Nikki continued to keep a discreet eye on Karen as much as her duties permitted as last Tuesday's conversation taught her that Karen was walking on eggshells, emotionally speaking. However, there was little she could do except watch and wait and to be as supportive as she could be. The hurly burly of her job swept her onwards throughout the week and severely restricted her time in deep contemplation of any personal cares on the job.
Thank heavens Karen was now spared any further intrusion soon after the nightmare of Karen's first Monday back at work and that nightmare had come to pass. For the first time in her life, she had popped into a newsagent and had picked up a couple of the trashier rags and had nearly gagged when she had read the cheap, tawdry, voyeuristic language in which the stories were phrased in. As for the headline, that was there to cynically cash in on human tragedy and boost sales- "Top Screw's Junkie Son Dies". That was the first and last time she bought anything like that again in her life, she resolved. Welcome to the favourite rag of the ignorant, the prejudiced and, last but not least, the homophobic. She puzzled the newsagent by picking up a copy of the 'Guardian' to restore some sense of sanity. She threw the coins down on the counter and glared briefly at the surprised newsagent who, after all, was only selling newspapers and kept the favourite sellers available for the public. She slunk out of the shop furtively as if she were buying pornographic literature and in the privacy of her office, glanced through them. At her weekly meeting, she took the bull by the horns and expressly forbade anyone bringing in any of the newspapers, glaring at Di Barker especially.
"Can't the Home Office put out some sort of public statement?" she had asked of Grayling when she snatched up her phone right after the meeting.
"Regrettably no. Believe me, Nikki, that it would give me perfect pleasure to screw up a copy of that rag and ram it down the mouth of that bastard in the Sun who wrote that piece but you're talking about the Home Office. I know that they are running scared of anything that could be remotely construed as adverse publicity at the best of times. I guarantee that their attitude will be to rely on the fickleness of the gutter press and its short term attention span and it will be yesterday's news as they find someone else to doorstep, hound and victimise."
Grayling's restrained fury and scorching words came loud and clear down the phone and Nikki reluctantly had to agree. She had not known Grayling long but it immediately struck her that he was not normally known to swear.
It was two months since she had started at Larkhall and she was gaining confidence and certainty now in a surprisingly short time, partly due to the events surrounding Karen's week off. She could rely more on instincts to get her way through the working week and now, she had a matter crop up that was more pleasure than business and that was Yvonne's birthday and the surprise present in store for her. She finished work a little early having arranged to meet up with Helen in a quiet bar. At this hour, it was deserted and she found a backroom where they could talk in private.
"Hiya, Nikki," Helen greeted her with her sparkling smile after which they sat down with a glass of wine each.
"So what plans have you got to celebrate Lauren's release? If it is anything like Yvonne's lavish idea of a party, it should be a night to remember."
Nikki looked thoughtful now that she had time to detach herself from the cares of work. It didn't feel right somehow.
"I don't know, Helen. Can you remember the first night after I got out of Larkhall……"
Nikki started to say and grinned as the irony of the situation struck her.
"Yes, I know what you're thinking but every prisoner who has done time finds the outside world very weird. I was at the club with Trisha just before you showed up and I was still expecting someone to lock me in at night, that everything I did from when I woke up in the morning wasn't mine to decide but someone else's. It got to be almost a comfort blanket once you used to stop thinking of the outside world. Once you come across it again you can't deal with it to begin with……..I know that I'm coming to the very same place, day in day out, but this time around, I can make the decisions and I can pass through any set of bars that I please. It's a big difference. I went home with you to our flat that first night, I mean our second night together not only because that I wanted to show you a good time as I once promised you….." Here Nikki's eyes softened at the memory of all that physical desire between them that was let loose like a dam breaking. "……..but because I honestly couldn't have faced anything more than to spend the night in with you. It wasn't just that I wanted to get out of the club as soon as possible for the obvious reasons, I simply would not have been capable of spending the night on the town with any club."
"So what are you suggesting?"
"Let's make it a quiet night in with those that Lauren is comfortable with, me, you, Cassie and Roisin and Josh and Crystal, a few drinks, company and just be around her. If it's obvious that Yvonne and Lauren want time on their own, then we slide off."
"Sounds fine to me. I'll get phoning around and fix it up."
