Old Walls - Part 7

 

Simon left the food bank feeling unsatisfied. He hadn’t really spoken to the other volunteers, Marion had sort of overpowered him and left him unable to express himself freely. The work he’d carried out felt worthless, checking dates he could barely read and feeling too ill at ease to remember what year it was, let alone what month.

 

After arriving home, he greeted Roz and immediately went upstairs to shower, ‘I can’t touch anything! All those crates, god knows what sort of germs they’re harbouring.’

 

While he was in the shower, the doorbell rang. Roz could tell it was Jace looming in the doorway by his height.

 

‘Hello, Roz isn’t it?’ He said, nervously.

 

Roz thought how handsome he looked, broad in his red hooded sweatshirt and swarthy. ‘Yes, well remembered. Jace, how are things, have you settled in?’

 

‘Yes, we’re all good thank you. Sorry to bother you but is your husband here? I saw his car turn in just now. I wanted a quick word if that’s okay.’

 

Roz’s heart sank but she was very apt at hiding her feelings and maintaining an affable, open nature. ‘He’s just gone up for a shower. He shouldn’t be long. Would you like a cup of tea?’

 

‘Erm, I think I’m alright thank you. It was just on the off chance that he was free for a chat. It’s nothing serious, just a little thing. A mystery I suppose. It worried Tor more than anything else because she’s home alone all day, well, she’s got Tia. We’re trying to convince her to go to school.’

 

Roz stood and looked at him warmly and held out her arm. ‘Please come in, Jace, follow me to the kitchen. The kettle’s just boiled.’ He wiped his feet, then checked the bottoms and decided to take his boots off, dropping them on the doormat. ‘Don’t mind Timmy. Come and sit down.’

 

‘Nice place you’ve got here. It’s so cosy and warm. I’ve got my work cut out at Old Walls. It’s got potential, it’ll just take time, that's all.’

 

‘Yes, I expect you’re very busy,’ Roz pulled down an extra mug, and hurriedly squeezed the teabag against the side of it. ‘Here’s some sugar if you need it.’

 

He scooped up two spoonfuls and stirred it in. ‘Always. Life is manic.’

 

They both laughed. ‘Isn’t it just.’ Roz shifted in her seat and said, ‘So, if you don’t mind me asking, why is it that Tia isn’t attending school?’

 

‘Oh she was bullied at her last school and now she’s got used to being at home. It’s partly my fault. I didn’t want her going back but her mum’s getting fed up now, she says it isn’t healthy.’

 

‘Does she manage to study at home?’

 

Jace shrugged. ‘A bit but there are too many distractions at home these days. I’d like her to do more reading. She wants to go to university but I don’t know if that’s ever going to happen. We’ve enrolled her at the local school here but she’s only been once.’

 

‘Oh dear, that’s a difficult one. There’s nothing worse than that feeling that your child isn’t happy.’

 

‘She’s not actually my daughter but she’s as good as,’ his shoulders collapsed slightly as if ashamed, ‘ I’ve known her since she was nine, she’s fourteen now. I’ve got a son of my own but he’s grown up, lives in London now.’

 

‘Gosh! You don’t look old enough to have grown up children.’

 

Jace laughed, ‘I started young.’

 

Roz's phone buzzed on the kitchen counter, she picked it up, ‘Tell him I’m ill.’ She coughed and put it down again but became aware that her facial expression had turned to one of tension and felt the need to provide an excuse, ‘Sorry, it’s just one of my clients. I do some work from home, psychotherapy..’

 

‘Oh, do you, that’s interesting. My old man used to be a security guard at Broadmoor.’

 

‘Really?’

 

‘Yes,’ Jace shook his head and laughed, ‘he’s got some stories.’

 

‘I bet. I just help regular people, most of them have everyday problems and I offer them tools to cope better so small problems don’t turn into big ones.’

 

Jace looked embarrassed suddenly. Roz noticed he had a sort of vulnerability and she liked him more for it. ‘Maybe you could help Tia. I doubt I could get her to do it though to be honest.’

 

Roz shot up suddenly. ‘Well you never know. Look, I'm just going to fetch my husband. I won’t be a moment.’ She walked to the bottom of the stairs and shouted up. ‘Simon? Our neighbour, Jace is here, he would like to speak with you if that’s okay. He says there’s a mystery to clear up.’

 

Simon didn’t respond, he froze but quickly realised he had no choice. He came down slowly, dressed in his orange fleece, tracksuit bottoms and slippers with an air of defensiveness. ‘Have you seen my folder?’ he called out to Roz.

 

‘What folder?’

