Page 51 of Lost Luggage
‘Did he succeed?’
‘He found a few. His best friend had been in and out of rehab and periodically homeless. Another went to prison. One had long-term depression. I said once that, actually, he’d done well, considering. It was a stupid thing to say. He got quite cross and snapped at me.’
‘Why?’
‘He said no one could ever understand how hard it is to be thrown out of the care system at eighteen with no support, no money, no family. No one had a right to judge those who struggled.’ Phoebe’s cheeks flushed. ‘He was right, of course.’
Dolly thought back to how excited Fred used to get furnishing his own flat and a smile crept over her face. And how she could never understand why he kept wanting to meet Greta and her mum. He’d take them flowers, brush off disapproving looks. He must have been hoping to finally create a family of his own. A crack appeared in the shell, in her head, that she’d locked thoughts of Fred into, over the years. A chink of light cut through the hard, black crust. Fred had made mistakes but he hadn’t had it easy.
‘Your birth certificate…’ said Phoebe. ‘Would a fresh pair of eyes help? Greta might have left a clue in the dining room or lounge.’
Dolly brushed a crumb off her striped jumper. She’d bought it on Sunday when she and Leroy had gone shopping. He’d wanted a new pair of shoes for work and couldn’t stop talking about the Rising Sun. He’d done his first shift on the Saturday and was already compiling a list of ideas he had, to bring in new staff and keep them.
Leroy had his sparkle back.
‘Easter Monday, do you fancy coming around for lunch? Leroy is coming, I invited him Sunday but he’s working. I’ve invited Flo as well; her parents have a big deep clean job on, a large office in Salford – they often do jobs like that on public holidays when people aren’t at their desks. I said she could bring Anushka. They can spend the day at mine and work on their skills builders badge. Ask Fred if he wants to join us – he could bring dessert.’
Phoebe’s eyes lit up and she touched Dolly’s arm. ‘Are you sure?’
‘The more pairs of eyes, the better,’ she said, briskly.
‘We’ve got to find your birth certificate before next month’s challenge. You might need to pay extra to fast-track a passport application, but it’s not an impossible feat to get one in a few weeks – an old friend of mine did it. April, the bake-off, that was my year of firsts’ last challenge. But I never got to do the first one properly, the May one, because I lost my luggage and came home early. That needs remedying. So bring it on.’ The young woman with her mother, Zoe, stood up to go and gestured to Phoebe, who went over. They took out their phones, exchanging numbers.
What did Phoebe mean? Passport application? Dolly put down her last bite of bun and sat up straight. Of course. Her stomach fluttered.
Could Dorothy Bell finally be going to Paris?
33
With ‘Boogie Wonderland’ playing in the background, Dolly walked out of the kitchen, surprised she’d heard the doorbell. Flo and Anushka were helping Leroy peel parsnips and singing along at the tops of their voices, having admired the huge chocolate egg Leroy had brought with him – a gift from Steve for putting in extra hours, despite being so new to the job. Reluctant to leave the caramelised smell of the beef joint sneaking out of the oven, Dolly went along the hallway. Why had she invited Fred? She looked in the mirror and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.
Fred held a round Tupperware box and took off the lid. ‘Pineapple upside-down cake. You made it often enough for me.’
He hadn’t forgotten.
‘It looks delicious.’
The strained look left his face. The first time she’d baked him a cake he’d not been able to speak for a few moments. No one had ever made him one before – not with love, not with his favourite ingredients. Fred always thought pineapple sounded exotic.
She glanced over his shoulder. ‘Where’s Phoebe?’
‘She came with me in the car because she wanted to jog back to Lymhall. She’s had a… difficult couple of days.’
Dolly moved on to the outdoor step and spotted Phoebe outside Leroy’s bungalow doing stretches.
‘Go straight in, I won’t be a moment.’ She brushed straight past him and hurried down her drive and turned right. Phoebe stood up and went to put on her earphones.
‘Wait!’ called Dolly.
Phoebe turned around. She stared at Dolly’s feet. ‘You’ve still got your slippers on.’
‘What’s the matter? Why aren’t you coming in?’
She shrugged.
Dolly shook Phoebe’s arm gently. ‘It’s me. A woman who ate out of food tins for a year, forgot how to wash, almost killed her goldfish…’
Not looking up, Phoebe exhaled long and hard. ‘I’ve binged for three days straight. Granddad meant well but he gave me a chocolate bunny on Good Friday and it triggered me. I was stressed as it was, and in any case, Easter and Christmas are always tricky.’ She kicked a pebble. ‘I look hideous and bloated. I don’t want anyone to see me and I don’t want to eat anything.’
