Chapter 8 #2
‘Well, I suppose when time’s at a premium, you have to pack it all in while you can,’ Cath agreed with a smile. ‘Anyway, after chatting with our group, we’d love to host another social event. And this time we’ve come up with a summertime afternoon tea.’
‘Now that sounds a delightful idea. How wonderful.’
Cath was cheered by her positive reaction.
‘And if, like last time, you could organise transport over to the Tilldale Village Hall, then we’d be happy to host the tea and cover all the other expenses.
’ She realised that she hadn’t actually discussed this directly with the group, but they had done it as a charity event last time.
It felt right to continue in the same vein.
Fundraising was going to be the next task on her growing list. ‘We need to set a date. I’ve pencilled something in with the village hall and was wondering if Sunday, third of August might work?
’ She held her breath, knowing that was the only Sunday left in the village hall calendar for the whole of August.
‘Uhm, give me a mo. We’ve got a diary system on the computer here. Oh …’ The line went quiet for a second or two.
‘Ahm, it’s just that a Sunday’s better for our helpers,’ Cath explained. ‘Several have businesses that open during the rest of the week.’
‘Yes, I can quite understand that, and we’re so grateful to you all putting yourselves out to host another function, but …
oh dear, yes, we seem to have a clash of dates.
There’s already a residents’ outing booked for that day.
We’re going on trip to Seahouses for fish and chips.
It’s been set in the diary for a while, and a deposit has already been paid for it.
Now let’s see …’ There was a short pause before Julie added, ‘We can certainly do the Sunday after?’
‘Ah, that’s booked up already. The village hall’s become very popular, which is great, but it means we’re limited to dates.
It would be so lovely to host the event there again, and support our village community, though.
’ After all the hard work they’d put in last year with its renovation, it seemed a shame to have to use somewhere else.
The newly revived hall felt so personal to them all. It was a part of their community.
‘Yes, of course. What a shame about the timings,’ said Julie.
‘Don’t worry, I’ll just have to go back to the drawing board.
Are there any alternative Sundays that might work, perhaps early July,’ she mooted.
‘Or possibly a Saturday.’ A Saturday would cause all kinds of issues for the shop lads and Will, Cath mused, but she really wasn’t sure where to go with this now.
Lily had mentioned her family holiday planned at the end of July, and if she made the date any earlier in the summer, then that would leave exam-laden Lily out of the equation.
With Lily being the baking queen, and so excited about the whole thing, it didn’t seem fair to miss her out.
Julie mooted a couple of alternative dates, which Cath noted, but knew she’d have to discuss them with her supper team.
With so much happening between them all, it was going to be a bit of a juggle, and inevitably someone might not be able to help on the day, putting further pressure on the others.
But she was not going to let herself feel deflated.
The pair of them then had a brief chat about the latest escapades at the home, with Cath closing the conversation with, ‘Okay then, leave it with me.’ Trying to sound bright and cheery, despite her hopes having been somewhat dashed.
‘I’ll go back to the drawing board, speak to the team, and try and get a date that suits us all. ’
She’d have to put out a message to the supper clubbers, and have a further chat with Veronica. With timings and logistics to consider for the home, the hall and all six of them, the challenge was on.
*
The next day, after speaking with Veronica and pencilling in an alternative Saturday in August and a possible Sunday in early July, Cath held a video call with the supper group early evening, to discuss the date dilemma they were faced with.
Cath explained the care home’s diary clash for the Tilldale Afternoon Tea, and then mooted the Saturday date, with Andreas responding apologetically, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry, petal, I really wanted to make this event work, but Saturdays in summer are so difficult to cover for the shop.
And you’re our usual port of call, so that won’t help at all. ’
‘Yes, we’d have to bow out on the Saturday date,’ Dan confirmed.
‘Okay, yes, I knew a Saturday was a long shot. It wouldn’t have been good for you, nor Will either, so that leaves the first Sunday in July then,’ Cath proposed.
Will then piped up, ‘Sorry, I’ve got a big cycling event on that day, The Cheviot Challenge. I’m booked to be on hand as a marshal, and I’m the main man on the mobile cycle repair squad – well, that’s basically me and Josh. We’ve done it for the past ten years.’
Cath held down a sigh of frustration.
She then spotted Nikki shaking her head. ‘And we’ve got Kev’s mum and dad’s ruby wedding do that day. They’re having a big celebration lunch. There’s no way we could miss that.’
‘No, of course not.’ Dammit, so as well as Will being AWOL, the whole of Nikki’s family wouldn’t be able to help either.
This was going from bad to worse, and really wasn’t looking good for a summer event at all.
Should she start looking at dates in the autumn?
But then Lily would be off and away on her studies, Cath realised.
She began to feel a bit headachy. But she wasn’t one to give in.
There was always a way. There had to be …
She’d go back to Veronica and Julie and start the whole process again. Perhaps try late June? When was Lily’s last exam? Or early September, at a squeeze?
‘Sorry, Cath,’ said Dan kindly.
‘We seem to be going around in circles, don’t we,’ added Nikki, rather dejectedly.
‘Where there’s a will there’s a way,’ Cath added, without realising her pun, in no way ready to give up on this. And then she had to laugh as she spotted Will giving a goofy smile from his thumbnail image.
‘There is indeed.’ He grinned at the group, and gave a wink.
‘Right, so we’ll chat again soon. I’ll go back to Veronica on dates, and check with the home too, then I’ll come back to you all.’
‘We’ll make it work somehow,’ Andreas said positively.
And that gave her the extra lift she needed to get on with the task. The first of many tasks, of course. And well, if it was this hard finding a date … her work was well and truly going to be cut out.
*
A day later, and Cath was back at the care home for her weekly visit, trying her best to add some cheer to the residents’ day room. But beneath her jolly chat, she was hiding her concerns that their much-longed-for event might not yet happen.
She’d had a conversation with Veronica last night, after the video call with her tribe, and free Sunday dates were few and far between; the June ones clashed with Lily’s essential exam schedule, and the autumn availability began in November!
Bloody November, it’d end up being another Christmas do at this rate.
Back in the day room, after spending some time chatting with Christopher about his working days, and Vera telling her the exciting news of a new great-grandchild in her family, Reggie caught her eye and beckoned her over to come and sit beside him.
‘Hello, lass. Now then, a little bird told me you’re planning another shindig for us old ’uns.’ He gave a big, sparkly-eyed smile.