‘How much?’ I was interested. Her place was nice, and I would have my own bedroom. Yes, I’d end up listening to her bed rocking, and she was always telling us about her conquests. Which I imagine was the reason the boys might have left for their place. Then again, I would be free to bring someone back, be independent.
‘Three hundred and fifty a month plus normal running expense.’
‘I’m in. Deposit?’
‘Same, but will need it soon as the boys took theirs out, leaving me in the red.’
‘Can you give me a week?’ I shot a look at the police tape as we stopped outside my neighbour’s house. I went to continue; she was holding up a hand.
‘No problem.’
I got out and watched her drive away before I knocked on the door, forgetting Mrs Brown had given me a key.
I sat at a kitchen table as Mrs Brown hovered over me.
‘How was it with your friends? Did they cheer you up?’
I nodded, ‘Yes,’ I agreed. I didn’t tell her I had felt uncomfortable, awkward. Like all the emotions of the last few months had sucked the energy from my body.
‘I noticed the press have gone.’
‘I told them you were staying with friends, so there was no point in them hanging around.’
‘Oh, I thought...’
‘Don’t you worry. You can stay here as long as you like.’ She stooped and whispered, ‘Just a little white lie, so the newspaper people would leave you alone. Now can I get you something to eat, or have you eaten?’ The sudden thought creased her brow. And I knew she had been waiting to feed me. I shook my head, and her face lit up. So far, I couldn’t see any signs of trauma in her. Then, to be honest, I didn’t know her well enough to recognise it even though she had lived next door all my life.
Fussing around me, she placed a fish salad on the table.
‘I hope you don’t mind cold; I didn’t know what time you would be back. I could always fry a few chips.’ She let that hang, and I realised she was waiting for a response.
‘Nah, be fine, thank you.’
‘I hope the fish is alright. Your dad didn’t seem to know if you were veggie, and he didn’t know what a vegan was,’ she grinned. ‘He thought it was a religion.’
I laughed; it sounded about right.
‘I told your dad you saved my life,’ she said. ‘Though, I didn’t say that awful man was waiting for him. I hope you don’t mind; thought I’d leave it to you.’
‘Best not tell him at all,’ I said.
‘My lips are sealed,’ she agreed. ‘The police shouldn’t have taken you off like that. I told them you had to shoot that man to stop him from killing your family. It’s in my statement, every word.’
In fact, she told everyone. I would have told her the police only wanted a statement. I hadn’t been under arrest. Not dragged off in cuffs. DI Hampton had been sweet to me. Suppose though it’s part of his job.
‘If you hadn’t got the gun and shot him, he would have killed us both, no doubt about that.’ She went on sitting opposite me and crossing her arms as if anybody would dare contradict her. I nodded with a mouthful of fish. Until then, I hadn’t realised how hungry I was. I warmed to Mrs Brown, now insisting I called her Janet.
‘And I would be happy for you to call me Kim, as I don’t like Kimberly.’
‘Okay, but Kimberly is such a lovely name. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.’
I was definitely warming to her. Looking at her, her round face with its wrinkles was kind. The lines caused by laughter, and I thought now she was younger than dad. Her hair silver bobbed around her face. Catching me checking her out, she put a hand to her grey locks, all embarrassed.
‘Bit untidy,’ she blushed.
‘If you like, I can give your hair a trim and a bit of shaping.’
‘Would you do that for me?’
I didn’t mind admitting I felt ashamed of the way I had treated her. I nodded.
‘Tomorrow, if it suits you. I have my tools… Oh, that’s if I can get them from the house.’
She winked at me. ‘We could sneak in through the back.’
‘Why, Mrs Brown!’ I fake shock, and she laughed.
When dad finally came back from the pub, I wanted to escape to a bedroom, but I took a long bath instead since my bedroom was the sofa. Mrs Brown told me she had put dad in the spare room to spare my blushes if he shared with her. I had assumed he would. It amused me as the image of Mrs Brown sitting on my dad bouncing up and down flashed in my memory, but I appreciated the thought.
‘What?’
‘Nothing,’ I murmured, as dad caught me staring at him. I was thinking about how comfortable he looked in the armchair with Mrs Brown fussing over him. How long had this thing between them been going on? And he was kind of taking her for granted. A little outraged for our neighbour, I decided to have a word with him at some point. Tell him a bunch of flowers, a box of chocolates wouldn’t go amiss for her.
It was another two days before we got back into
