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“Yes, it means I can afford to replace the hideous peach bathroom suite upstairs and get some decent furniture in here, too. I may even have enough left over to live on for a few months, but I’m not getting ahead of myself.”
“Do you need help with anything?”
“Is that a genuine offer or a polite offer?”
“Genuine.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to get your lovely suit dirty, but if you are up for helping, this sofa could do with a trip to the dump.”
“No problem. Just let me know when you want to go.”
“Now?”
“Now?”
“Just say if it’s a problem, I expect you’ve got a lot on.”
“No, just an evening watching Eastenders and Midsummer Murders with my aged parents. A trip to the dump sounds more fun.”
“Alright then, if you’re sure.”
The sofa was heavier than Kate thought, and there was no way she could’ve moved it herself as she’d first planned. After much huffing and puffing they finally got it loaded into the back of the van, followed by the armchair, two boxes of bric-a-brac, a crate full of out-of-date food Kate had removed from the kitchen cupboards, and the old mattress from Nanny Cornwall’s bed. Bob kept his jacket on the whole time, despite having to continually dab his forehead with a handkerchief.
“Aren’t you hot in that?”
“No, I’m fine,” said Bob, sweat beading on his brow.
Kate thought Bob was a very strange man, but strange in the best possible way. All her friends were a bit odd and surely after two hours of heaving furniture, she could class Bob as a friend.
When they returned to the now empty living room, it felt enormous. Kate wished she’d waited to get the furniture out before attempting to take up the carpet as it would have been a damn sight easier, but logic was never her forte.
“These boards look in pretty good condition,” Bob said, scuffing up some of the dirt to get a better look.
“Yes, I know. I don’t think I’ll replace the carpets, just sand down the boards and give them a coat of varnish.”
“I could help with that if you like?”
“That’s very kind of you, but you’ve already done more than enough. Fancy a beer?”
Bob looked at his watch and shook his head. “Sorry, better get back. Mum gets antsy if I’m not home for dinner.”
“Ah, OK.” Kate hadn’t had Bob down as a mummy’s boy, but perhaps she’d got him wrong.
“I can come over at the weekend?”
“Thanks, but I’m heading home this weekend to collect my stuff and tie up a few loose ends.”
“OK then, see you around.”
“See you.”
Bob let himself out, and the room felt even bigger with the large man removed from it. As darkness fell, Kate realised she had made an error. With the sofa gone, and the mattress heading for landfill, she had removed all options for a semi-comfortable nights sleep. Weary from all the lugging of furniture, Kate trudged up the stairs into what had been her grandmother’s bedroom. She had found a blanket on top of a large wardrobe, but hadn’t had time to explore further. Perhaps there would be something resembling bedding inside it.
The wardrobe doors opened to reveal her grandmother’s old clothes. Hangers clicked against each other as Kate threaded shirts, blouses and jackets along the rail. Tomorrow would be a charity shop trip, she decided. At the far end of the wardrobe Kate found a dress. She pulled the hanger off the rail and laid it out on the bare base of the bed to get a better look. Silk slipped across her hands, undamaged by the passage of time. The dress was floor length, cut away at the back with delicate beads across the bodice. When had her grandmother had the chance to wear such a beautiful gown? It would probably fetch a good price on eBay, but it was too precious to let go. Kate replaced it in the wardrobe, pulling out all the dull everyday clothes and piling them up on the bed ready for the charity shop.
In the three days she’d been there, Kate had given little thought to the woman who once inhabited the house, and who had passed on a quarter of Kate’s genes. But the dress raised her curiosity, and she began removing boxes from the base of the wardrobe. Most contained boring paperwork from years ago, gas bills, receipts,life adminMaddie would call it. Certain there was nothing of importance, Kate fetched a bin bag from the kitchen and began filling it with paper ready for recycling.
Beneath the boxes of papers, Kate found a set of photo albums. She held a thick, worn velvet book in her hands, thumbing through the pages. Most of the photos had been taken either in the house itself, or around the town, from what she could tell. Kate recognised a young woman with dark hair as soon as she saw her. The resemblance to Kate was striking and tugged once more on the guilt of estrangement.
