Chapter 17
NICK
It’s been a tough day at work and I can’t wait to get home, but as I’m about to get into my car a text pings in. I look at my phone expecting it to be from Lizzie and am surprised to see that it’s Ally again. I open it.
Hi Nick, would you mind popping in after work and helping me move a few things around in the back room to make Mum more comfortable? I’m afraid she’s going to be downstairs for a while. A x
Funny how quickly we’ve slipped back into the easy friendship we had years ago.
We’re older, different people, but our connection is still there.
I should go straight home but how can I refuse?
Ally can’t move the furniture by herself and I don’t want her to wait for George to come home, all that lifting wouldn’t be good for his high blood pressure.
Besides, Ally was a good friend once. And I need her loyalty, she could blow my life apart.
It will be easier to go there first, so I reply that I’ll pop in from work.
Then I message Lizzie to let her know that I’ll be a bit late home, so she doesn’t worry that I’ve been in an accident or something.
Lizzie always imagines the worst-case scenario, which I understand after what happened to her dad.
‘Thanks so much,’ Ally says as she lets me in half an hour later. ‘I’m really grateful.’
‘No problem, we all appreciate you looking after Judith.’ I follow her into the lounge where my mother-in-law is sitting in the armchair, her bad ankle resting on a pouffe. ‘How are you feeling?’ I ask her, giving her a peck on the cheek. She looks pale and tired, I notice.
‘I’m fine. I’ll be right as rain in a couple of days,’ she says weakly. ‘Sorry Alison had to bother you. You’re busy enough.’
‘I’m never too busy to help you,’ I tell her. It’s true. I’ll do anything for Judith and Lizzie. It began with guilt, but now it’s love that drives me. Although the guilt never goes.
‘Nick is going to help me bring a wardrobe or chest of drawers down so that you can access your clothes and a few personal things. Which do you prefer, Mum?’
Judith looks worried. ‘Oh please don’t go to all the trouble. I’ll be back upstairs in no time.’
Ally squeezes her hand. ‘It’s going to be a while before you can get up and down those stairs, Mum, so let us make it a bit easier for you.’
‘Well, it would be good to have the small chest of drawers,’ Judith agrees.
‘And there’s a freestanding clothes rail folded up in the office room, we can put some of my clothes on that.
’ She must feel such a burden. One of the things I’ve always admired about Judith is that she’s so fiercely independent. ‘Thank you both.’
‘It’s no problem at all,’ I reassure her.
I look around, we’d pushed the sofa to one side yesterday to make room for Judith’s bed but it’s still very cramped.
‘How about we move the sofa out into the conservatory? There will be plenty of room for it if we move the wicker sofa and chairs from there outside. The weather’s nice enough.
’ The conservatory leads off from the back room so it will be a fairly easy procedure.
‘That’s a great idea.’ Alison’s smile lights up her face.
It’s really nice how much she cares for Judith and everything she’s trying to do for her.
I remember how friendly and helpful she was all those years ago when we both worked together.
‘Probably best if we move the stuff out of the conservatory first.’
She opens the patio doors leading to the conservatory and steps inside. I follow her. The wicker sofa and chairs aren’t very heavy, and we each take a chair outside then carry the sofa between us. We place them on the patio.
‘They look good here, don’t they?’ Alison says. ‘I’ll see if I can get a cover for them in case it rains because they’ll probably be out here for a couple of weeks.’
‘There’s one in the shed,’ I tell her. ‘Right, let’s get the big sofa out first. Are you sure you are okay carrying it? It’s heavy.’
She raises an eyebrow in amusement. ‘Nick. I’m a nurse. I’m used to heavy lifting.’
I guess she is. ‘Okay then. But I’ll lead and go backwards.
’ I don’t add that it’s the most difficult position, but she raises her eyebrow again to let me know she’s guessed why I’ve made that choice.
I admire how calm and confident she is. Not like Lizzie who is always convinced that the worst is going to happen at any time.
We go back in and together we lift the sofa and carry it into the conservatory, me walking backwards very slowly, as the last thing I need is to trip up and injure myself.
We set the sofa down, it fills the space of both the wicker sofa and chairs but there’s still room to move around it.
I wipe the back of my arm across my forehead.
Then we put the chest of drawers and clothes rail in place for Judith.
‘Oh this looks wonderful.’ Judith has come out of the lounge now and is leaning on her walker in the doorway. ‘I’ll be very comfortable in here. Thank you.’
‘That’s the idea,’ Ally tells her. ‘Do you want any clothes brought down?’
‘George will see to that when he comes home. And Lizzie will pop in tomorrow and help too,’ Judith replies. ‘You both take a rest now, you’ve done enough.’
‘If you’re sure.’ I glance at my watch. It’s almost six thirty. ‘Actually I’d better get back home now, Lizzie will have the dinner ready.’
‘At least have a drink before you go. It’s thirsty work carting furniture around.’ Alison goes into the kitchen and comes back with two opened bottles of beer. ‘They’re chilled,’ she says. She looks at Judith. ‘Do you want a drink, Mum?’
‘No thanks, love. I’m going to sit in the lounge and wait for George.’ Judith leans on her walker as she goes out. I hate to see her this way, but hopefully it won’t be for long, and she’s in good hands with Alison.
I take a long swig out of the bottle, Alison does the same.
‘This takes me back,’ she says with a grin.
I nod, recalling how we always used to have a bottle of beer after we finished work. Our little ritual as we moaned about the day.
‘It does. You’ve got a good memory to remember that from all those years ago.’
‘It comes with the job,’ she says. ‘I remember everything.’
The words seem loaded. I glance at her guiltily, but she is smiling.
‘I still can’t believe that you’re a nurse,’ I say, shaking my head. ‘Who would have thought it back then when you were a goth.’
‘And I still can’t believe that you’re the Construction Manager of the company now. Who would have thought it back then when you were just a junior assistant.’ She takes another swig of beer. ‘You’ve done well for yourself, Nick.’
‘What can I say? I felt I owed it to Arthur to keep the company going.’
‘I’m sure you did.’ Our eyes meet and she holds my gaze for a moment. Panic worms its way into my stomach.
I hope I can trust Ally to keep my secret. She has the power to shatter so many lives.