Minding Frankie - Maeve Binchy [49]
Emily found a dark-brown trouser suit in the thrift shop and asked Lisa to try it on. It fit her well enough.
“I have only forty euros to see me through today,” Lisa said apologetically, “and I may need a taxi to take my things out of my parents’ home.”
“That’s all right. You can pay for it by working, can’t you?” Emily saw few problems.
“Working?” Lisa asked, bemused.
“Well, you could help me out today. For now, we need to feed Frankie and change her and take her to the clinic. Then you could come with me while I pop into the medical center and later we could walk down St. Jarlath’s Crescent, where I look after the gardens, and you could walk the pram around if baby Frankie gets bored. That would be a good day’s work and would well cover the cost of that trouser suit.”
“But I have to collect my things,” Lisa pleaded. “And find somewhere to live.”
“We have all day to think about that,” Emily said calmly.
And the day began.
Lisa had never met so many people in one working day. She, who worked alone at her desk tinkering with drawings and designs for Anton, often these days spent hours without talking to another human being. Emily Lynch lived a different life.
When Frankie was fed and changed, they moved to the health clinic, where Frankie was weighed and pronounced very satisfactory. There had been an appointment to see Moira, but when they arrived they heard that she had been called away on an emergency.
“That poor woman’s life must be one long emergency.” Emily was sympathetic instead of being annoyed that she had just made a totally unnecessary visit to the social worker’s office. Then it was up to the doctors’ practice, where Emily collected a sheaf of papers and spoke pleasantly to the doctors.
“This is Lisa. She’s helping me today.” They all nodded at her acceptingly. No other explanations. It was very restful indeed.
Frankie was a pretty baby, Lisa thought. Hard work, of course, but babies were, weren’t they? Or at least they were supposed to be. She didn’t suppose she or Katie had ever got half the attention this one was getting.
Emily had left a parcel for Dr. Hat, who was expected in shortly. He did a day’s locum work at the doctor’s offices each week. Emily had discovered that he couldn’t cook and didn’t seem anxious to learn, so she always left a portion of whatever she and Noel had cooked the night before. Today it was a smoked cod, egg and spinach pie, plus instructions on how to reheat it.
“Only meal that Hat eats in the week, apparently,” Emily said disapprovingly.
“Hat?”
“Yes, that’s his name.”
“What’s it short for?” Lisa was curious.
“Never asked. I think it’s because he seems to wear a hat day and night,” Emily said.
“Night?” Lisa asked, with a sort of a laugh.
“Well, I have no way of knowing that.” Emily looked at her with interest and Lisa realized that this was the first time today she had allowed herself to relax enough to smile, let alone laugh. She had been like a clenched fist, unable to think about the only family she had known and the only man she had ever loved.
“Right. Where to now?” Lisa was determined to keep cheerful.
“The market and then St. Jarlath’s Crescent. We’ll give Frankie to her grandmother for a couple of hours, then I can make a start on this paperwork. I’ll ask Dingo Duggan to drive you up to collect your things. He can use the thrift shop van.”
“Hey, wait a minute, Emily, not so fast. I haven’t found anywhere to go yet.”
“Oh, you’ll find somewhere.” Emily was very confident of this. “You don’t want to delay once you make a decision like this.”
“But you don’t know how bad things are,” Lisa said.
“I do,” Emily said.
“How do you know? I didn’t even tell Noel.”
“It must have been something very bad for you to come to Chestnut Court in the middle of the night,” Emily