The Ties That Bind by Moira Gee

The family had been through a lot, but things were finally looking up . . .

SEE you tomorrow,” Evelyn said wearily, heading for the door of the staff changing-room. Her words were met with a collective groan from her colleagues.

“I don’t know if you will, to be honest. I don’t think I can face another day like today.”

Evelyn looked back at them all. Three different women, three different age groups, backgrounds and ethnicities.

Yet when she was here working with them and they were all pulling together as a team, she could honestly say that she felt closer to these people than to anyone else in the world.

They relied on each other for everything to run smoothly.

When things didn’t run smoothly, they needed each other’s support even more.

“Don’t say that. What would I do without you?” she asked, trying to bolster their enthusiasm, although it wasn’t easy at the end of a long, late shift.

“I know we’re all exhausted,” Evelyn went on. “But I don’t know what I’d do without you three in my life.”

Tired as they were, they all found the energy to share a group hug.

“Now go home, Evelyn, you’ll have us in tears.” Evelyn laughed.

“See you tomorrow?” she asked pointedly.

“All right. Now, off you go.”

At least the smiles had returned, Evelyn thought as she left them.

She rolled her tired shoulders as the lift whisked her down to the main reception area.

It was always warm in the hospital and she was looking forward to breathing in some fresh air.

It had been a tiring shift and a number of the team had felt their patience stretching a little, but she knew she wouldn’t want any other career.

As she made her way to the bus stop, Evelyn’s thoughts were on a long soak in the bath, followed by a plate of buttered toast and a hot chocolate.

“Evelyn? Evelyn, hello!” she heard a voice shout.

She turned and her heart sank when she recognised Phil coming towards her through the fading light.

“What are you doing here, Phil?” She hoped her voice didn’t betray her exasperation.

She didn’t want hostility between herself and Phil, but she’d been making a conscious effort lately to keep away from him as much as possible.

It seemed the best thing to do, for his sake.

“I was waiting for you,” Phil said.

There was a wide smile on his face which worried her, as she remembered his old mood swings.

“Do you have time for a chat?” he asked.

“Um . . . my bus is due soon. And I’m pretty tired, to be honest.” Evelyn hoped he would take the hint.

“It won’t take long. I would have called, but . . .”

But you knew I might not answer.

“Please, Evelyn, I’m not going to argue or cause any trouble,” Phil assured her. “I have something to tell you. I think you’ll be pleased – and relieved.”

Evelyn hesitated, seeing her bus approaching.

“They’re every ten minutes,” Phil pointed out. “Come and have a cup of tea with me. Half an hour – that’s all I ask.”

A cup of tea did sound tempting so Evelyn agreed.

A few minutes later, they were sitting at a small table with a pot of tea for two and a couple of chocolate eclairs in front of them.

Phil knew her weakness for them and she smiled gratefully.

“It’s good to see you, Ev.” “You said there’s something you want to tell me?” Evelyn prompted.

“Yes, there is. But first I want to apologise.” “Apologise? What for?” Phil took a deep breath. “For all the time I spent trying to cling on to our marriage instead of admitting it was over.” He smiled ruefully. “You were right. I was wrong.”

Evelyn was surprised. She could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times she’d heard Phil admitting he was wrong.

“I could have made things a lot easier for both of us,” he added. “I’m sorry.”

Evelyn could see that he was genuinely contrite and her heart softened.

Phil might have driven her mad for the past few years, and especially in recent months, but they had loved each other once and she didn’t wish him any harm.

“I understand, Phil. You weren’t in a good place.” She smiled encouragingly. “But you’re well on the way to recovery now.”

“I don’t blame you for stopping coming round to my house,” Phil went on. “I can see that I wasn’t much company.”

“No, Phil, it wasn’t that. I just didn’t think it was fair to you.” She laid her hand on his arm.

“You’d been under so much stress for years. You needed to recover. By going round all the time, all I was doing was giving you false hope. It wasn’t fair.

“It wasn’t that I didn’t care. Really, it wasn’t. I was trying to help.”

“Thanks, Ev. That means a lot.” He smiled at her and she was pleased there was still a bond between them.

“Now, here’s the thing I wanted to tell you.” Phil clasped his hands together and leaned forward eagerly.

“I’ve decided to take voluntary redundancy and I’m planning on starting up my own business.”

“Wow! Really?” Evelyn was both surprised and delighted. “Doing what?”

“Gardening. I’ve been doing a couple of gardens round my neighbourhood already and Mrs Canning beside you wants me to do hers, too, so I’m off to a good start.”

Phil’s eyes shone with enthusiasm.

