The Nurse by J. Corrigan (list of ebook readers txt) 📕

was similar to the ones I’d seen on the faces of my friends’ fathers over the years. He could even have been Daniel’s dad; but of course he was too young for that. Also, Daniel’s dad didn’t live in England, and the man in front of me didn’t look like a doctor. Stupid thought; what did a doctor look like? Maybe Daniel had wanted to be a proper doctor, and he’d tried to be and failed but didn’t want to admit it. I’d sensed acrimony somewhere between father and son, mirroring the underlying antagonism between my mum and me. This imagined bond warmed me towards him even more.

It was then that I spotted the small sports car, gleaming red and wet, a bucket of water sitting beside it. The man with the rolled-up shirtsleeves had clearly been washing it. I assumed the red beauty belonged to Daniel.

‘Looks like you’re doing a great job on the car,’ I said to the man.

He totally ignored me, and I wondered if it was a social faux pas on my part because Daniel hadn’t formally introduced us.

Daniel cleared his throat, which was a louder noise than it had to be. ‘Ed, mate, thanks for doing this for me. She is a bit ditched.’

‘No problem. All part of the service.’

He took hold of my arm. ‘Ed, this is Rose.’ He turned and glanced at me. ‘With whom I’ve fallen head over heels, so be nice to her.’

Ed didn’t even look at me. It was a pretty impressive total snub.

‘You’ve had three calls from Herefordshire while you’ve been out, Daniel,’ he said, still ignoring my presence. ‘And a call from the carpenter saying he can’t make tomorrow.’

Daniel nodded. ‘Sorry to lumber you with my calls.’

‘No probs,’ Ed said, and then finally his watery blue eyes settled on me.

People think that to be a good doctor you need to be objective and pragmatic and sensible, and you do, but as my pharmacology lecturer said, the best and most effective doctors possess innate intuition about the human psyche too. A diagnosis is not solely about quantitative facts. A good doctor peels the qualitative onion too. My lecturer told me I had the ability to do that.

I could tell that Ed didn’t like me.

‘I’ve nearly finished,’ he said, gesticulating towards the car. ‘Then I’ll be off.’

Daniel inclined his head. ‘You have everything you need?’

‘I do,’ Ed replied.

Daniel adjusted the collar of his black polo shirt and smiled. Ed picked up the bucket and made his way to the front door of the house.

‘Cute car,’ I said.

‘1967 MG convertible. My indulgence. Like it?’

‘Very much.’

‘I’d take you for a spin, but I’m lending it to Ed. He’s off for a few days to see his parents, for his mum’s birthday. It needs a long run, good for the engine.’ He smoothed his hand over the car’s bonnet.

‘How did you meet Ed?’

‘Met him in the early eighties. My mum and dad had moved back to Morocco, and I’d just started the job at Bluefields. I wasn’t living here then – bought this place a few years ago. Ed was a door-to-door salesman; he knocked on the door of a house I was renting, flogging hoovers.’

‘You’re kidding me, right?’

‘No. It’s true. We became friends. Ed’s unemployed at the moment, so he’s helping me out. I’m swamped at Bluefields. He’s a good man. Keeps me organised. Pretty domesticated, too, probably why he was selling hoovers.’

‘You do make me laugh.’

Daniel’s expression dropped into seriousness and he carried on, ‘Soon after I met Ed, I met his sister too.’ He scrutinised me. ‘We started dating.’

‘Ah…’

‘I just want you to know about me.’

‘What happened?’

‘We went out together for a year, and then split. But Ed and I stayed mates.’

‘What happened to her?’

‘She went to live overseas. Lost contact with Ed. She was a troubled soul. Why it didn’t work out between us.’

‘Did you love her?’

‘I thought I did at the time.’

‘I thought I’d end up with Tom when we first started going out, but I realised we’re better as mates. And him and Casey are much more suited.’

‘Some things just aren’t meant to be.’ He leaned against the car. ‘But I was meant to meet you.’

‘Yeah, I think so.’ I grinned. ‘I really need to go to the loo.’

‘Through the door, there’s a toilet on the right.’

As I walked into the house, I turned and saw Daniel putting a pink envelope on the MG’s passenger seat; a birthday card for Ed’s mum, I assumed.

I shoved open the door to the toilet, my bladder pushing at the waistband of my jeans. I walked towards the window and poked my head out; Daniel was standing very near.

‘It doesn’t close,’ he said. ‘I’m waiting for the carpenter to come and fix it. Just pull the blind down,’ he added with a smile.

‘Will do. A lovely house, but the bog window doesn’t work!’

‘Love your humour, Rose. It’s what this house is missing.’

I flushed the loo and returned to the hallway, finally seeing the inside of the house properly. It was impressive, and all newly decorated.

Ed appeared as if from nowhere. He’d put on a grey jumper. His thinning short back and sides was Brylcreemed, with a parting down the left side so straight it was as if he used a ruler to achieve it. He moved his feet further apart, as if increasing his base of support. Crossed his arms over his chest. He did all the movements slowly.

‘Don’t get too comfortable.’ He peered at me as if I’d been brought in by the cat. ‘Rose.’

‘It looks as if you have.’

The statement had fallen out before I was able to censor it.

Much later in my life, I’d question if those six words secured my fate.

18

Theo

2 April 2016

Theo is deep in thought as he makes his way back to the car, so deep that he goes in totally the wrong direction. He swears under his breath and does a U-turn, finally locating his Fiesta.

On leaving Rose, he wanted to touch her, but