Chapter Thirty-Nine - The Spare Room

Saturday 9th December

Lyn decided to see how things were going upstairs.  Terry had been tasked with getting the last of the junk out of the back bedroom, so that Shane could hoist it up into the loft and run the hoover over the carpet.  Since Darren's stay a few years before, during his split with Paula, the room had been unused; as a bedroom, that is.  Instead, it became a convenient place to put things for now.  There were boxes which held the Christmas decorations for eleven months of the year, clothes that no longer fitted which Lyn meant to drop of at the charity shop and various other odds and ends, including an analogue television and video recorder Terry hung on to, so he could watch a couple of favourite old films on VHS.

'You could stream them, Granddad,' Shane suggested.  ‘Then you could take this up the tip.’

Terry replied that he was buggered if he was paying another bloody subscription just to watch a load of old crap.  He trundled the old television into the front bedroom.  Lyn spotted it from the landing, sitting in the middle of the room, as soon as she stepped off the stairlift.

'We haven't got room for that horrible thing in our room, Luvvie, and it's too heavy to go in the loft.  Shane's right - it belongs in a skip up at the dump.'

'There's nothing wrong with it,' Terry replied.

'You haven't used it for years.'

'I might want to one day.  Leave it there, for now.'

Lyn scowled at the ugly great box for a moment, before coming in to inspect progress on the lodger's room.  With the rubbish cleared, it looked bright and spacious, if completely uncoordinated.

'Not that duvet cover, Terry.  And definitely not those pillows.  Honestly!'

'What's wrong with it?'

'It's Darren's old bedlinen.'  

From his teens or his more recent mid-life crisis years, Lyn couldn't recall.  The pillows were black with red trim, splashed with silhouettes of sports cars and naked women.  The duvet was Southampton FC red and white stripes. 

'I gave you those nice sets Hilary said we could have, when she heard Ashley was coming to stay.  Get that awful stuff off and use one of those, but don't get it all mixed up.'

'What makes you think she'll want pansies any more than tarts and Ferraris?' Terry asked, sulkily helping Shane to strip the bed again.

'They're primroses,' Lyn said, stooping careful to lift a pillowcase from a carrier bag beside her.  It didn't quite go with the red and white striped curtains but Hilary's posh cast-offs were still more likely to make their lodger feel at home than Darren's Top Gear and testosterone taste.  'I bet Hilary loved choosing these lovely designs for her B&B,' she sighed.

Terry was unmoved, bundling the pillows roughly into their new covers while Shane, wrestling with the single duvet, almost seemed embarrassed to be there, with the room looking so feminine.

'Nearly done, boys,' Lyn said, after directing a couple of further little changes.  'She might have all her own things, of course, but I want it to look nice when she arrives, so she feels welcome.'

Ashley was expected later that afternoon; between four and six, she had said, depending on when Gavin finished work.  He was being difficult about her moving out.

'We're not together,' Ashley told Lyn.  'He's still sort of possessive, though.'

‘It must be difficult when you have to live with someone like that.’

‘It’s been a nightmare.’

Lyn didn’t like to ask any more.  Either Ashley would talk to her about her troubles, once she moved in, or she wouldn’t.  Lyn hoped she would feel able to chat and confide.  She even imagined it might be a little bit like having a daughter living with them.  Realistically, that wasn’t what she should expect.  Ash would be out a lot, working, studying or going out with friends and, very likely, would stay in her room watching her choice of films and serials, listening to her taste in music, when she wasn’t.  She was going to see her parents for Christmas and hoped to have found a longer-term place of her own by the end of January, if not sooner.  She was confident of having saved up a deposit by then.  Terry had been happy with that as a deadline.  Lyn was a little sad.

Lyn was mobile enough today to get a cup of tea brewing for the boys.  Soon after the hoover fell silent, Shane shambled into the living room and Lyn heard the stairlift’s whine as it went up to collect Terry, then ferried him downstairs.

‘Jennifer told you to walk up and down,’ Lyn reminded him.  Jennifer was the practice nurse who kept an eye on Terry’s general state of health.  His weight was creeping up again.

‘I’ve been on my feet all morning, getting that room sorted out,’ Terry answered.  ‘I don’t know what made you suggest she came to stay here.’

‘I think it was really nice of you, Nana,’ said Shane.

‘You would,’ moaned Terry.  ‘It’s not you who’ve having to throw a load of handy stuff out to make room for her.’

‘She’s paying her way, Luvvie.’

