Page 53 of The Midnight Bakery
Dazed with shock, he walked down the corridor and through the lounge as if none of it were really there. None of it mattered anyway. There was only one thing he wanted to do.
‘Tam!’ Trish’s voice carried loudly over the hubbub of background noise as she hailed him from across the room. ‘Wait a minute.’
He slowed his pace, but only slightly. Trish would have known what was due to happen today. She had known for a while now. How long? Hours? Days? A week? And she had said nothing. In fact, it might have even been her who had told Donna he was homeless. Instead, Trish had begged for his help this morning and then let him walk into Donna’s office completely ignorant of the fate which was about to befall him. He had no wish to talk to her.
‘Tam, stop, please…’
She caught up with him quicker than he expected, a sharp tug on his sleeve pulling him to a halt.
‘I know you’re angry, Tam, and you have every right to be, but please just listen to what I have to say.’
Tam stood silently waiting, eyes closed against her empty words.
Trish touched his arm. ‘I’ve agonised over whether to say anything to you or not, but I didn’t because I was still hopeful that we might not be in this situation at all.’
‘We? Forgive me, Trish, but how arewein this situation?’
‘I’ve made a formal complaint about the way you’ve been treated,’ she replied, colouring at the harsh tone in his voice. ‘And they have to respond to it. There’s still a chance they might overturn their decision.’ Her lips thinned into a hard line. ‘It might take a few weeks to resolve, but if they found in your favour, you could come back.’
Tam shook his head. ‘I appreciate it, but it doesn’t change anything. Even if they do change their minds, I don’t want towork for an organisation that has to be bulldozed into expanding their tiny minds. I’m so tired of having to explain who I am to people who don’t care. I’m done here.’
‘But what are you going to do?’
‘Go home. Well, when I say home…’ He let his sentence dangle, knowing it sounded bitter, but he was past caring. ‘I’m sure I’m owed some holiday, or sick leave. Maybe even compassionate leave… If not, tough.’ He made a derogatory noise. ‘I don’t really care either way, so I’m leaving now. I’m sorry if that makes you short-staffed for the rest of the evening, Trish, but that’s Donna’s problem, not yours. Perhaps this is one you should let her handle.’
‘Oh, I will, don’t worry. Donna is very aware how furious I am. I hope you know this had nothing to do with me,’ she added. ‘You explained the reason why you’d been sleeping in your car so I know it was only a temporary thing. I gave you my word I wouldn’t say anything, so I don’t know how Donna found out.’
‘Except it wasn’t temporary, Trish. I think we both know that.’ Tam sighed. ‘It doesn’t much matter now anyway.’ He turned to go.
‘It does matter, though,’ said Trish. ‘Of course it matters, and the way I feel now, I’ve a mind to come with you.’
Tam softened. ‘Trish, you can’t do that. The residents here love you. What would they do without you?’
‘They love you too, Tam. Please stay, we can work something out.’
He shook his head. ‘Thanks for everything you’ve done, Trish, I appreciate it. It’s been nice working with you.’
Trish opened her mouth to reply, but instead she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. ‘You too,’ she said. ‘And I mean that. Keep in touch, and take care of yourself, won’t you?’
Tam dipped his head and walked away. He was pretty sure that Trish stood watching him, but he didn’t look back. Heturned the corner into the corridor where Eleanor’s room lay and stood on the threshold for a moment, looking around for one last time. Everything was different now. The chair was in the wrong place, the bedlinen was new – too modern for Eleanor who, if it didn’t have roses on it, didn’t want to know – and the picture hooks were bare of all the joyful family photos she had so loved. He got on well with Trish, but it was Eleanor who had made his time at Chawston House so enjoyable. There reallywasno reason for him to stay. He collected his coat from the staffroom, and without a backward glance, silently pulled the front door closed behind him.
The car park looked different at this hour. It had a purpose to it, a life that was missing at the tail end of the day or in the early morning, and he was unused to there being so many cars. He stood next to his own, pondering what to do with the hours which unexpectedly lay ahead of him. But, as usual, there was very little choice. He could either sit in his car and read, or maybe listen to some music, or he could do what he did on his days off, which was to visit any one of the few places where you could linger, unchallenged, for a reasonable period of time without the need to spend any money. The library had been his salvation on more than one occasion, but it wasn’t open today. Unlocking the car, he dumped his bag on the back seat and, straightening, zipped his jacket up to the neck. He would head for the river before it got dark.
It was always beautiful there, and Tam did his best to let the gentle ripples of water calm his soul, but even the blackbirds calling from the tops of the bushes didn’t move him like they usually did. His head was full of crashing thoughts, too many to single one out and make any sense of it, so he walked until dusk had fallen. Then he turned slowly back into town where he nursed a solitary black coffee in a run-down cafe for another hour.
After that, there was nothing else for it but to head back to his car. With the sun gone the air was rapidly becoming colder and he climbed into the front seat, laying his head back against it. He wouldn’t get any dinner now he’d left his shift early, and although his stomach was beginning to growl with hunger, he didn’t regret what he’d done. He sighed heavily as the same parade of thoughts began their march around his head. He just couldn’t understand how Chawston House could have found out about him. Granted, someone from there might have seen him in his car, in the same way Trish had, but he didn’t think another member of staff would be so cruel as to dob him in. What did it matter to them? A member of the public then…? A concerned citizen? But again, it made no sense to Tam why anyone— His thoughts crashed to a halt. It suddenly made a great deal of sense…
He scrambled from his car, slamming the door hard enough to make the vehicle rock, and then took off at speed, anger fuelling his every step.
Fifteen short minutes later, he reached his destination and knocked on the door in front of him.
‘Tam…’ He was gratified to see the look of surprise on Chris’s face. ‘Did you want to come in?’
‘No, I’m fine here.’
‘Okay…but at least come into the hall if you’re not staying, it’s freezing with the door open.’
‘Nice and warm in there, are you?’ asked Tam. ‘Got a nice little fire going?’