 

‘The one I’m using for my project.’ He started fussing in the lounge.

 

Roz shrugged. ‘What project? Jace is in the kitchen. Hurry up, I’m going out soon.’

 

‘Where are you going?’

 

Roz blocked his path so that he had no choice than to go to the kitchen.  ‘Alright Mate,’ said Jace with a wide smile. Simon simply nodded in response. ‘Yes, what it is, the camera on my truck, it’s motion censored, it picked you up leaving our driveway yesterday and Tor was worried about it that’s all.’

 

Simon blinked slowly, he glanced at Roz for support but she only raised her eyebrows. ‘I’m very sorry about that,’ he said, rubbing his hands, ‘I was looking for something and I just thought it easier if I popped over to quickly check. It was a garden tool that Martin borrowed. I thought it might be somewhere in the garden…or shed. I didn’t want to bother anyone.’

 

‘Okay Mate, well just ask next time and don’t be poking around like that because Tor gets anxious about intruders.’

 

‘Of course, she would do!’ said Roz.

 

Their meeting concluded peacefully but with some residual seeds of tension. Simon was cross with himself but unable to process such feelings and could only express it as anger with Jace. ‘Bloody cheek, coming over here and speaking to you like that.’

 

‘Like what? I think he’s a lovely man. We could have ended up with a lot worse living across the road. I thought he dealt with that situation, the one that you caused, really well.’

 

Simon looked around suddenly and sniffed the air. ‘What’s for dinner?’

 

‘I told you. I’m going out.’

 

‘Where to?’

 

‘I’m going to a Pampered Chef party at Pipers Ride.’

 

Pipers Ride sounded familiar and it took him a few seconds to figure out why. ‘Pipers Ride? Can I come?’

 

‘No Simon! You don’t like cooking. I’m going with Carol up the road.’

 

‘Well, can I give you a lift then?’

 

‘No, she’s picking me up in a minute. There’s a pizza in the fridge and Timmy hasn’t had his walk yet.’

 

Simon was lost without his wife; when alone, his mind constantly led him down tracks; dark tracks, dirt tracks, he didn’t like it, perhaps it was a form of self-harm, he didn’t really know. He rifled through a cupboard of stationery in the lounge searching for a folder. His lie about a non-existent project, had carved out a gap, a gap he could fill with a future truth. A man needs a project, he thought.

 

He found one of Roz’s old study files and removed the contents, stuffing them into a plastic sleeve. Found a pen and made a rough sketch for a new church hall, maybe he could persuade Mel to fund it. It was just an idea but it made him feel better about himself. He was doing something for the village, if only in theory.

 

The evening dragged on. It seemed to Simon that his wife was spending an awfully long time at Pipers Ride. What on earth is she doing? He thought. It was after eleven and it somehow felt inappropriate to him, mad even. 

 

Roz was quite tipsy when she stumbled in the front door, still laughing about something Carol had said to her in the car.

 

Simon greeted her in the hall, dismayed at her behaviour. ‘So where are you cooking utensils?’ he said.

 

She looked up, her eyes glistening. ‘They’ve been ordered,’ she said, ‘we’ll need to make space in the cupboards. I’ve ordered this big glass container with a lid for transporting trifles.’

 

‘I don’t eat trifle anymore.’

 

‘Good. The container is for transporting it to people who do eat it,' she laughed.

 

 

‘What’s so funny?’

 

‘Aaaah, just Carol, she makes me laugh. You know, she’s single now since Barry left.’

 

‘Barry who went to live in Somerset?’

 

‘Yes,  well she said, she still needs a man for when the wheel on her wheelbarrow gets flaccid. It just tickled me, that's all.’

 

Simon looked at her, unamused. ‘I’ve been waiting for ages for you to come home.’

 

Roz shook her head. ‘You knew where I was.’

 

‘And what was the host like, at Pipers Ride, the person who had this spoilt cooks party or whatever it was?’

 

Roz looked up and sighed. ‘Yes, she was nice, tall, about fifty, blonde hair, very red lipstick. I haven’t really noticed her before but she’s lived in the village for several years.’

 

‘Shameful!’

 

‘Pardon? You’re tired, Simon. Look, I thought you’d enjoy having the house to yourself!’

 

‘I did. I’ve got my project and anyway, I’m doing another ride with the cycling club on Sunday.’

 

‘Good, that’s good. You should have just gone to bed though.’

 

‘I would have but I noticed a couple of long hairs growing out of my nose earlier and I wanted you to tweeze them out.’

 

Roz checked the time. ‘No. I’m not messing about with tweezers after midnight.’