When I arrived in Vancouver, I was glad I was able to walk away from her. Amazingly, my suitcase was one of the first off the carousel and I made my way to the exit. Almost immediately, I saw a sign with my name on it. The driver was in a smart uniform and when we left the building he donned a smart cap.
It was almost forty minutes before we pulled up outside a two storey property with a driveway leading to a double garage. There were two trees in front of the house. It looked impressive. As I stepped out of the car, the door opened and Oliver came out. He looked worn.
“Lovely to see you,” he said as he kissed me on the cheeks. “Did you have a good journey?”
“You look dreadful,” I said. I couldn’t help it. The words just came out. He looked drawn and haggard, tired and dishevelled. He needed a haircut and clean clothes that had been ironed. “Thank goodness I’m here.” He smiled awkwardly.
“If you think I look dreadful, prepare yourself to see Eleanor. She used to be a beautiful woman.” He tipped the driver and ushered me inside. “Eleanor is in her room, sleeping. The boys are in their room. They are supposed to be doing homework, but very little gets done these days. Their teachers are being very lenient. I’ll introduce you to them all later. I’ve talked non-stop about you, but I’ve no idea how much notice they’ve taken. They don’t take much notice of anything at present.”
He had taken my suitcase and carried it upstairs. I followed, anxious to know what sleeping arrangements had been made. “This is your room,” he told me as he opened a door and deposited the case on the large double bed. You have your own bathroom, and most of the wardrobe space. I’m afraid some of my things are still in the wardrobe. The boys are sharing a room again. They have bunk beds, but most of Chuck’s clothes are still in his room, which is temporarily my room.”
“You shouldn’t have upset the boy’s arrangements. I could sleep on the floor somewhere. Like Cinderella, in front of the fire,” I joked. “Are they upset about having to share a room again?”
“Nothing seems to matter to them at present. They are like zombies at times. Anyway, you could never be like Cinderella; there are no ugly sisters. Just a poor version of Buttons. Now, let me show you round the house.” Oliver pointed out the different rooms on the first floor and then we went downstairs. There was a large lounge, a decent sized kitchen with a walk-in pantry and a fridge-freezer at least three times the size of my fridge-freezer at home, a utility room with a massive dish-washer, washing machine and tumble drier, a second sink, several cupboards and a toilet. I looked into each cupboard so I knew what was where when I needed it. There was also a door to the garage. Out back there was at least an acre of land with fruit trees. It was indeed an impressive property.
Oliver explained that they were very much on the outskirts of Vancouver. Property in the city was mostly high rise as land was so expensive. Also, Harold had a well paid job and they had bought the house several years ago when prices were less expensive.
I said I needed to wash and change after the journey and I wandered upstairs to my room. I quickly unpacked and hung my clothes up. The bathroom wasn’t big, but it had a shower, toilet and wash basin. Half an hour later I was back downstairs again.
“What do you think needs doing first?” I asked.
“No, no,” Oliver insisted. “You’ve had a long flight. You must be tired. Have a rest today and start work tomorrow.”
“Right now,” I told him, “I feel a need to get started. What are you planning to eat tonight? I could get started on that.”
“Sausages and beans and fries, sorry, chips,” he replied sheepishly. It’s our staple meal.”
“In that case, let me look in the fridge, freezer and pantry and see if we can have something a little different.” There was very little in the fridge besides a large packet of sausages and some eggs. I would need to do some shopping, and soon. The freezer was more productive. There were numerous packs of steak, ready meals, chicken, fruit and vegetables and ice cream. There was food there for another day. It would take too long to defrost.
The pantry was also well stocked. I decided I could make something from the ingredients available in the fridge and the pantry. I decided to make a toad-in-the-hole. It was still sausages and chips but Oliver said he hadn’t thought of making it.
The food was cooking in the oven when Oliver brought the boys into the kitchen. “Boy’s I’d like you to meet Rusty. She’s the friend I’ve been telling you about. Rusty, this is Chuck and this is Frank.” Neither boy seemed all that interested in meeting me. Their eyes were black from lack of sleep.
