Alfie And George

Chapter Sixteen

There was a flurry of activity. Tash was finally moving into Edgar Road. She’d been living with us for well over a month now but Claire had found her a flat. It was ground floor, two bedrooms, small but with a back garden. Although her old house was far from sorted, Claire and Jonathan were helping her out. That was what friends did.

‘I just can’t see myself living there again, but I have to think of Elijah,’ Tasha had said one evening when talking about her old house.

‘Exactly,’ Jonathan had agreed. The three of them were sitting round the kitchen table, having supper and discussing Tasha’s future.‘And it makes sense to buy the idiot out of your house, rent it out and keep it as an investment.’

‘And if I rent the flat down the road, I’ll have enough to cover the rent and money left over. Although right now, when I’m still paying the mortgage and the house is empty, I’m not exactly quids in.’

‘We can help you, Tash,’ Claire had said.‘The main thing is to get a new home for Elijah and yourself, at least for a while anyway. You can see how it goes from there.’

‘You guys have been amazing.’ I had jumped up onto Tash’s lap then.‘And you, Alfie. Me and Alfie were best friends already but we’ve really bonded over heartbreak lately,’ she said with a sad smile. I rubbed my nose against her hand; we really had. But like me, Tash was slowly getting back to her old self. Not all the time, but there were glimpses, which was all we could hope for in these early days. She didn’t sleep as much as she did when she first moved in and she had stopped crying quite as often. And, most importantly, Elijah was so happy; he was as laid back as Summer was bossy.

Later that day, I was relaxing at home with George. Jonathan had gone to Tash’s old house to organise the removal, Tasha had taken Elijah to the flat to get used to it, and Claire was tidying the house. We were all going to go to Tash’s new flat later, but Claire said that Tash and Elijah needed some time to be alone. The good news was that George was allowed out properly now, as long as he was on the lead, which he didn’t seem to mind but that was because he didn’t know better. I was overprotective but I did think that Claire should let him go out with me now. I was sure he was ready, I just had to find a way of letting her know. And he would be with Tiger or myself at all times, I had already decided that would be the rule.

The doorbell rang and Claire opened the door. Polly stood on the doorstep with the children.

‘Hey, Pol, come in,’ she said, ushering everyone inside. Martha and Summer immediately ran upstairs, with George following them. He loved being spoilt, and sometimes terrorised, by the two girls. Henry wandered into the living room and started trying to put the TV on.

‘Henry, you spend all your time watching TV, go and play,’ Polly said, sighing.

‘I’m not playing with them. They’re girls!’ Henry said. I couldn’t blame him; not only were they bossy, but they liked to play dress up, and were always trying to make Henry be a princess. Polly shrugged and put the TV on for him.

‘I just don’t have the energy to argue,’ she said to Claire as they went to the kitchen. I gave Henry a bit of a snuggle and then went to the kitchen.

Claire put the kettle on and Polly sat down.

‘Are you all right, Pol? You look exhausted,’ Claire said.

‘Oh, where do you want me to start? Working full time for the first time in my life is so tiring. And then I come home and the house is a bombsite most of the time, but I’m trying not to nag Matt because he’s so miserable. I just feel like it’s all going to explode on me. The poor kids are caught in the crossfire. I mean I try not to shout at Matt, but honestly, Claire, I get home and he’s done nothing, yet he acts like he’s been run off his feet. And then he says the job hunt is taking all his time — but he’s only applied for two jobs! What on earth am I supposed to do?’ She looked terrified.

‘Hey, it’s probably just temporary, it’s a massive adjustment for both of you.’

‘I know, and I can’t tell Matt this, but I’m really enjoying my job. I feel like a grown-up again and I’m loving it much more than I thought I would. But I miss the kids. When I get home I just want to play with them, and spend some nice time with my husband, but then I have to clean up and get everything organised for the following day as well as tiptoeing around Matt. I feel like I’m doing it all.’

‘I know, honey, and you are, but I think Matt might be a bit depressed. Maybe I can get Jonathan to have a chat with him, not about anything in particular, but just to see how he is?’

‘That would be good. Maybe if Jonathan could take him out to the pub one evening?’

‘I’ll arrange it. Although I’m not saying how useful he’ll be, Jonathan doesn’t exactly do domestic very well!’

‘It’s worth a try,’ said Polly. I purred my agreement. ‘Oh, Alfie, I miss seeing you every day!’

‘Tonight, to cheer us up, we’re going to Tasha’s. Frankie’s meeting us there, she’s managed to get a babysitter, and we’re going to drink champagne and celebrate despite any misery!’

‘I’ll put some lipstick on and a smile on my face. Sorry to go on about myself when Tash is having such a hard time.’

‘Don’t be silly, everyone has problems. But I do want to make sure that the first night in the flat isn’t too awful for her.’

‘You know, it hits home, doesn’t it? I can’t imagine losing Matt and yet I feel that if we don’t do something I might.’

‘You won’t, but it does make you appreciate how lucky we are to have someone we love, even if they do drive us mad,’ Claire said, smiling.

‘I know, I just wish we could be a bit more like we used to,’ Polly sighed.‘I just want him to be happier. I wouldn’t mind the mess if he was cheerful. Well, I would, but maybe not quite so much.’

‘You’ll get there. It’s early days, honey, so just try to be patient.’

I agreed with Claire: hopefully they would get used to it soon and then everyone would be happy again. Or happier, at least. I sighed to myself — so much of life was out of our control. A bit like George, I thought, as I saw him run down the stairs wearing a big yellow hat that had slipped over his eyes. He was shaking his head wildly, which made Claire and Polly laugh, before he banged into the wall. Still chuckling, they went over to him and gently removed the hat.