‘She’d better be.’  Terry stomped through to the kitchen and out to the lobby.  ‘I suppose I’ll have to use this bathroom all the time now?’  

‘You do anyway, most of the time.  You only use the upstairs one for a pee at night and she won’t mind you doing that.’

‘She won’t mind!  It’s none of her business where I go!’

Lyn heard the door to her wet room slam.

‘He was alright about it earlier on,’ said Shane.  ‘He said the extra cash would come in handy.’

‘He’s a funny old bugger,’ Lyn replied.  ‘You wait.  He’ll be all smiles when she gets here, carrying her bags up, making her a brew.  He just has to make sure I know he’s putting himself out.’

‘Weird,’ said Shane.  ‘I wondered if he’d found out it messed up your benefits or something?’

‘It could do, if we got different ones,’ Lyn said.  ‘Because we both get contribution-based ESA, not the means-tested type, it doesn’t matter and, as we own the house and don’t get Housing Benefit, that’s alright too.  We might have to pay extra Council Tax but we should still be better off over all.’

‘Unless she has the heating on all day and doesn’t turn the bloody lights off,’ Terry said, coming from the kitchen with the teas.  

‘We have the heating on all day anyway, at this time of year.’

‘You know what I mean.’

Lyn and Shane exchanged glances and said nothing.

‘And don’t you start hanging about here, hoping to see her either,’ Terry said to his grandson.  ‘I know you’ve taken a fancy to her, but she’s too old for you.’

‘Granddad, I’ve got a girlfriend at college.  She’s called…’

‘She’s not going to be interested in a spotty-faced nipper like you.’

‘He isn’t spotty-faced, you old misery.’  Lyn reached across and stroked the stubble on her grandson’s acne-scared cheek.  ‘And he’s not a nipper.  He’s a lovely, handsome young man.  I’m sure his girlfriend agrees.  What did you say her name is, luvvie?’

‘Olivia,’ said Shane.

‘Olivia?’ Terry said.  ‘Posh, is she?’

The letterbox rattled.  Shane got to his feet quickly and went to collect the post from the doormat.

‘That’ll be your reminder from the opticians!’ Terry laughed.  ‘Handsome young man my arse!  He’s a scrawny nipper with greasy hair and a big nose.  Christ knows what this Olivia sees in him, if she exists.’

‘He doesn’t really fancy Ashley, does he?’ Lyn asked her husband quietly.

‘I don’t think so.  I’m just winding him up.’

‘Well don’t.  Boys are more sensitive than you think at his age.’

‘Bollocks!’

‘It’s true.  Don’t be nasty to him.  He takes everything very seriously.’

Lyn stopped talking as Shane came back in. 

‘There’s a brown envelope, Nana,’ he said.  He handed it to her. 

Having volunteered at the Project, Shane knew enough about brown envelopes to know what the arrival of one might mean to his grandmother.  Lyn opened it, looking at Shane as she did so.  At best, it was a call in for a medical assessment for her ESA.  At worse, it might be a snap decision putting her out of the Support Group, which would end her claim since she had already received benefit for more than twelve months.

‘If I have to appeal, I’ll make sure you see how we go about it and what we have to do.  It’s even more of a palaver now than it was years ago, when Granddad and I first started having trouble with all this but…  oh!’

‘What’s wrong, Nana?’

‘Yeah, what have the buggers done now?’ Terry asked.

‘I think this is good news.’  Lyn smiled at them both.  ‘It says I don’t have to go for any more medical assessments.’

‘Really?’ cried Shane.  ‘That’s brilliant.’

‘It is and it isn’t, Luvvie,’ Lyn explained.  ‘I only don’t have to go because, they say, the medical evidence says I’m not going to get any better.’

‘But at least the Social won’t make you any worse by messing you about,’ Terry said.

‘Does this apply to your PIP as well, Nana?’

Lyn remembered her colleagues discussing a change to the regulations, but she had assumed it was only for people with terrible illnesses like cancer or motor-neurone disease.  Dear Dr Kat must have done another of her really good reports.

‘I don’t think so, luvvie,’ she said to Shane.  The letter is just about ESA.  I can always ask Hilary next time I see her.’  Lyn eased herself back in her chair.  ‘I don’t know, you two.  I feel like a hundred-ton weight has just been lifted off me!’

‘We ought to have a celebration,’ Terry said.  ‘Have we got any cake to go with this tea?’

‘Not at the moment, luvvie.’