“That’s great, Phil. You’ll be much happier – oh, I know of someone else, too. I’m sure Lynda would like you to do hers, if you’re interested.”

“That’s brilliant. I haven’t even started up properly yet!” Phil looked delighted and continued talking enthusiastically.

“I’ve been to a couple of ‘back to work’ seminars and getting advice about business start-ups. It’s been really interesting.

“I’ll be able to buy a van and some new tools with my redundancy package and I’ve asked Janie to design a logo.”

“That’s good. I’m really pleased for you, Phil.”

“Thanks. I’m looking forward to it.” Phil swallowed the last of his tea. “And what about you, Evelyn? Are you glad you went back to nursing?”

“I love it – even when it’s difficult.”

“I’m glad. It makes such a difference to be happy in your work. I should know.”

“I’m glad things are working out for you, Phil. It was good to see you.” Evelyn unhooked her bag from the back of her chair.

“Thanks for letting me speak, Evelyn,” Phil said. “I’ll walk you to the stop.”

The air was much cooler when they stepped outside, and Evelyn shivered.

“So what’s next on your agenda?” she asked to fill in the time till the bus arrived.

“As soon as I get in, I’ll check to see if Janie’s sent me any logo ideas. She’s been great, Evelyn.

“We’ve been in touch a lot more since I asked for her advice about this.”

A wave of sadness washed over Evelyn. Phil noticed how her face fell.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Ev. I thought she’d have been in touch with you by now. I told her she should.”

“Well, that’s possibly one of the reasons she hasn’t,” Evelyn replied, resigned.

One thing Janie had in common with her father when she was angry was a tendency to do the opposite of what people asked of her.

“Do you want me to speak to her again?” Phil offered.

“It’s OK. I’m sure she’ll

“I’m planning on starting up my own business”

come round in time,” Evelyn said, wishing she believed it.

Janie was well known for her stubbornness, so if she made up her mind to stay angry, there wasn’t a lot anyone could do about it.

Nevertheless, Evelyn was broken-hearted. Janie was still her daughter and she loved her. Missed her. She sighed.

“It was all so stupid.” “Most arguments are, when it comes down to it,” Phil replied, surprising her.

“Here’s my bus,” Evelyn said thankfully. “I’ll see you later, Phil.”

“OK. I’ll –”

“Phil? I thought it was you.” A woman walking past with a small dog stopped beside him.

Phil looked blankly at her.

“I’m Frances,” the stranger said, and Evelyn couldn’t fail to notice the warmth in her smile. “We met at the ‘back to work’ seminar last week.”

“Oh, yes, of course,” Phil said politely. “Nice to see you.”

“And you.” Evelyn saw the momentary flick of the newcomer’s eyes in her direction and realised that she was considered the gooseberry here.

Fortunately, the bus pulled up and Evelyn hopped on without delay.

“Goodnight, Phil. Take care,” she called.

As the bus moved away, she saw Phil and Frances continuing to walk together.

Evelyn suppressed a giggle. She’d no idea how well they knew each other, but

Frances was obviously interested in Phil. Whether or not he realised it, Evelyn couldn’t really tell, but it was liberating to discover how little she actually cared.

For some reason, the shop wasn’t quite as busy as usual.

Dan made the most of the chance to work at a slower pace for a while, and he was able to let his mind wander.

He’d listened to Janie’s advice and taken a break from job hunting until his disappointment had begun to fade.

It was a shame he’d missed out on the job in Bristol, but things were looking up once more.

One or two other opportunities had arisen lately and he was beginning to feel hopeful about the future again. Janie had been right about that.

Taking a step back had given him time to rethink a few things, too.

After seeing what his dad had gone through in recent months, Dan had been reassessing what was important to him.

He was beginning to think that losing out on the Bristol job wasn’t such a terrible thing after all.

He had no aversion to travelling and visiting new places, but it had occurred to him recently how much of a home bird he really was.

Would he really have been happy moving so far away?

He didn’t doubt that he would have made new friends and been able to build a new life, but if he was honest with himself, deep down he was relieved that it hadn’t come to that.

A short time later, a call came over the Tannoy asking him to help out at the tills, and he smiled when he recognised the first customer in the queue.

She was the mother of one of Janie’s friends.

“Hey, Mrs French, how are things?” he asked.

“Oh, hello, Dan. I haven’t seen you for a while. I thought you might have left,” she said.

Only a fortnight ago, Dan would have been stung by her innocent words. Now he just grinned.

“Nope, still working away here.” He glanced around surreptitiously and gave her an exaggerated wink. “For the moment.”

She laughed.

“Tell Janie I was asking for her.”

“Will do.” Dan handed over her receipt.

