‘There are some older flats closer to the high street. They'd need a bit of work, but they're more in my price range. And I quite like the idea of doing up a place, making it my own, you know?’
‘Yeah, this place is amazing now with what you’ve done to it.’
‘Thanks.’ Cally remembered when she’d thought she was going to find herself homeless. She’d come a long, long way. She’d been terrified at one point and eaten up with stress. Now, maybe the dream of her own flat wasn't as far-fetched as she'd feared. ‘Having my own flat is actually becoming doable.’
Logan tutted as his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and rolled his eyes as he turned the screen to Cally. ‘Alastair. I know it will be the horses. Really? He’s useless.’ He sighed.
Cally gathered up the plates and took them into the kitchen as Logan spoke to Alastair. Her mind whirled with thoughtsabout flat hunting and mortgages as she rinsed the plates in the sink. It was all a bit scary at the same time as exciting. It felt weird to be happy and on the cusp of something that wasn’t caring for someone else or sorting out finances for horrible things. A step closer to something that had been a dream for a long time. What she didn’t know was that along the way, she had a few surprises to come.
3
Cally popped a straw in the top of a blackcurrant carton and tried not to feel guilty about the impact on the environment. She admonished herself and made a mental note to try and find something on YouTube to do with the cartons as she hustled along on her way to meet Eloise for a coffee. She’d spent the morning working on the chatbot, sorting out problems with customers, then had worked for a couple of hours in the back of the chemist helping with a huge order. Now, she was on the way to Lovely Bay library to have a little mooch and check out the resources section to see what courses were available locally. Not that she had any clue what course she wanted to do, but she wanted to put the feelers out and dip into furthering the education that had been on hold for a long time.
As she got to Lovely Town Hall, she took in the beautiful old building and looked left in the direction of the library. A very unusual circular-shaped building that, according to local lore, had been built by an architect back in the day who had totally ripped off the design of the Albert Hall. Lovely Bay’s version was on a much smaller scale but just as beautiful. Cally had been to the library many, many times. In the days before her grandma had died, when she had been on a serious budget, she’d usedthe library as a free little resource to keep her mind active and allow the pages of a borrowed book to whisk her away from the realities of her carer role and the grind of her day-to-day life. She’d borrowed all sorts from the library’s shelves, including the Regency dramas her grandma had adored so much. With a book bag full of library books, she would go and sit by her grandma’s bedside and read every evening until her grandma had dropped off to sleep. In the end, when controlling the pain had been tricky, the narration of the Regency dramas had helped enormously. Cally tutted as she walked along and thought about her grandma, the old, familiar feeling of sadness still there right in the centre of her stomach. At least now she wasn’t sadandguilty, too.
As she approached the library and took in its lovely old architecture, she realised just how far she’d come since the year before. Then she had visited the library at least biweekly, often more, with not just a heavy bag full of books but also a very heavy heart. Now, that same heart was far from heavy. In fact, she felt as ifsheandithad a new lease of life. Meeting Logan and moving to Lovely Bay had taken her heavy heart and lightened it and then some. Now, she floated along freely, almost as if she was up in the sky, very near to the clouds. No longer underneath, holding the darn thing up.
Arriving at the library, she stood by the door for a minute, read through a notice detailing new opening times, and scanned a poster informing about an author talk by a local writer. Once inside, she glanced at the long lines of books stretching away from her. In her element, she strolled slowly down the first aisle, peered at the staff picks lined up along the top shelf, and read the little cards alongside them, looking for something that might take her fancy.
After a bit of mooching and with an armful of books, she went upstairs to the non-fiction department and the area for coursesand qualifications with the intention of mooching through and looking for a course that would somehow lead to a better job. There was no way she wanted to continue with the chatbot long-term. It wasn’t what she wanted to do with her working life - would anyone love doing that job out of choice? Once she’d sorted a mortgage and her finances, she would train to do something more rewarding. As she got to the top of the old staircase in the centre of the building, she felt a bit of a sense of anticipation about the opportunity to change her life for the better. The upper floor of the library had always been her favourite. She’d loved just browsing it and imagining what she’d be able to do when she no longer had as many caring duties. In the library, she’d always felt as if surrounded by other people’s knowledge and words she’d been somehow sheltered for a bit from the responsibilities of her life. Reaching the top of the stairs, she paused to take in the scene: beautiful old tall windows that let in light, circular walls lined with old timber bookshelves filled with an array of textbooks and reference materials. Several large tables in the centre of the room equipped with computers and reading lamps. A few students here and there, scattered around, surrounded by books and engrossed in their work. She loved the sound, too; a calm quiet with nothing much going on at all. Lots of decompressing.
Making her way to the section dedicated to courses and qualifications, she scanned the shelves, her fingers brushing the spines of books on everything from business management to creative writing. She then sat down at one of the computer stations and browsed a platform offering various online courses run by the council for free. She scanned through the options, her eyes widening at the sheer variety available. Digital marketing, graphic design, project management, hospitality. Cally clicked on a digital marketing course and began reading the description.It promised to teach her the fundamentals of SEO, whatever that was, social media marketing, and content creation.
After spending an hour down a well of all things courses and not really having found anything that had taken her fancy at all, she gathered her things and headed back downstairs. She checked out a marketing book and a couple of thrillers and left the library, her mind, at least, buzzing with possibilities. As she stepped out into the daylight, the sun shone brightly, and she felt a bit of a sense of purpose about herself. Not that long before, her future, her housing situation, and her whole life had been teetering on the edge of disaster. Everything then had seemed so uncertain and up in the air; now,itandshewere on a different trajectory altogether. Cally de Pfeffer was, at last, in control. Oh, how good did that feel?
Half an hour or so later, Cally walked past the window of the coffee shop where she was meeting Eloise with her bag heavy with books and her head full of ideas. She was not sure about what she might do in the future once she was settled into a flat of her own, but she felt as if there was promise ahead of her. Promise and the future at last felt nice. Life was continuing to go on its way without her having to perpetually hold up the sky. She’d have some of that every day of the week.
Just as she got close to the coffee shop door, she could see Eloise hustling along, coming the other way.
‘Hiya! How are you?’ Eloise asked as she kissed Cally on the cheek.
‘Hi. I’m great! Really good.’
‘I’ll say! You look amazing.’
‘Do I? Thanks. Nice of you to notice. Ha.’
‘Yes, you do. It must be the glow of romance.’ Eloise joked.
Cally nodded and contemplated for a second. ‘It’s just that I’m happy, actually.’
‘Aww, I love that. It’s so nice to see.’
‘Thanks,’ Cally said as she walked into the café behind Eloise. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and a hum of conversation enveloped them as sunlight streamed through large windows. After ordering two coffees and two Chelsea buns, they made their way to a small table in the corner.
Eloise plopped down into a chair. ‘So, spill the beans, Cal. What's got you so happy and glowing? And don't try to tell me it's not Logan because I know that look.’
Cally laughed and blushed. 'I don’t know. You’re right, I suppose. Being with him makes everything feel brighter, you know? Like anything is possible. The future is bright.'
Eloise nodded. ‘I'm so happy for you, truly. You deserve all the happiness in the world and then some.’
‘Thanks.’
‘You just seem, I don’t know, full and buzzy. Not flat.’
Cally laughed. ‘Well, yeah, I don’t have time to be flat and I no longer spend most of my waking hours worrying about other people. It’s so liberating.’
‘Yeah, three jobs make one busy.’
