Chapter 4

Both Susan and Victor realised in their different ways that their relationship had taken a step forward. Susan felt attracted to the man but was wary of committing herself beyond friendship. Victor felt he was falling in love with her, but thought that it was hardly likely that she would reciprocate his feelings. Each of them decided privately to keep things very cool and platonic.

However, this did not prevent Susan accepting a regular Friday evening date with Victor, bringing the children with her. She was impressed that he took such time with Gail, and that he asked to learn to change the baby, and to feed him. It rang some warning bells in her that he was really trying to ingratiate himself with her, but over time she realised that he genuinely loved the children.

After a while she insisted that sometimes she should cook for him, and so it came about that he would visit her in her flat on Wednesdays. On Sundays when the weather was fine, she would invite him to join them on a visit to the park, where Gail played happily with other children while they watched.

Susan was glad of his company, for he was the only person she knew and trusted. For all this they both kept the relationship on a friendship level. Each time they parted they would kiss cheeks and no more.

He noticed that she would struggle to bring the shopping from the supermarket on the bus with the children, and on finding she had a driving licence, put her on his insurance and lent her the car, fitting it with car seats and restraints for the children on the back seat. Susan was overcome by his generosity and said so, but he told he he liked sharing his things.

It was on the second of Victor’s monthly meetings with George since giving Susan the job that they discussed her performance as concierge. George noted that Victor’s profits had dropped somewhat, but that the building was so well run that owners paid their service charges on time, and nearly all of the tenants kept rents up to date, all of which saved money. Victor did not care about the drop in profits – he had all the money he’d ever need, and he was making more all the time from other investments, rented houses and the other blocks of flats.

George then broached the subject of expanding Susan’s brief to include initially the other block on the site. The woman in George’s office who managed the staff at the blocks had left and there was a vacancy.

Victor wondered if she could also cope with four other blocks further away. There was the problem of the children. They decided George would put it to her and take it from there.

“In that case,” said Victor, “You can now take her over as your employee, and pay her out of the commission I pay you! I want to be clear of her now she’s settled and doing so well.”

George agreed.

So it was that a day later Victor was roused from an afternoon nap by a knock at the door. It was a very confused Susan.

“Can I talk with you Victor?” she began breathlessly.

“Why, yes. Where are the children?”

“At home.”

“Let’s go down then. Best not to leave them alone too long.”

Once again she was impressed with his immediate response and his concern for her children’s welfare.

They descended to her flat and sat in the living room. The baby was sleeping and Gail was playing in a corner of the room.

“I’ve been offered promotion.” Susan said, and waited for his reaction.

“Congratulations. But you aren’t happy, what’s wrong?”

“Mr Corrigan wants me to manage another five blocks of flats belonging to the landlord of this one. He’s offered me a big rise and a company car, but I don’t know if I can cope.”

Victor was silent for a long moment. He knew she had the ability, but he wanted her to think he was assessing the situation.

“You would have to get someone else do the cleaning here, but apart from that, from what I know of you, you’ll have no problem. Just carry forward what you’ve done here to the others. Is it the children you’re worried about?”

She looked relieved at his confidence in her.

“Gail has been begging to go to nursery school. Some of her Sunday friends go, and she wants to go too. I’ve made enquiries and there is a vacancy for her, and,” here she smiled broadly, “now I can afford to send her! Carl can come with me when I have to visit the other blocks.”

“If you are delayed, you can always call on me to pick her up, you know,” offered Victor. “My life is flexible enough to do that at a moment’s notice, and she knows me. And now you’ve trained me, I can look after Carl if you need me to.”

Susan’s heart swelled with love for this man. “Sometimes I think you’re too good to be true!” she said, thanking him for all he had already done and for what he was prepared to do for her and the children.

As Victor expected, she handled the work with little difficulty and showed herself to be an effective manager of the other staff. There was a rapid improvement in the service the flats received and she seemed to be able to motivate the caretakers. The two she could not motivate, she discovered an ability to remove, and a skill in appointing people with better attitudes.

From the downtrodden girl he had met for the first time, she had been transformed into a very self-reliant and assured woman. She delegated the cleaning of her block to Gladys who did the next door block and who was glad of the extra pay, but she kept on with the cleaning of Victor’s flat. Gail loved nursery and scarcely looked back at Susan as she ran in on her first day.

Victor was not called upon very often to pick Gail up from nursery, but he enjoyed the opportunities he was given. So life evolved into a new pattern.

Victor had mentioned to her a number of times that now she had the company car, she should take some time to visit her relatives further south, and look up some friends at the same time, but she demurred, worrying about the job while she was away.