Cassie heard the mobile bleeping and let it go to the sixth bleep as she was lazing back and studying her complexion in the mirror for any minor improvements on perfection. She missed the kids around like crazy and worried if they were going to manage in Aiden's care. There was the prospect that, especially with Michael, there was going to be a blip when he would take out his anger against them when he got back. Everything about him exudes narrow-minded moralising Puritanism at an age when Michael was starting to be vulnerable to peer pressure. She had been a right little madam when she started to become an adolescent and had given both her parents hell. That was what worried her.
"Hi, it's Cassie," She yawned into the earpiece.
"I thought you working parents are supposed to be run off your feet. You sound as if you've just got out of bed," Nikki teased.
"The kids are away with Aiden so I've a chance to catch up with the more decadently lazy side of my personality."
"Listen, Lauren's due out of Larkhall next Tuesday and I was wondering if you'd be part of a welcoming party for her."
"Any party sounds tempting, especially if it's at Yvonne's and involves Lauren. She is such a babe and anyway Roash and I have really missed her……………."
Cassie let drop her devil may care exterior in these last words and let her real softness and affection show through.
"………OK so what's the deal?"
"This is meant to be a surprise as Tuesday is Yvonne's birthday and this is our present for her," Explained Nikki.
"Do you want someone to fetch her from Larkhall because Roash and I can do it."
"Please. That would be a big help because I'd really hate it if someone wants my attention just when Lauren wants to be free of the place and I'd be keeping her hanging around," Nikki answered, in her best forward thinking delegating duties wing governor style.
"And when we all get there, that's when the orgy starts," Teased Cassie in total contrast.
Nikki laughed out loud but felt duty bound to ask Cassie for once to be serious.
"You think about when you and Roisin got out. You might have wanted to make a beeline for bed like Helen and I did but Lauren wants to be reunited with Yvonne. It'll probably be more low key than the sort of thing that your vivid one track imagination is thinking up. Just a quiet night in if that doesn't sound too boring. Can you live with that? It would be for Lauren's good."
Cassie gave way to Nikki's sensible entreaties though a wicked streak in her was fantasising of other ideas.
"Seriously, Nikki. We'll be there for her, no probs. You can count on us."
"Such a show off, Cassie," Nikki grinned affectionately at Helen." Now it's time to try Crystal and Josh.
"Yeah, Nikki, we'll be there," Josh said straightaway without thinking.they had been there for Lauren's trial and he could still remember being the lowly odd job man, mending fuses and clearing drains and that very cool, self possessed woman who paid him very generous for errands like taking Julie Johnson's children to visit her. She was very kind to him and had natural class. To Crystal, she was Yvonne's daughter for a very big start.
"But Josh, we'll have to check if your mum or mine will babysit for Daniel and Zandra," Crystal's voice of reason could be heard in the background over Daniel's very loud exercise lungpower.
"I'll phone you back, Nikki, once we get sorted out. Got to rush," Josh's answer could just be heard.
"Well, what's the news," Helen asked expectantly.
"He's got to get babysitters sorted out. I guess that becomes part of your life if you want to go out anywhere."
"They'll make it," Helen said confidently. "So how's Karen these days?"
"Not good. She's trying to pretend that the loss of her son, whatever he was like, could be just filed away and forgotten and to pretend that with willpower, she can blast through anything. It wouldn't be an idea her coming along as a sheer change of scene but that is a complete no hoper the way she is right now. She's the world's worst in taking advice, even more pig headed …."
"…..than me. Go on, say it."
Nikki smiled at Helen's little joke but the memories that rolled back from the years were not so pleasurable as lounging in a back room of a pub. She remembered only too well that getting Helen to see that one of her single minded campaigns was fine on principle but short on practicalities was like a dentist wrestling with an obstinate back tooth that refused to be dislodged from its roots. Helen had mellowed over the past few years but Karen was still prone to that defect and her dogged refusal to grieve made matters worse.
"So I'll make my way straight over to Yvonne's if as I imagine, Lauren will be picked up at lunchtime at the latest if my memory serves me right."
Nikki hastily nodded her agreement as her mobile phone rang. Thankfully, it was Josh.
"We're sorted Nikki. Not sure when mum can come over but we'll be there but we might be late," answered a harassed Josh.
"They really love it all," Helen said fondly and affectionately. "I'm sure it makes them feel needed and complete."
"There can be a downside, Helen," Nikki gently reminded her. The house sounded like bedlam on the other side of the phone but then again, any house with babies is hardly going to be like the Ideal Home Exhibition, everything neatly in place. She could relate to that.
"Come on, let's head for home."