The final hour passed without incident and he realised it had actually been quite pleasant.

He’d got to know regular customers while working here, and most of the time he was able to keep his head down and get on with his work. It could be a lot worse.

When the shop closed, there was a chorus of goodbyes as everyone went their separate ways.

Dan was about to put his headphones in when he noticed he wasn’t the only one heading in the direction of the bus stop.

He recognised the slim girl with a neat blonde bob a few steps in front of him.

“Hi,” he said. “You’re one of the new recruits, aren’t you? How are you getting on?”

“Well, I guess the first three days have been all right.” She laughed.

“Ah. I thought you still looked happy.” Dan nodded sagely. “It’s usually the fourth day when everything goes to pot.”

They exchanged friendly grins as they reached the bus stop.

“Should be here in a couple of minutes,” he said. “I’m Dan, by the way.”

“Yes, I know,” she replied. “I’m Selina.”

She rummaged in her purse for her bus ticket and then looked at him again.

“Sorry to hear you didn’t get the job in Bristol,” she said quietly.

Dan’s eyes widened. He hadn’t told anyone at work about his interview. “How did you . . .?” “You know my brother,” Selina explained. “Seb Lockwood? He works in the pizza place that you go to.”

“Oh, yeah!” He did recall telling some of his mates in there. “I didn’t realise Seb was your brother.”

“It’s not often I admit to it.” Her mischievous smile told Dan that he’d met a kindred spirit.

They boarded the bus together, still chatting easily.

By the end of Dan’s short journey they’d exchanged phone numbers and made arrangements to meet up at the weekend.

Selina waved to him through the window as the bus drove off again, and Dan’s footsteps felt lighter as he headed homewards.

It seemed that every day he discovered another advantage to not getting that job.

As he reached the end of his street, he waved to Mrs Canning, who was standing at her front window, looking at her pristine garden with pride.

Dan grinned.

Dad’s new career was looking very promising and Dan was relieved to see how much happier he was these days.

He’d struggled for a while, but it looked as if he’d turned the corner.

His phone rang just then – it was probably Mum, checking that he was on his way home.

But it wasn’t. A voice he didn’t recognise began talking and his heart beat faster as the words drifted through his brain.

“. . . the position of Applications Engineer . . . free to attend interview on Monday? . . . Look forward to meeting . . .”

Exhilaration surging through him, he managed somehow to reply without gabbling and, seconds later, it was arranged.

He hung up and punched the air in excitement.

This was almost exactly the same kind of job he’d gone for in Bristol – the type of job he’d been searching for all these months.

The main difference was that this one was on the other side of town, not hundreds of miles away.

With a burst of energy, he broke into a run.

“Mum? You in?” he shouted excitedly as the door crashed shut behind him.

Evelyn came downstairs, wearing her comfiest baggy jumper, clearly looking forward to a well-earned evening in.

“What’s all the hullabaloo?” she asked.

“I have another interview.”

“Oh, Dan, that’s brilliant!” Evelyn’s heart sang as she saw the look of joy on her son’s face. “When? Where?”

“It’s one of the local firms I applied to last week. Monday morning.” His eyes shone with excitement.

“I’m so pleased. Have you told your dad? He’ll be chuffed, too.”

“I only heard a couple of minutes ago. I can’t believe it!” Dan picked his mother up and squeezed her.

“Put me down, you ridiculous boy!” Evelyn laughed. “Tea’s almost ready. Are you hungry?”

“Of course I’m hungry.” Dan hung up his jacket and dumped his rucksack. “Tell you what, since it’s such a special day, I’ll even set the table.”

“You’re too kind.”

Dan set the table at top speed, excitement lending him extra energy, and Evelyn listened to his chat as she checked on their meal.

Like Dan, she couldn’t help smiling. Nothing made her happier than seeing her children happy.

“The veggies need a couple more minutes,” she said, replacing the lid of the saucepan.

“OK. Fancy some juice while we’re waiting?” Dan asked, opening the fridge.

“Thanks.” Evelyn perched on a stool at the breakfast bar and flicked through the small pile of mail.

“Junk. Bill. Junk. Junk . . . oh!” The last one was a square envelope.

“This is Janie’s writing.” “Looks like a card,” Dan remarked, pouring two glasses of juice.

Evelyn hadn’t heard from Janie for weeks.

She’d tried to make contact after their row, but her daughter hadn’t been ready to talk, so she’d decided,

reluctantly, to leave her alone for a while. Now, after what seemed like an eternity, Janie had got back in touch.

Evelyn felt unexpectedly nervous as she pulled the card out of the envelope.