‘I’ll go round the shops for one.  My treat!’

Shane leapt up and dashed out of the front door.

‘He didn’t ask what sort we wanted,’ said Terry.

‘He’ll get a salted caramel one.  That’s his favourite.’

Terry shook his head.

‘Salted bloody caramel!  Whoever thought of putting salt in caramel?’

Lyn didn’t know why Terry was complaining.  It was one of his favourite treats too.

‘Make a fresh brew, luvvie.’

Lyn watched her husband shuffle out to the kitchen.  She didn’t think he would be treated as sick enough to get his ESA for life; in fact, his next assessment would almost certainly drop him into the work-related group.  They had a plan for if that happened, involving Terry claiming Carer’s Allowance instead, although that relied on Lyn retaining her PIP.  One lost form, one bad decision, and they would be in financial trouble again.  For now, however, they had weathered another reassessment and were secure.

Lyn picked up her phone and rang Shane.

‘While you’re at the Co-op, pick up a nice big bunch of flowers, luvvie.  I’ll give you the money for them.’

Lyn fancied some to brighten up the living room and, if Shane bought a decent sized bunch, there would be enough left to put a few in a little vase in their guest’s room too.

Chapter Thirty-Eight - Work Allowance

Friday 8th December

'Hilary?  Hi.  I'm sorry, I'm going to be late in again this morning.  I have to go to the school first.  Hopefully, I'll be with you before the IT clinic starts.  I'm so sorry this has happened.  I'll explain when I see you.'

Hilary had sounded perfectly happy but Catherine hated to let anyone down.  She could see no alternative, however.  Clearly, she needed to see both girls safely to school and, in addition, to update Ms Harrison on Leo Finn's latest threat.

She decided not to worry Aunty Ruby and, although she laughed when Alex suggested installing Ralph as look-out and bodyguard for their former neighbour and old friend, Catherine later decided she would confide in him about what had now been said, much to Kirsty's disgust. 

‘God!  Like it isn’t bad enough you had lunch with him, now you’re inviting him here again!  You had better not fancy him!’

‘I don’t,’ Catherine answered sharply.  ‘But you had better show some manners when he gets here, or clear off up to your room beforehand.  I don’t have time for your tantrums, miss.’

Kirsty sat in resentful silence when the doorbell announced their guest’s arrival.  Alex let him in, all smiles.  She at least seemed to have decided that he posed no threat to her father’s memory.

Ralph gave Catherine PCSO Sue's card.  'You could do worse than give her a call, you know,' he suggested.

She did.  Fortunately, PCSO Sue was on duty.  She promised to 'take a wander' round Ruby's neighbourhood, which was a regular part of her routine patrol anyway. 

'You need to make a formal report about this threat,' Sue concluded.  @it may be nothing, but then again…’

'I will,' Catherine promised. 

'What about you and the girls?' Ralph asked.  'Will you be safe tonight?  If you'd like me to...'

'No way!' Kirsty sneered.  'We don't want a strange bloke in our house!'

'I was going to ask your mother if she would like me to drive you all to the police station, actually,' said Ralph.  'Or, if you didn’t feel safe here, whether I could help find you a hotel for the night?'

'Yeah, right...'  Kirsty was unconvinced.

'That's very kind of you, Ralph,' Catherine answered.  'I'm sure Leo Finn's bark is worse than his bite and we'll be quite safe, but thank you for being such a gentleman.'

She glowered at Kirsty, who was making mock vomiting noises.  Kirsty slunk out.  After a refill of his coffee cup and a chat about his horticultural plans for the following year, Ralph said a polite goodnight to Alex and Catherine saw him to the door.

‘Thanks again, Ralph.  You’re very kind but I’m sure we’ll be fine.’

‘As long as you’re quite sure.  I don’t mind staying - sleeping on your sofa, of course - if that would make you feel safer.’

‘Honestly, I wouldn’t worry about it,’ Catherine said.  ‘I’m not sure I could handle the drama from Kirsty.’

Ralph laughed gently. 

‘I quite understand.  Don’t be afraid to call if there’s anything I can do.’

‘Thank you.’

Catherine waved and closed the door.

The next morning, Ms Harrison was very displeased to learn that Leo Finn had been on the premises, as he had been formerly excluded after the previous incident. 

'I've asked any pupils who have borrowed money or been offered loans by fellow students or their family members to contact me, in confidence,' she told Catherine.  'I've also put some information about loan sharks and the hot line to report them in this week's newsletter.  Rest assured, Alex and Kirsty will be completely safe here, while you're at work.  I can’t name names, but I can tell you, you are not the only family to have issues with Leo Finn and his family.'

