AllFreeNovel
Share Us
46
Jack
Clive was looking perky when I arrived on the ward and was sitting up doing a crossword, which was lovely to see. He’d be asking me to sneak him in a rum punch next.
‘Ah, Jack!’ he said. ‘Just the person I wanted to see.’
‘How are you doing?’ I asked him, pulling up a chair.
‘Very good,’ he replied. ‘Did you bring my grapes?’
I dived into my bag, handing him a punnet. ‘I think you’ve got a grape addiction.’
Clive laughed. ‘There’s nothing to do in this place except eat.’
‘Give me some, then,’ I said, ripping open the plastic and taking a handful for myself.
‘Got anything interesting to tell me?’ asked Clive.
‘Missing your Marlowe Court gossip, are you?’ I said, teasing him.
‘Eh!’ he said, batting me on the arm.
‘I have got some news, actually. I dumped my agent. It happened a while ago. I meant to tell you but I didn’t want to make it all about me when I came to see you.’
Clive looked surprised. ‘This is the most exciting thing I’ve heard since I’ve been in here – you should have told me sooner. What are you going to do now, then?’
‘It’s OK, I’ve got another one. I need a change, Clive. This new agent really believes in me. He thinks I can do much bigger and better things.’
Clive patted my hand. ‘Good boy. You’re taking the bull by the horns, this is what I like to see.’
‘Thanks, Clive.’
‘I wanted to talk to you about something else, actually,’ said Clive.
‘Oh yeah?’
I wasn’t sure where this was going, it could be anything with Clive. I really hoped he wasn’t going to bring up Rebecca.
‘They say I’ll have to go into some sort of residential home.’
‘So I hear,’ I said, noticing the brochure for Greenhill Lodge was on the bed, next to the puzzle book. That was a good sign. He’d point-blank refused to look at it before.
‘Rebecca says her grandmother is in there. That she has her own room and lots of people to talk to.’
‘They’d love you in there,’ I said. ‘You’d be in demand with all those ladies, that’s for sure.’
Clive looked off into the distance, deep in thought.
‘Is there anything I can do to help?’ I asked. ‘To make it easier for you?’
He turned to look at me. ‘It’s funny you should say that. There is, actually. I want you to live in my flat in Marlowe Court.’
I nearly choked on a piece of grape skin.
‘What do you mean?’ I said, once I’d got my breath back.
‘I own that place, you know. Outright,’ said Clive.
