Beth agreed, feeling grateful once again to have met such a person. If only she could have met Jan sooner. What a difference it would have made. There was no point making those wishes. Future thinking was key, not past dwelling.
‘How are you getting on now?’ Sophie asked Beth.
‘Much better. It really does make such a difference when you have a strong support team around you. For a long time, I only had my cousin, and as lovely as she is, she’s always busy with her own life. Having Jan, Spencer, Lottie, and Sam helping has been brilliant. I can’t thank them enough.’
‘Hey, we’re your family now,’ said Lottie. ‘No thanks needed.’
‘And you have us too, should you need anything,’ said Sophie, glancing at Ginny and Alice, who both nodded.
‘Thank you. That’s very kind. One thing I’ve learned lately is, it’s better for me if I reach out when in need.’
‘Definitely,’ said Sophie. ‘We all need a hand from time to time. No shame in that.’
Beth gazed at the table for a moment, not wanting to meet anyone’s eyes. ‘I did feel ashamed for a while.’
Ginny tutted. ‘That’s because there’s too much stigma still attached to mental illness.’ She lightly rubbed Beth’s shoulder. ‘You have nothing to feel ashamed of.’
Even though Beth now realised that to be true and was confident enough to speak openly about her mental health, she still felt the shame of leaving Archie on Spencer’s doorstep. It was quite possible that act would haunt her forever. She understood about her state of mind at the time, and she had made sure to keep an eye on the pram until Spencer opened the door, but it didn’t seem to make much of a difference.
‘We speak a lot about mental health at the parent and baby club,’ she told them. ‘It helps when others tell you their stories. You stop feeling so abnormal.’
Ginny scoffed. ‘There’s no such thing as normal.’
Everyone agreed.
‘So,’ said Beth. ‘Now you know a little more about me, how about we get started on this place?’ She didn’t want to sit around talking about herself, so tried for a subject change.
Ginny’s smile was filled with appreciation. ‘It would be good to get more of the house sorted. Will’s going to decorate another bedroom as soon as he’s back from camping, then we’ve got the tearoom opening. Hope you’ll all be there. Free cupcakes will be on offer.’
‘We’ll be there anyway,’ said Alice. ‘But good to know.’
‘I’m looking forward to it, Gin,’ said Sophie, placing the paintbrush on the table. ‘I’m so glad your dreams have all come true.’ She turned to Beth. ‘She’s wanted a tearoom for ages now.’
‘You do have a lot going on,’ said Beth to Ginny. ‘Perhaps you should be taking it easy as well.’
Ginny laughed. ‘I’ve always been busy, but I will slow down once this place is in more of a liveable state before the baby comes.’ She looked at Beth. ‘We won’t have a lot of time to do DIY then, so best do what we can now. We don’t mind doing things slowly over time, but if we can just fix up the basics, that’ll be good.’
Lottie pointed at the kitchen cabinet lying on the table. ‘I’m cleaning these, ready for a fresh lick of paint. What a difference to the kitchen that alone will make.’
‘And I’m painting the sides of the stairs and banisters, then some carpet can go down,’ said Sophie.
Alice motioned at the ceiling. ‘And I’m ripping off old crusty tiles. Nobody needs a gruesome bathroom.’
Ginny folded her arms, looking deep in thought for a moment. ‘We’ve done our bedroom and the living room, so we’re good there.’
‘Are you having a nursery?’ asked Beth. ‘I could help with that.’ Not that she’d created one before. Ever since Archie was born he had slept in a cot at her bedside.
‘The baby will probably be in with us for a while,’ said Ginny. ‘But it would still be nice to have a clean room for all their bits. So, yeah, Beth, that would be great. The old wallpaper needs to come down. Most of it has peeled off anyway, but the steamer should make light work of the rest. We can do that together.’
Alice slid the plate of pastries across the empty part of the large table. ‘Here, eat something first, Beth. A morning snack will give us all a boost.’
Lottie sipped some pineapple juice. ‘And you can tell us if we’re needed for anything for the festival.’ She turned to Sophie. ‘Debra has managed to get the pop-up stalls hire company todonate the stands for the day, and we’ve got a large tent for the centre’s arts and crafts display.’
‘Are you selling any of your paintings, Lott?’ asked Alice.
‘Yep, but just the one. I haven’t had much time to paint lately. Hannah’s got about three, then there are the other members’ artworks too.’
Beth nodded. ‘And the boys have organized a section for children to draw and make bead bracelets. They really want to showcase the things kids can do at the Sunshine Centre.’
