Page 46 of Six Steps to Happiness
Up until that evening, as far as Willow and Bea were concerned, their strategy had been working. Thanks to their ingenuity, Ronnie was moving on, in spite of the hiccups along the way. Nick’s video footage, however, contradicted that belief. As far as they were concerned, it proved that Ronnie was still fixated with the goings on at number eight. Their plan had failed, which meant they had too.
As she listened to their concerns, Ronnie confessed to her lack of commitment in the beginning. She even admitted her ulterior motive for joining the gym. Nevertheless, she was at pains to explain that her opinion on the whole thing began to change at step two. Yes, her visit to the hair salon had gone wrong. Yes, she’d ended up looking like Rod Stewart. But like she tried to tell them, shaving her head had been like a rebirth. A getting rid of the old Ronnie, ready for the new.
Ronnie couldn’t help but smile as she thought about step three. Getting Charlie was a real turning point. Charlie had gotten her out of the house, and the attention he received from strangers forced her into chatting with anyone and everyone, which had to be a miracle for a home bird like her. Thanks to him, she enjoyed getting up in the morning, getting out into the open air. That dog’s presence on Holme Lea Avenue was far more a focus to her than Nick and Gaye’s. And like Ronnie said, she wouldn’t have him were it not for Willow and Bea’s six-step plan.
Ronnie looked down at her bare wedding finger, aware that the six steps weren’t only about coping with next door; they were an opportunity to discover her identity outside of her marriage. Stripping back the layers she’d wrapped herself in for twenty-five years took time, however, and Ronnie knew she had a long way to go. She sighed, forced to admit thatOperation Poltergeisthadn’t exactly helped. Instead of concentrating solely on herself, she’d wasted precious energy on Nick and Gaye. “Not anymore,” she said. “From now, it’s all about you, Ronnie Jacobs.”
Unfortunately, her daughter and mother-in-law had yet to be convinced, which was why Ronnie was determined to forget about next door’s living arrangements and throw herself wholeheartedly into step number four. It was, no doubt, going to get her into more trouble with her ex and his new woman, but Ronnie could stomach that; her daughter and mother-in-law were worth it. What Ronnie couldn’t cope with was Willow and Bea’s disappointment.
Ronnie picked up the envelope her daughter and mother-in-law had despondently left behind, pulling out the piece of paper within.Learn a musical instrument,it said, which admittedly for someone as tone deaf as Ronnie, was quite a challenge. Ronnie was up for it though. She had to be if she wanted to prove Willow and Bea wrong about her dedication to their plan. She took a deep breath to gather herself. With a bit of commitment on her part, Ronnie would make them see their efforts as a success. She smiled as she looked down at Charlie. “Let’s do this.”
Rising to her feet, Ronnie moved towards the kitchen counter and picked up a large cardboard box of step-four goodies. Goodies that wouldn’t just enable her to complete her next task, but to surpass expectations. She headed out into the garden and down the path to her studio, excited yet nervous. With Charlie at her heels, the two of them piled inside, the dog seemingly as keen to get on with it as she.
Placing the box down on her huge worktable, Ronnie couldn’t believe the effort she was going to and she giggled, telling herself that neither would Willow and Bea. She reached in and pulled out a fancy new pen and expensive notepad and, having never had to put together a formal invitation before, considered how best to phrase things.
Music Recital, she finally began.One night only.Ronnie chewed on the end of her pen, wondering what to put next, before returning it to the paper.In this one-off special event, you are cordially invited to enjoy the music of Ronnie Jacobs,she wrote, chuckling as she added the venue, date and time.Formal attire,she added, and then finished off with a swishyRSVP.“There,” she said, trying to imagine her daughter and mother-in-law’s delight when their invites landed on the doormat.“If this doesn’t bring a smile back to their faces, then nothing will.”