“I’ll be doing the cooking from now on,” I told them. “What are your favourite meals?” Neither spoke. “Do you like steak? Chicken? Burgers?” Nothing seemed to catch their interest until I mentioned burgers. Almost imperceptibly, Chuck nodded. “Well, I promise you we will have burgers tomorrow. What do you like in them? Lettuce? Tomato? Relish? Onions? Mayonnaise? Sauce?”
“I don’t like onions,” Frank said very quietly.
“In that case, you needn’t have onions,” I told him.
“I do,” Chuck said, with only very slightly more emphasis.
“Well, I’ll do some of everything and you can put what you want in your burger. Do you like Ice cream?” They both nodded. “What flavours do you like best? Let’s see what we have in the freezer, shall we?” It was hard going, but it could have been a lot worse. There were several cartons of ice cream. Chuck wanted the peppermint chocolate and Frank wanted the strawberry cheese cake flavour. There wasn’t anything that Oliver liked. “We’ll find something for you tomorrow,” I told him.
Oliver had told me to prepare myself for seeing Eleanor, but nothing could have prepared me properly. She looked an absolute mess. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face was drawn and her hair looked as if it hadn’t been washed for a good many days. It probably hadn’t. She was wearing a dressing gown that needed washing. She stumbled into the kitchen.
“You must be Rusty,” she slurred. Had she been drinking? I took a little encouragement from the fact that she had taken in what Oliver had told her.
“Hello, Eleanor,” I replied, trying not to let my concerns show. “I’m terribly sad for what has happened. If there is anything I can do, just say it. Anything at all. I’m not trained in anything, but I’ll do what I can.” She nodded. Was she seeing a doctor, I wondered? I was sure she needed medication to help her but it was too soon to blunder into making suggestions. I’d have to ask Oliver later.
“That was delicious,” Oliver said when we’d eaten. Neither Eleanor nor the boys had eaten much but he told me later it was more than they’d eaten for days. And they seemed to enjoy it. The boys had their ice cream. It was one very small step, but I hoped it was the first of many and that by the time I had to return to England, they would be in a better position to help themselves.
I didn’t stay up late that evening. I was shattered. I knew if I was to be any help to them, I needed to sleep. It wouldn’t do if I was grouchy.
I awoke about six the next morning, washed and dressed. I was surprised that Oliver was already up and cooking breakfast for the boys – sausages and egg. It was beginning to look as if that had been their only diet recently. “What do you like best for breakfast?” I asked as I sat at the table with the boys. Neither answered me. “If you could have anything for breakfast,” I asked again, “what would you choose?”
“Pancakes,” Frank said at last.
“Well, you will have pancakes tomorrow. What do you like on them?”
“Bacon and syrup,” Chuck answered, for once his eyes showing some animation. “And fresh orange juice.”
“Is that what you like best?” I turned to Frank. He nodded.
“So, pancakes with bacon and syrup with fresh orange juice for breakfast and burgers for dinner. You tell me what you like and I’ll do my best to make sure you get it. Is that a deal?” I would have liked a bit more enthusiasm, but they slowly nodded their heads.
Half an hour later they left to catch the school bus. I wasn’t sure it was the best thing for them. But it did mean they were out of the house while I tried to catch up with some of the housework. I asked Oliver what Eleanor would like to drink. Coffee was fine, he said, black with no sugar. I took a cup up to her. There was no answer as I knocked on the door. I waited and knocked again. Still no answer. I opened the door and went inside. She wasn’t asleep but her eyes were streaked with tears.
“I’ve brought you a coffee,” I said as I placed the cup on the bedside table. “Would you like some company for a while?” She didn’t say ‘no’ or shake her head, so I pulled the chair up and sat next to her. “Shall I wash your dressing gown and night clothes?” I asked quietly. Her eyes moved slowly towards me. They seemed to be pleading, but I couldn’t make out what she wanted. “Where is your clean nightwear?” I asked in the same gentle tone. Slowly she pointed to a draw on the other side of the room. I selected a couple of nightdresses and asked which she preferred. She indicated one and I put the other away.
“Do you want help changing?” I asked. “Or shall I come back in a few minutes?” She nodded. I wasn’t sure which question she was responding to. I must learn not to ask multiple questions at once. I stood up and began to leave the room. I looked round and she wasn’t making any sign that I should stay, so I left her for twenty minutes while I sought out other clothes I could wash at the same time.
