she asked as they walked over to the bed.
‘Yes, it’s all in here.’ Dee frowned. ‘That man who just left, was that?—?’
‘My son, Martin? Yes, he’s been to the cottage he said, to collect some things for me, but he couldn’t find the spare keys. Wanted to know why I didn’t keep them in the watering can any more.’ She nodded. ‘Thank you, ladies. I think you got there just in time.’
Dee handed her the handbag, house keys and the box. Edna opened her handbag and took out her mobile phone. ‘Thank you, you’ve been really helpful and I’m very grateful to you.’ She patted the box. ‘I’ve got personal papers in here, my will, the house deeds, savings. I don’t want Martin getting his hands on them. I think that’s what he went to my house for.’
‘He didn’t look in a very good mood,’ Babs said.
‘That’s because I won’t do what he wants. I’ve got a twisted ankle and a bruised hip, so Martin said I’m not safe to live on my own and he wants me to move in with him and his wife until my hip is better. But I know if I do that they will never let me come back home. They’ll say they’ll look after me, but I’ll have no life up there.’ She pursed her lips. ‘They’ll make me sign the house over to them, sell it, then put me in a care home saying that they’re doing it for my own good. Well, I’ve got other plans.’
‘Well, we’ve packed in a lot in the two days we’ve been here!’ Babs said as they set off home. ‘So much has happened you’d think we’ve been here for a week!’
‘I know.’ Dee glanced in her mirror then indicated to turn left. ‘Shall we get a couple of bottles of wine for tonight?’
‘Let’s get some gin or vodka and have cocktails instead,’ Babs suggested. ‘We could make up our own, that will be fun. Remember how we used to do that back in the day?’
‘I’ll never forget your Tequila Sting, I had a hangover for days!’ Dee told her.
Babs chuckled. ‘Maybe we’ll forget the tequila, but what do you say to cocktails?’
It would be good to let her hair down and have a drink and a giggle with Babs, Dee thought. And they were in their own house – well, holiday let – so no chance of showing themselves up. Nigel always hated it if Dee got tipsy and never let her forget it if she did something daft.
They made a quick stop off at the supermarket, where they bumped into Andi. She eyed the trolley stuffed with vodka, rum, mixers, crisps and chocolate gateau. ‘Are you having a session, ladies?’ Andi asked, her eyes dancing with amusement.
‘You bet we are, we’re on holiday,’ Babs told her. Then she added, ‘Why don’t you join us?’
Dee suppressed a sigh, they barely knew Andi, she wasn’t sure she wanted to spend the evening drinking with her. This was typical Babs. When they’d gone away together before they both got married, their hotel room had always ended up as the party room. They’d had some fun though, she remembered. It had been a while since Dee had had fun.
‘I’d love to, if you’re sure?’ Andi looked from one to the other. ‘I can’t make it a late one though as I’m working in the café tomorrow.’
‘The more the merrier,’ Dee told her, feeling happier now she knew they wouldn’t be having an all-nighter with practically a stranger. ‘We don’t want a late one either, we’re planning on a day trip tomorrow.’
‘Want to come back with us now?’ Babs asked.
‘Can I drop by in an hour or so? I’ll take my shopping home and grab a bottle to bring with me.’
‘Sure, see you in a bit,’ Babs told her.
They’d made a couple of ‘tester’ cocktails and laid the food out on the table by the time Andi arrived with a bottle of Cointreau, a cocktail shaker and a bag of crushed ice. ‘I wasn’t sure if you had one,’ she said, waving the shaker.
‘We don’t. You’re a star,’ Babs grabbed the shaker whilst Dee put the ice in the freezer. ‘Now how about I make us all a “Babs Special”?’
‘What’s one of those?’ Andi asked Dee.
‘I dread to think,’ Dee told her. ‘If it’s too strong for you, go to the loo and tip it down the sink, she won’t know.’ She winked.
Andi’s face broke into a big grin. ‘I’m guessing you’ve had to do that a few times?’
‘Oh yes, and there are times I should have done but didn’t and regretted it the next day.’ She indicated the sofa. ‘Sit yourself down. And please help yourself to any of the snacks.’
‘This is so kind of you both,’ Andi said. ‘I’ve been worrying about Edna, I should have checked on her, I knew she was living on her own. I dread to think what would have happened if you two hadn’t realised something was wrong. The other cottages in this block are holiday lets.’