‘Yowl,’ he said sadly. He seemed a bit dazed.

‘What have those girls been doing to you?’ Polly asked, giving him a cuddle. He nestled into her and was soon purring again. If only all life’s problems could be solved so simply.

Later on, we left Jonathan babysitting Summer and George as we called for Polly and made our way to Tash’s new flat. I’d told George that he was to stay home and spend time with Jonathan. When Claire saw me walking down the road next to her she smiled indulgently.

‘You probably deserve a night out,’ she said. As we walked along the street, I used the opportunity to look out for more lamppost cats. As we approached Tasha’s new flat I saw another notice. This time the picture was of a Siamese cat, who looked a bit mean but quite attractive. I stopped and peered at it.

‘Oh no,’ Claire said. ‘Another missing cat.’

‘Don’t you think there’s been a few more than usual lately?’ Polly asked.

‘I guess. I mean, that’s what Heather and Vic were saying anyway but I just don’t know … As Jonathan says, it’s London and cats do go missing here or get run over.’ She shuddered. ‘Not Alfie and George though, thank goodness.’

‘I don’t know. I mean I know Heather and Vic are a pain but I do wonder if there’s something in what they’ve been saying,’ Polly said.

I felt a bit relieved. Vic and Heather were terrors but if anyone was going to get to the bottom of the mystery of the lamppost cats, then I was sure it would be them — after all, they were very good at poking their noses into other people’s business.

We stood on Tash’s doorstep. Claire and Polly were clutching bottles of champagne and snacks, and Polly looked much better than she had earlier in the day. She really had put on some lipstick and a smile, just as she’d said she would. When Tash opened the door, the flat immediately reminded me of when I first met Polly and Matt. It wasn’t their old flat, but it was almost identical in layout. I walked in and rubbed Tash’s legs.

‘You OK?’ Claire asked as they followed Tash into the small kitchen.

‘Well, it’s weird being here, but Elijah seems fine. He went to bed without any fuss, he’s such a good boy.’

‘Yeah, you lucked out with that one, the easiest child ever,’ Claire said.

‘Well, maybe compared to our girls,’ Polly laughed. ‘And actually he’s far more laid back than Henry too.’

‘He gets his laid-back nature from his father, let’s hope he hasn’t picked up his gutless bad points too … Sorry, I didn’t mean to start with a moan.’ A flash of anger crossed Tash’s face. Claire hugged her.

‘Hey, you moan away.’

‘And in the meantime I’m opening the champers,’ Polly said. ‘I could do with a drink! Glasses?’ As Tash opened a kitchen cupboard and located the glasses, Polly opened the champagne.

‘You’re pretty organised already,’ Claire said.

‘Well, thanks to your Jonathan. It’s much smaller here so we only took what we needed. I managed to unpack most of it while Elijah was napping,’ Tash explained.

‘Can I ask? What about Dave?’ Polly asked, cringing a bit. ‘I mean, does he know about the move?’

‘I haven’t told him yet. Anyway, he’s already moved in with his other woman. He said he’s living with his mum but when she called me about seeing Elijah she let it slip.’

‘So you’re on good terms with his mum?’ Polly asked.

‘Yes, she’s furious with him. We’ve always got on well and I’ve said that she can see her grandson whenever she wants. But then what about this woman?’ She burst into tears. ‘I’m sorry, but I still can’t bear the idea of another woman around my baby.’ As Claire comforted her, the doorbell went. Polly opened it and came back with Franceska.

‘Oh, Tasha,’ Franceska said. She was carrying bags filled with food from the restaurant. I was worried and upset for Tash but I was almost distracted by the smell of sardines. I had to shake my head to focus as I rubbed against Tash’s legs.

‘Men!’ Polly said, handing everyone a glass of champagne. ‘I’m not suggesting we toast them because, let’s face it, at the moment none of us are one hundred per cent happy, so maybe we toast against them?’

‘Don’t get me started,’ Franceska said, looking upset. Oh no, not her too!

‘What’s up, Frankie?’ Polly asked, concerned.

‘No, not tonight. We’re celebrating Tasha’s new flat, so back to the toast.’

‘God, I’m happy to toast against men,’ Tash said, trying to laugh as she took a sip.‘And hey, at least you guys can count your blessings, none of your men are in any way, shape or form as awful as Dave.’

‘I guess we can drink to that?’ Franceska said uncertainly, and they all laughed.

I tucked into my sardines with relish. It was certainly nice having a night out and not having to take care of George, although I missed him and worried about him too. I just hoped Jonathan was taking good care of him. The women all seemed to be having a good time now, after a rocky start. Men had become a banned topic and so they chatted instead about Polly’s new job, Claire’s adoption plans, Franceska and Tomasz’s new restaurant and Tash’s idea about how to make the flat her own. As Polly promised to help her with the interior, they all settled into easy chatter, and lots of laughter, which grew louder as more champagne was drunk. It seemed they were emptying the bottles at an alarming rate, which was OK because at least no one was crying.

Later that night, they all kissed Tash goodbye, Franceska got into a taxi to take her home and Claire and Polly staggered down the road with me. Neither of them seemed to be able to walk in a straight line, so I had to keep dodging them to make sure I wasn’t stepped on. When we got in I ran upstairs to find George fast asleep in my bed. I felt a surge of relief, followed by a rush of love as I snuggled down next to him. I drifted off to sleep cuddling my kitten, feeling glad that, for tonight at least, the women were all happy again — or at least happier than they had been lately.