Inside, Janie had written,

I’m sorry, Mum. I was out of order. If you can forgive me, I’d love to talk some time. I miss you x

Tears misted Evelyn’s vision as she showed the message to Dan.

He gave her shoulders a squeeze.

“Phone her, Mum. I’ll bring the food through when it’s ready.”

“Janie? I was just about to phone you,” Phil said. “Listen, I’m just looking through all these logos you’ve sent me. They’re brilliant.”

“Oh. That’s – that’s good, Dad. Um . . .”

“You’ve done a really good job. I’m spoiled for choice. I can’t wait to see one of them on my van.

“Did I tell you I’m picking it up next week?”

“Yes, you mentioned that yesterday. Dad, the reason I phoned –”

“I can’t wait. I’ll pop down some day and take you for a spin.”

“That would be fun. Dad, I wanted to –”

“Unless I’m too busy, of course. I have some clients already and I haven’t even officially started yet.” Phil laughed. “Doesn’t that sound good? I have clients!”

Janie gave up trying to talk and laughed at her father’s boyish enthusiasm.

“You sound excited, Dad,” she remarked.

“I am! I haven’t felt this way for years.”

“Well, if you’ll keep quiet for a moment, I can give you the names of two other potential clients,” Janie teased.

“Really? Who?”

“You know my friend, Paula? Her parents are looking for a gardener for her gran.

“And Carol French’s mum wants someone to sort out her rockery or something.

“Should I text them your number? I thought I should run it by you first.”

“Of course. Yes, you do that, Janie. Thanks.” Phil sounded giddy. “Things are moving fast.

“I’d better get on with choosing this logo.”

“Take your time deciding, Dad. You want to make sure you pick one that gives the right message,” Janie advised.

“Once you’ve chosen it, I can make up a flyer for you, too,” she added. “You can get some run off and find a firm who’ll deliver them for you.”

“Brilliant. Right, I’ll get on with it. OK, Janie, thanks, I’ll speak to you soon.”

“Dad, wait! I phoned you, remember?” Janie sounded exasperated.

“Sorry, sweetheart. I’m getting a bit carried away.”

“I noticed. Honestly, Dad, you’re such a steamroller at times – you just rant on and on and don’t pay any attention to what other people are trying to say.”

Phil had a sudden sense of déjà vu.

“You’re right. I’ve been told that before.” This wasn’t the first time Janie had unconsciously echoed her mother’s words to him.

“Well, it’s time you listened,” Janie said. “You just get an idea into your head and you won’t be budged.”

Phil felt his lips curving upwards in amusement. “Dad? Are you there?” “Yes. I was just thinking that it takes one to know one.”

“Dad!”

“Come on, Janie, you have to admit we are a bit alike at times. Your mum always said so.”

“Yeah, well, maybe,” Janie conceded.

Phil switched off his computer.

“OK. I’m listening. What did you want to ask your old dad? You’re not after a handout, are you?”

“Of course not.” Janie tutted. “I was just wondering if I could come and stay with you this weekend? I haven’t been in Inverness for ages.”

“No, you haven’t, have you?” His heart sank a little as he remembered the reason for that.

He didn’t like the thought of Janie being estranged from Evelyn.

“Would it be all right?” “You’ve never stayed with me before,” Phil pointed out.

“I know. I’ve never even seen your flat. But Dan says you have a spare room, so it wouldn’t be a problem, would it?”

“Not for me, but . . .” “But what?

“Well, you know I’d love to have you, but it might not be very tactful,” he said desperately. “I don’t want to cause trouble between you and your mum.”

“What do you mean? Why should it?” Janie sounded genuinely surprised.

“Janie, look at it from her point of view. You stormed out months ago and you haven’t spoken to her since.

“Surely you can see how it might upset her if the first time you come back, you stay with me instead of trying to make things up with her?”

“Oh, it’s all right,” Janie said airily. “Mum and I are fine now.”

“What? Since when?” “I apologised to her and we had a long talk over the phone. It’s OK, Dad, really.”

“So why aren’t you staying with her?” he asked, dazed.

“Don’t you want me?” “Of course I do. It’s just that – well, she has more room, for a start,” he pointed out, knowing how much clutter his daughter always had with her.

“Plus, it’s your home, and it might be nice to spend some time with her now that you’ve made up.”

“Oh, I asked, but she’s working all weekend. Besides, I’m meeting Paula on Saturday afternoon and we’re going out to a party that night.” Janie chuckled.

“You won’t see much of me at all, to be honest.”

Phil was nonplussed as Janie chattered blithely on.

“I told Mum I’d pop round on Sunday after she finishes work. I’ll catch the later train back to Stirling.

“Is it OK with you, Dad? Can I stay?” Janie asked again.