Ronnie had the evening mapped out. It wouldtake place in the garden, weather permitting of course. There would be canapés – asparagus wraps with lemon mayo, sweet potato and ginger parcels, and mini salmon and dill puffs. For a sweeter tooth, she’d serve mini cheesecakes, bite-size apple and marzipan tarts, and a plate of lemon fancies. And, naturally, she’d make sure the wine flowed which, fingers crossed, would make the music almost as palatable as the food. Ronnie still couldn’t believe that she was going to play to an audience. “The things I do for my family.”
She looked at her watch and seeing it was already noon, shook her arms out and rolled her shoulders to loosen them up. She stretched her neck out, first left and then right. “Now to learn a couple of tunes,” she said to Charlie.
Having spoken to her local authority about noise control, Ronnie knew she was good to go between the hours of 11am to 7pm. Outside of that time, she could be subject to a noise abatement order and potentially a fine, although Ronnie had a pretty good idea there was nocouldor anythingpotentialabout it. Since their video footage altercation, Nick and Gaye would, without doubt, be looking for the slightest wrongdoing on Ronnie’s part, and when it came to dishing out her punishment, they’d insist she get the max.
She took a deep breath. “You ready?” she asked Charlie as she reached into the box.
The dog sat staring up at her, smiling as usual.
“You might not look so happy once I get started.” Ronnie thought back to her childhood when she was kicked out of the school choir, the music teacher heralding Ronnie’s inability to hold even the simplest of tunes as extraordinary. “I’m not exactly renowned for my musical talent.”
She pulled out a new recorder, along with theTeach Yourselfguide that came with it. Turning to page one of the book, she scanned its contents. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she said, putting the instrument to her lips.
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Ronnie bent double, clutching at her midriff. Her stomach hurt, she was belly laughing so hard. She wiped tears from her eyes, unable to remember the last time she’d had so much fun. Learning to play the recorder was better than she’d imagined and she panted, trying to get a grip of herself. However, giggles continued to escape from her lips. “Come on, be serious,” she told herself. “You’ve got a concert to prepare for.”
She put the recorder to her mouth and, forcing herself to concentrate, looked at her instruction guide. “From the top.”
Beginning withA, she sounded each note and, blowing her way down the scale until she got toG,her fingertips moved up and down as they concealed one instrument hole after another. She knew the sound coming out shouldn’t be anything like the screeching and screaming that she produced, but to be fair, she was only a beginner.
As she automatically reversed the scale, going back up fromGtoA, Ronnie found her giggles erupting once more. She tried to control them, a difficult task when she knew what was coming.
She looked at Charlie while she played and saw his jowl quiver. A whimper escaped his mouth, followed by a whine and then a yelp. Ronnie did her best to keep playing, even when the dog threw his head back and let out a long undulating howl. It reverberated around the room. Like her, the dog couldn’t sing for toffee, but he seemed to enjoy trying.
Unable to continue any longer, Ronnie fell to the floor laughing again. She pulled Charlie close and hugged him through her snorting and sniggering. “You, my boy, are an absolute star.”
A figure emerged at the window, causing Ronnie to jump. “Jesus!” she said, her heart skipping a beat. What washedoing there?
“You two look like you’re having fun,” Jack said.
Ronnie gathered her wits while Charlie leapt from her arms. His tail wagged at double speed as he scratted at the door, desperate to get at their visitor.
“Traitor,” Ronnie said to the dog as she scrambled to her feet and opened the door.
Jack immediately dropped to Charlie’s level, reciprocating the fuss being shown. “Have you missed me?” he asked, the dog’s answer more than obvious to everyone present.
Finally, Jack stood straight again, turning his attention to Ronnie. “I hope you don’t mind me turning up like this. I knocked at the front door and waited. Then I heard the musical fracas and couldn’t resist coming for a look.” He gave Charlie a pat on the head. “You both sounded great, by the way.”
Ronnie couldn’t believe he said that with such a straight face. “You thought someone was being murdered, more like.” She paused to look at Jack. He seemed to make a habit of disappearing for a while, then suddenly turning up without warning. “So, you’re finally here to take Charlie for a walk?”