Waiting for her bus, Catherine felt sufficiently reassured to keep up a cheerful conversation when she found Aunty Ruby was travelling to town with her.  Ruby showed her a leaflet which had been dropped through her door the evening before, offering a home safety check from the local police.

'I don't know.  They can find time for all these community things, but when it comes to catching real criminals and stopping all this terrorism, where are they?' the old lady grumbled.

'You should ask them to do this,' Catherine urged.  'It’s free.  You can't be too careful.'

'I suppose not, with all these foreigners about...'

Catherine helpfully got her phone out and arranged for the PCSO to call on Monday afternoon.

'Don't forget,' she said, writing the time and the officer's name on the leaflet.

She reached the Community Café twenty minutes after the IT clinic had started.  Toby and Ashley were run off their feet and, consequently, delighted to see her.

‘I’m so sorry I’m…’

‘No worries,’ Toby interrupted.  ‘H said you were held up.  Something to do with having to go to school, she said.  As a fellow parent, that’s familiar territory.’

Now was not the time to explain why her visit to the school might be different to Toby’s, although Catherine resolved to tell either Toby or Hilary more, if only because she wouldn’t be able to stay later to make up time as she wanted to meet the girls after school. 

During a lull, Ashley wandered over for a quiet chat, guiding her colleague to a quiet corner.

‘Tell me to get lost if this is none of my business,’ she said.  ‘But you get UC, don’t you?’

‘I do, yes.’  Catherine assumed the younger woman had a query about how it worked in practice, maybe for families or for widows.

‘I’ve just had a cunning plan,’ Ash said mischievously.

‘What about?’

‘About your wages and the work allowances.  It was helping Pete over there check his award.  He’s on zero hours, so his wages are different every month.  Sometimes, it’s so little it’s well below the work allowance for a family and it doesn’t affect his UC at all.  Another month, it’s well over and takes a chunk out of it, but he doesn’t get any credit for not using his full allowance the month before.  You can’t carry left-over work allowance forward to the next month.’

‘I know.’

‘Well, that’s going to happen with you, if you get one payment for this month’s work, just before Christmas.  They’ll disregard a hundred and ninety-two quid and taper the rest.’

‘I know.’

‘So why not ask Vaughan for an advance, like I had to?  If he pays your wages in two halves, in different assessment periods, you’ll get two work allowances.’

Catherine was less excited about Ashley’s idea than by the news that she should be paid before Christmas.  She had assumed her wages would be paid between Christmas and New Year, too late to meet Mr Steven’s deadline for January’s rent.

‘Are you sure we’re paid before Christmas anyway?’

‘Vaughan said at the team meeting that he’s sorting the payroll for the twenty-second, the Friday before Christmas.  You must have missed it.’

Catherine had missed the first couple of items on Wednesday, as she had arrived late.

‘You could still ask him to do you an advance sooner, if it helps.’

‘I don’t want to be a nuisance, especially if he has extra work anyway…’

Ashley almost looked hurt.  Before Catherine could say anything more, to offer some thanks and gratitude for the thought, there was a call for assistance from one of their clients.  Ash hurried away to help.  Catherine soon had someone to assist too.  There was no break until closing time and that came later than intended, with two clients needing urgent assistance to make claims before the weekend.  Finally, they left the IT room and Toby closed the door behind them.

‘Lunch, ladies!’ he said, gallantly offering them an arm each. 

‘Women – or colleagues, please!’ countered Ashley.

Catherine joked that she didn’t mind being a lady, a woman, a colleague or a little piece of each. 

Ashley looked unimpressed. 

Catherine realised she had inadvertently upset her again. 

‘I’m sorry, Ashley, you’re quite entitled to insist on the form of address you prefer,’ she said hastily.  ‘And I should have been more grateful to you for that idea about the work allowance.  I’m going to be short on my UC this month if the sanction goes ahead…’

‘Sanction?’ asked Ashley.

‘I missed an appointment with my work coach.’

‘How come?’ Toby queried.

Catherine laughed ironically.  ‘Because I was working here.’

‘Didn’t you tell him?’ 

‘I did, Toby.  He’s admitted it was his error but he also says my jobsearch fell short of my claimant commitment, so the sanction is likely to go through anyway.’