‘She’s going to be fine,’ Dee reassured her. ‘She looked chirpy. Martin was coming out as we went in, he did seem like he might be a bit overbearing.’ She told Andi all about the encounter. ‘I don’t know if he’s being a bit overprotective, but Edna is convinced he wants her out of the house to sell it.’
‘Have you ever met him?’ Babs asked.
Andi looked thoughtful. ‘He grew up in the village so we went to school together, not that I’ve actually seen him for years. He lives in Yorkshire now so I guess he probably worries about Edna falling and really hurting herself. Although…’
Dee and Babs exchanged glances.
‘From what I remember of him he can be a bit ruthless, charges ahead if he thinks something is for the best and doesn’t always stop to think how it affects others. Edna’s said that she’s not seen much of Martin since Bert died, so he’s hardly the doting son. I know he lives miles away, but even so there’s a phone and Facetime.’
‘So, you don’t trust him either?’ Babs asked.
Andi shook her head slowly. ‘I’m not sure he’d take Edna’s wishes into consideration. He sort of takes over. Edna and Bert wanted a child for a long time, and when Martin came along, I think they spoiled him a bit.’
‘Well at least she’s got Mabel to stay with; she’ll be fine.’ Dee patted Andi’s hand. ‘And she wouldn’t want you worrying over her.’
‘Here, get this down you. It’ll cheer you up.’ Babs handed them both a tall glass full of a bright red liquid, topped with cherries. ‘No sad faces allowed here.’
Andi took a sip and almost choked. ‘Goodness! What’s in this?’
Babs tapped her nose and sat down beside them, holding her own glass. ‘Knock it back,’ she ordered, taking a big gulp of her drink without as much as a splutter.
Andi raised her eyebrows to Dee who took a small sip out of her own glass. It was strong!
‘You two seem such good friends. Have you known each other long?’ Andi asked, following Dee’s example and taking a small sip.
‘Years! We were childhood friends,’ Babs told her. ‘And Dee here never used to be so quiet, you know. She was loads of fun before she got with Nige. Oh, the stories I could tell you.’
Dee felt herself stiffen at the insinuation that she was boring now. Babs was right though, Nigel had stifled her. Well the old Dee was still in there. She wasn’t having Andi think she was a bore, no way. She took a long gulp of her drink. ‘Yes, me and Babs go back a long way. Culprits in crime, right back to our schooldays.’ She took another gulp. The cocktail didn’t taste so strong now. ‘Babs sneaked some itching powder into class one day and sprinkled it inside the teacher’s coat. We couldn’t stop laughing when he kept scratching all lesson.’ She grimaced. ‘The trouble is I didn’t wash my hands properly and when I rubbed my eyes some itching powder got in them. It stung like hell and everyone thought I was crying!’
‘What about when we went on the double date?’ Babs had almost finished her cocktail already. ‘This was before we met our other halves,’ she told Andi. ‘Platform soles were all the rage then and we both turned up in them but I’d only bought mine that day and couldn’t walk properly in them. I tripped up and fell onto the table, knocking the drinks everywhere.’
Andi roared with laughter. ‘I can beat that! I signed up to a dating app and went out on a date with this guy called Donni. He was good-looking and he knew it. He spent the whole date talking about himself and I was so bored I kept knocking back the drinks, then I spewed up all over him. The memory mortifies me even now.’ She looked at Dee. ‘You don’t seem the sort to have done something like that.’
‘Ha, you’re joking! She walked around all day once with her dress tucked into her knickers.’ Babs chuckled. ‘And did you hear about yesterday when we were trying to get into Edna’s?’
The alcohol spurred Dee on to tell the story about her shorts falling down and exposing her knickers to Kenny.
‘OMG, I’m literally going to wet myself here,’ Andi howled.
‘Oh, there’s more. We went on holiday to Turkey once and a couple of waiters had the hots for us but they were a bit slimy. So we went around arm in arm all holiday, pretending we were a couple.’ Babs grinned. ‘Anyone for another one?’
‘My turn now. I’ll do a “Dee Special”.’ Dee struggled to her feet. She was already feeling a little light-headed but who cared, they were having fun. And fun was something she hadn’t had for a long time.