Chapter 8

They pulled up at the apartment house almost exactly at 1 PM. Jeff blatantly disregarded the parking restrictions, set the emergency lights flashing and started to unload the lorry. Cathy and Jenny took turns holding the door open and helping Jeff and in next to no time everything had been transferred to the lobby. "Better not push me luck," Jeff said. "I'll take the lorry back to Paddy - there is no chance of finding a parking spot big enough around here. See you in an 'our and an 'alf." He kissed Cathy and drove off.

The sisters were eyeing the pile of boxes and sundry furniture. Mercifully there seemed to be a lift all the way up to the penthouse, but they had no idea how to organise it - quite a few things would need two people, leaving no one to look after the rest. At that moment George walked in. Jennie flung her arms around his neck and burst out crying. George patiently patted her head while greeting a bemused Cathy over Jennie's heaving shoulders. "Hi, I'm George Sanders," he said. "You must be Cathy."

"I am. How do you do?" Cathy asked politely. Nodding in direction of her sister she added "Jennie's had a bit of a dust up with her mother this morning." Cathy wasn't sure how much George knew, so she added a diplomatic "A few things about her step father that should have been said a long time ago came out in stressful circumstances."

George nodded in complete understanding and then turned to the crying girl in his arms "Jennie my love, calm down. Everything will be fine. He can't hurt you anymore."

Cathy smiled to herself. 'His love, 'eh?' she thought. 'Very well. Very very well.' OK, so George knew what there was to know and he seemed as keen on Jennie as she obviously was on him. "I think she worries about having burned her bridges," Cathy said - then added almost scornfully "Like Dad would ever let her be without a place to stay now that he's finally found her again!"

George smiled. "Like I would either!"

Jennie raised a tear-stained grimy face to George and let herself be kissed and finally let go. And for the second time in a few hours her little sister fixed up her makeup before they started getting Jennie's things up to the penthouse.

"Let's take everything of value first," George said. "We can leave the rest down here; you need a key to get into the lobby and I am sure the other tenants are honest."

The apartment was nothing short of stunning and remarkably spacious for a penthouse. "It is still partly furnished," George said apologetically. "Feel free to use what's here. Or if you want to get rid of anything then just let me know."

"No, it's perfect," Jennie said. "I love the furniture. I don't have much; my place was small. But what I have can go in the empty spare room. Everything is lovely."

"I fear the kitchen gear isn't up to much," George said. "There's never been much cooking done here."

"That I can rectify," Jennie said. "I have a lot of stuff - I love to cook."

"Great," George said with a cheeky grin. "You can fix us lunch then. I went past the markets on the way over. I'll go get what I bought from the car on the next trip down."

They had just about gotten everything up and reassembled the furniture when Jeff showed up again. "That was good timing love," Cathy said teasingly. "We've just finished all the hard work."

Jeff grinned and let himself be taken on a guided tour by Cathy. "Listen Jennie," he said at the end. "That view over the rooftops towards the river must get boring after I while. If you ever tire of this place then just let me know..."

"You wish!" Cathy said, but Jennie just laughed.

"I'll keep you posted," she said. "Meanwhile the spare bedroom is at your disposal if you've taken my sister out for a night on the town and you find the way home too long - or if George has kept you working until late at night. Anyway, enough of that. George has bought half the markets' produce. Let's eat."

Cathy and Jeff left in the late afternoon; George lingered while Jennie carried on unpacking. He made them a cup of tea with bread and cheese around 8 since neither of them was hungry after the late and substantial lunch. Afterwards they were sitting quietly in the living area. George obviously wanted to stay but couldn't find a reason to do so. "I'd better leave you to finish the unpacking and get some rest after a long day," he said reluctantly.

"You are welcome to stay," Jennie said, then looking straight at George she added "As far as I'm concerned, you don't ever have to leave."

George went through an inner struggle. "Wednesday!" he finally mumbled, as if that one word made sense.

To Jennie it did. "As you say, Wednesday. If you stayed the night - and God knows I want you too - we might jump the gun."

"Do you think I'm crazy wanting to wait until Wednesday?" he suddenly asked.

"Honestly? No," Jennie replied. "You are who you are and I don't want you to change. If anyone or anything is crazy it's the fact we both are so completely sure we want each other. We've known each other for, what? 4 days?"

"So you mean a week and a day's courtship won't be excessive?" George asked with a grin, as he got up - although the question was seriously meant.

"Exactly - and then there'll be no lingering regrets over not living up to your own standards. Your self-esteem is worth a lot," Jennie said, following him. "To me too," she added barely over a whisper.

But George, who was putting on his shoes and jacket and was about to open the door, heard. When he turned around he looked at Jennie in a way that made her feel all shaky inside. She had never seen such hunger.

"I don't think anyone else has ever valued my self-esteem," George said with a tenderness in his voice that almost made Jennie swoon. And yet she sensed just a hint of bitterness too.

"Just as well you found me then," she said.

"Just as well!" George said with a deep sigh. He was standing very close to Jennie now. "Listen, if I start kissing you now I'll never get away from here. Good night!" He gave her a quick peck and then headed off.

"Good night George," Jennie said to the closed door. "I love you, you know."

Earlier that day Vera Banks - already reeling from Jennie's revelations - had received another shock. Harold came home drunk! Not very drunk, but smelling of beer and speaking noticeably slurred. With Vera slightly hard of hearing it didn't make for the best circumstances to have a serious conversation. And Harold was drunk enough to have decided to 'come clean'. It took quite some time before Vera realised that when Harold talked about 'being in trouble' he wasn't talking about the completely inappropriate behaviour towards his stepdaughter but rather his gambling debt. And conversely when Vera talked about his plans 'not adding up', Harold was at first unaware that she was not referring to the £100 he had to siphon out of the household money every week but rather the fact that £200 from Jennie was pie in the sky since she was no longer living with them.

The realisation sobered him up in no time. He raved and ranted about Jennie being an 'ungrateful slut'. He declared loudly that this bizarre job of hers wouldn't last and she would 'come running back with her tail between her legs'. How that was going to help was unclear - if she didn't have the job there would be no money, but before he could elaborate on this Vera echoed the same sentiment Cathy had expressed. "She won't, Harold. Her father would take care of her."

"What do you mean? I will do no such thing!" Harold said outraged

"No, but her father will," Vera repeated.

"What are you talking about woman?" Harold demanded.

"Paddy O'Brien is who I'm talking about," Vera said, speaking a name that had been taboo for many years. "Jennie has found him. One of her new colleagues is engaged to her half-sister. Lovely girl. The spitting image of Jennie."

"I forbid her seeing those people!" Harold yelled - exactly as Vera had predicted he would some hours earlier.

"You are not in a position to forbid anything Harold," Vera said quietly. "She is an adult. She can make her own choices."

Harold broke down. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know what you are going to do Harold," Vera said coldly but still quietly. "I am going to see a solicitor on Monday about a divorce. And a real-estate agent about selling the house. And my employer about going full time and a transfer to another branch - somewhere with cheaper rents than London."

"You can't!" Harold said. "What will the congregation say?"

"I couldn't care less," Vera said. "They have never given me anything but grief with their joyless suppression of everything that is nice and their endless babble about life after death. From now on I will focus on life before death, whatever is left of it. It will not involve you or them. With luck it may involve my only child, even though I've failed her miserably."