‘For fuck’s sake!’ Ashley cried.  ‘That’s ridiculous.  You have an actual job and you’re being sanctioned for doing it?’

‘Colin says not, but it feels like it.’

‘What a dick!’

‘Anyway, I’m going to see if Vaughan is in the office and have a quiet word.’

‘He is,’ said Deepak, who had just stepped out to get his midday meal.  ‘If you go in now, you’ll catch him.’

Catherine realised that Ashley’s scheme would only work if her advance was paid before the end of her current monthly assessment period.  That was next Tuesday.  Any later, and her payments would both fall in the same UC month.

She found Vaughan, Hilary and Martin talking together.

‘Ah!  The very person.’ said Vaughan.  ‘Most fortuitous.  Please, come and join us.’

Catherine sat down.  Despite Vaughan’s reassuring manner, she was worried that her repeated lateness was an issue.

‘I can make up the hours I missed next Tuesday, if that would help,’ she said.

‘Hours you missed?’ Hilary said.  ‘It would be really rather churlish of us to insist on that, when you were volunteering here before we started paying you.  Please, don’t feel obliged to do anything of the sort.  I’m sure you wouldn’t have been late if there wasn’t a very good reason for it.’

‘As long as you’re sure.’

‘Absolutely.  That’s not what we wanted to speak to you about at all.’  Hilary turned to Martin.  ‘Perhaps you might like to explain?’

‘Okay.  It’s like this, Catherine.  We wondered if you could change your days from the end of the week to the beginning – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, rather than Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.’

Catherine hesitated.  She didn’t want to be difficult, but there was no way she could work Monday, having scheduled her appointment with Colin for that day.

‘Not until January,’ Martin added.

‘Oh, that would be fine, I’m sure, if it works out better for everyone else.’

‘It’s just that Tom and I rather hope to work the same days and have the same days off, when I go half-time,’ Hilary explained. 

‘The Management Committee have approved Tom taking on half of Hilary’s post,’ Vaughan explained.  ‘They didn’t think there was anything to be gained in advertising externally, with the future of the Project back in the lap of the gods from September.’

‘I see.’  Catherine understood.  This meeting was to confirm her return to volunteer status from the New Year.

‘Ash doesn’t want to change her days,’ Martin explained.  ‘Now she’s got somewhere fixed up to move to, she’s signed up to do an art course at the college.’

‘She didn’t say,’ Catherine answered.  There was, of course, no reason why Ashley would share her private plans with Catherine.

‘Due to the course, she’s not after extra hours either,’ Martin added.

‘I suppose that makes things simpler for Hilary and Tom,’ said Catherine.

Martin looked surprised. 

‘What’s Hilary and Tom got to do with it?’

‘Nothing,’ said Martin.

‘But if Ashley had wanted…’

‘You haven’t told her, Martin,’ Hilary laughed.  ‘He’s awfully logical, most of the time, but never was good at coming to the point.  Which is – Martin’s partner is returning to work, full-time, from the start of the New Year and Martin is taking the rather unexpected step of becoming a full-time, stay-at-home dad.’

Catherine wasn’t sure whether ‘Congratulations’ was entirely the correct response, but it was the first comment that came to mind.

‘Cheers,’ said Martin.

‘As a matter of fact, the congratulations are more properly due to you,’ Vaughan said, beaming at Catherine.  ‘We would be delighted to make your current appointment permanent – well, as permanent as any appointment around here is, in reality.’

‘You mean, I’m being offered Martin’s hours?’  Catherine gasped.

‘Of course.’

‘What about your Management Committee?’

‘They agreed this, in principle, when they discussed Hilary’s post.  There were a few quibbles about the lack of any full-timers but, since we’re all in on a Wednesday morning, there shouldn’t be any messy interregnum, should there?’  Vaughan folded his long hands together.  ‘You do accept, I suppose?  You aren’t obliged to, if you have other plans?’

‘Other plans?  No, not at all.  I mean, I’ve been applying but…’

‘Splendid!  Welcome to the team.’

Vaughan stood and offered her his hand.  Catherine shook it warmly, then shared a hug with him.  Hilary and Martin hugged her too.

Unexpectedly, she suddenly burst into tears.

‘I can’t tell you how much this means to me,’ she said.  ‘Things have been very difficult.’

Hilary and Martin excused themselves, on the basis that they needed to eat before afternoon appointments.

‘You can have a chat with Vaughan about the practicalities,’ Hilary said tactfully.

Catherine took a deep breath, then did just that.