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Did her aunt just growl? ‘We can always look on the internet,’ Seren suggested.
Nelly heaved in a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh. ‘I want to see it for myself, not look at pictures – that’s as bad as ordering out of a catalogue. It never looks the same when it arrives. And I want to touch things. You can’t tell the quality of anything unless you give it a good feel.’
Right. There was only one thing for it… Seren gathered her courage. ‘How about if I take you shopping?’ she said, and she waited for the inevitable backlash.
‘How’s that going to work? Eh? Answer me that! The last time you took me shopping, your father had to come too because there was no way you’d have got me in or out of the car on your own. Even with his help, it took so long to get me into the wheelchair that it was almost time for the shops to close. And your father was so heavy-handed I had bruises on my behind that lasted a fortnight. Thanks, all the same, but I’d prefer to stay put and do without.’
That wasn’t quite how Seren remembered the outing, but technically it was close enough. Despite how gentle Dad had been in helping Aunt Nelly into the car (which had been bad enough), and back out again (that had been even worse), she’d not been happy. And it had taken a while to manoeuvre the borrowed wheelchair up and down kerbs, and in and out of shops, with Nelly grumbling the whole time.
It couldn’t have been easy for her aunt either; some of the racks and shelving units in the shops were pushed so tightly together that no one larger than a size 8 could slip between them, never mind a ninety-two-year-old in a wheelchair.
That had been over a year ago, and this was the first time since that Seren had plucked up enough courage to suggest another outing. Her relief when her aunt refused knew no bounds.
There was nothing else she could think of. Either Seren bought something and Nelly approved it (or not – probably not, so she’d have to return it for a refund), or her aunt would have to pick a gift off the internet.
‘How’s work?’ Nelly asked and Seren pulled a face.
‘The same as usual.’
‘You need to get out of that place.’
‘Just because I work in a supermarket doesn’t mean it’s not a worthwhile job,’ Seren protested.
‘I didn’t say it wasn’t! But if you dislike it as much as I think you do, you need to find something else.’
Seren shrugged. ‘I suppose. But I don’t know what else Icando.’
Nelly snorted. ‘You’ve got a brain in your head, so use it. Life is too short to waste it on a job you hate. Find something you like doing and go for it.’
Seren pulled a face again. Easier said than done. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, or what she liked doing. Sad, really…
‘You want to be careful,’ Nelly told her. ‘If the wind blows the wrong way your face will stay like that. Which would be a shame, because you’ve got such a pretty face, too.’
A sudden flurry – if Seren could call the shuffling and scuffing of assorted residents in the corridor a ‘flurry’ – made Nelly sit up and take notice. ‘What day is it?’ her aunt demanded.
‘Wednesday.’
‘Help me out of this chair. I don’t want to be last,’ Nelly instructed. ‘All the good ones will be gone.’
What good ones, Seren mused as she helped Nelly to her feet and placed her walker in front of her.
‘I can manage from here; you can get off home. Unless—’ a speculative expression appeared on Nelly’s face ‘— how do you fancy barging in front of this lot and holding them back until I get to the front?’
‘Absolutely not.’
‘I didn’t think so. Spoil sport. You’ve got no gumption.’
Seren followed slowly behind as her aunt made her way towards the main entrance, musing on what gumption was and whether she was supposed to have it, and was surprised to discover the reason for the fuss was the arrival of a mobile library in the car park. Most of the residents would be unable to climb the steps leading into it, but the sides of the large vehicle lifted up to form a kind of awning, revealing shelf after shelf of books. Through the open door Seren could see more books inside. The librarian was handing boxes to one of the staff for them to take inside to those residents who were unable to come out, but many of them were milling around in the cold, eager to get their hands on the latest bestseller.
‘Calm down, everyone,’ the duty manager said. ‘You don’t have to go to the books, the books will come to you. So, if you’d all like to go back inside…?’ He made jerking gestures with his head, which everyone ignored.
‘Is it always this hectic when the mobile library shows up?’ Seren asked her aunt, having watched the old lady push, shove and elbow her way to the front. She might be only four foot eight, frail and hunched over, and look as delicate as a baby bird, but she was a force to be reckoned with.
‘It’s the highlight of my week,’ Nelly replied. ‘I get to choose my own books –ifI get the chance and other people don’t grab the best ones.’ She glared meaningfully at her fellow residents. ‘Selfish lot,’ she muttered under her breath, then added, ‘We could do with something like this, but for gifts—’ Nelly abruptly stopped talking. She stared at Seren.
Seren stared back, lightbulbs popping like crazy in her head. ‘Are you thinking what I’m thinking?’ Seren asked.
‘I dunno what you’re thinking, but I’m thinking there must be some enterprising person who will bring stuff to you without you having to go out for it. And I don’t mean an Amazon delivery driver.’ Nelly was so excited she was swaying on the spot, and Seren shot out a hand to steady her. ‘Get on that internet of yours and tell them they’ve got to pay us a visit. It’ll be worth their while.’ She waggled her thin grey eyebrows and let go of her walker with one hand for long enough to rub her thumb against her fingers. ‘Ker-ching!’