Talking to Oliver, it seemed she had seen a doctor for the first few days but then she refused to see him. She had cut herself off from her friends, too, since he had arrived. He’d tried to help the boys, and his sister, but Eleanor had refused to let him. It was wearing him physically, and emotionally, trying to think of what to do. He felt impotent to help. “You seem to have made more progress with the boys in a little over twelve hours than I’ve made in days,” he said dejectedly. “It’s good, but it makes me feel pretty useless.”
“I’m going to need all your support to keep going,” I told him. “There will be setbacks. You’ve done a lot already. I hate to think what would have happened had you not been here.” I had to keep his spirits up too. “Look, I’m going to get her dirty clothes. If you’ve anything that needs washing, then get it ready. I’ll need you to show me how the machines work.”
Eleanor had changed and was back in bed. She immediately looked better. “Would you like me to wash your hair?” I asked. “I’m taking Oliver out shortly to get some food the boys like. Is there anything you would like?” She shook her head slowly as if she was unsure. “I’ll just take these dirty clothes and put the washing on and then I can do your hair before I go out.” I didn’t wait for a reply as I gathered up the clothes and left the room.
When I returned, I helped her out of bed and into the bathroom. She pointed out where the shampoo was and let me wash her hair. Not a word was spoken by her, but I kept up a continuous chatter to try and raise her spirits. I remembered what Jane had said when I had doubts as to what I could say to keep Oliver’s spirits up: Be honest and say what you feel. I never expected I would be able to chatter as I was doing. I had never been a hairdresser, but I brushed her hair carefully, teasing all the tangles out. I did my best to blow-dry it. When I had finished, I was pleased with the result. She was already looking much better.
We had a slight disagreement at the supermarket when we reached the till. I insisted on paying; he wouldn’t hear of it. “You paid for my air ticket, so I will pay for the food, at least this time.” Not wishing to cause a scene, and seeing I was adamant, he gave in, though not gracefully. In all honesty, I was surprised at how much it all came to.
“There’s a bigger market an hour’s drive away,” he told me. “It’s much cheaper there, but they only sell in bulk.”
“In that case, we’ll go there next time.”
“I’m not sure we can leave her for such a long time.”
“We’ll see how she is when we get back,” I countered. “She will need to get used to being on her own. As I understand it, she sleeps most of the time anyway.”
And she was asleep when we got back. The washing had finished and I loaded the tumble dryer. I cooked a light meal for Oliver and me, omelettes with a few fries – I was already beginning to speak the lingo. When I checked on Eleanor again, she was awake. I offered her orange juice. She drank it and settled down to sleep again. We woke her in time to go for her therapy session and it gave Oliver and me a little time alone. But we were like awkward school kids, each afraid to say what was in our hearts. Still, being able to relax a bit was good. We planned the next day’s activities and allocated the anticipated workload.
Dinner that night was a success. Neither boy finished their burger, but it looked like they enjoyed it. I had made some soup for their mother, as Oliver said she liked it as a child. She ate a small bowl full. She had put the dressing gown back on but it was clean and fresh this time. She began to look a lot better. After dinner, I again went and sat with her for half an hour. Again, she said very little.
When I left her, I finished ironing what I had washed, and then attacked the utility room and the kitchen. I had very little idea where things should go, but I convinced myself both rooms looked cleaner and tidier for my efforts. I tried to engage the boys in conversation to find out what they would like for dinner the next day. I wasn’t going to give them the same thing two days running. I was met with stony silence. Oliver sent them to bed, hoping that the meal they had enjoyed would help them to sleep better.
After they had gone to bed, we had a few minutes to our self. “When did you last speak to your mother?” I asked, as he did not seem to have spoken to her at all since I’d arrived. He confirmed that was the case. He had phoned her from the airport while waiting for the plane and had spoken to her only once since he had arrived in Canada. He had been too busy and too tired, plus she was finding it hard to take in what had happened. It was too late to ring her that day, but I made him promise to ring in the morning. When I came downstairs the next morning he had just finished talking to her. He said she was pleased there was someone else to help with the housework. He grinned awkwardly as he told me that.