“Y-yes, of course,” he managed at last.

“Cool. OK, got to dash. See you Friday night!”

The phone went dead and Phil was left staring at the blank screen, bemused.

He’d come through so much over the past few months.

He’d learned a lot about his illness and the underlying causes.

He’d learned about recovery, about starting again.

He’d acknowledged the mistakes he and Evelyn had made and had learned how to move on from them. He chuckled to himself. There was no doubt that he understood so much more these days, yet he didn’t think he’d ever understand his daughter.

“Come in, Evelyn. Sit down.” Christine Bellamy smiled when Evelyn went into her office.

“Thanks for seeing me, Chris.”

“I’m surprised to see you in here on your day off. I assume this means it’s something important?”

“It is. I wanted to make sure we had time to discuss it properly,” Evelyn said. “What can I do for you?” “First of all, I’m sorry I was a bit off my game for a while. But believe it or not, it’s helped me to reach my decision.”

“I’m all ears.”

So Evelyn confided in her boss, telling her all about Phil’s troubles with stress and how she’d been trying to help him.

“You’ve had a lot on your plate,” Christine replied. “But things are easing off now, are they?”

“It’s been a slow process, but Phil’s managed to turn things around at last.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Sounds like you’ve had a tough time.”

“It’s been a difficult time for the family,” Evelyn acknowledged, “but everything’s back on track now. Touch wood.

“I shouldn’t say that, should I? Life has a way of tripping you up, doesn’t it?”

“It has.” Christine laughed softly. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re feeling more like

yourself, Evelyn. You seem a lot more relaxed.”

“I am. I’m able to focus now, and my experience with Phil has helped me reach a decision about my future career path.”

Evelyn’s smile was confident and happy once more.

“I want to study mental health nursing.”

“Good. I’m glad you’ve reached a decision.” Christine nodded.

“But I’m sure you realise that’s not an easy option,” she continued in a serious tone.

“I’m ready for it. I’ve been researching it and there are a lot of online modules I can do.” Evelyn paused. “It feels like the right decision.”

“You’re more than capable, Evelyn, and I’ll support you in every way that I can.” Christine gave an encouraging smile.

As they continued their discussion, Evelyn felt a surge of energy and new-found confidence.

When she left Christine’s office she felt better about herself and her life than she had for a very long time.

She walked along the corridor, mulling everything over.

She’d done her best for her family throughout good and bad times. She and Phil were on amicable terms, Dan wasn’t moving far away and she and Janie had made up their differences.

Now she was about to embark on a valuable new stage of her nursing career. What more could she ask for?

“Evelyn? Is that you?” Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice that seemed vaguely familiar.

She stopped and turned to see a man in a white coat hurrying to catch up with her.

A curly-haired man with a pleasant smile and blue, blue eyes.

“Hi. Remember me? Alex, from the quiz night?”

As soon as their eyes met, Evelyn remembered Alex extremely well.

“Alex! Of course. Good to see you.”

“You, too,” he said with a smile.

She’d forgotten what that smile did to her.

“Um . . . do you work here?” she asked.

“I’m a lab technician,” he explained. “And you . . .?”

“I’m a nurse. Day off, but I’ve just been in seeing my boss.”

“That’s dedication,” Alex replied, his eyes twinkling.

“Well, maybe . . . um . . .” Evelyn could kick herself for stumbling over her words.

What had happened to the confidence that had been coursing through her veins only moments ago? And that woman who was in complete control of everything in her life?

More to the point, why wasn’t she listening to what Alex was saying?

“Sorry? Um . . . did you say something? I mean, what did you say?” He smiled again.

“I said I’m just going to hang up my coat and that’s me finished for the day.” “Oh. Err – that’s nice.” “How about you?” “Me? Oh, I’m finished – I mean, I didn’t start. Like I said, it’s my day off.” She wished she could remember how to talk like a normal person.

“Yes, so you did.” He paused. “Is somebody waiting for you? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Evelyn guessed what he was really asking and felt heat rising in her cheeks.

“No. I haven’t got a ‘somebody’,” she replied, and couldn’t help noticing how his eyes lit up.

“Well, that’s handy.” He smiled. “I was going to pick up something to eat on my way home, but perhaps we could go out for tea together instead?”

“Tea? Together?” she repeated stupidly.

“Together. Tea. Out,” he said, chuckling. “If you like.” Evelyn swallowed hard. “That would be lovely,” she managed to say.

“Great. Give me five minutes.” His blue eyes sparkled. “Meet you down in reception?”

Alex brushed Evelyn’s fingers with his own and, all of a sudden, she felt all the pieces of her life falling into place.

The End.