Page 69 of The Reboot
‘You’re welcome.’
‘I love your nan.’
‘I knew you would.’
‘And your mum too, of course,’ she added hastily.
‘I hope they weren’t crowding you too much.’
‘No, not at all. Do you think your nan meant it about me calling over?’
‘Totally. She’s not the type to say it if she didn’t really want you around.’
‘That’s what I thought.’ Ella smiled.
‘She liked you. But don’t feel you have to join her coven if you don’t want to – or go to Pilates with Mum.’ He rolled his eyes.
‘Why do you say it like that? She just wants to get fit, same as us. There’s nothing wrong with that.’
‘I know, but … I just wish she wasn’t doing it because she wants to look good naked for some dude off the internet.’
That reminded Ella of what Loretta had told them about her boyfriend, and her niggling feeling returned.
‘But whatever makes her happy.’ He shrugged.
‘That’s the spirit.’
I’ll just try not to think about her motives.’
‘Attaboy!’ Ella clapped him on the shoulder. ‘I’m sure you can do it.’
17
‘Roly Punch?’
Jesus, keep your voice down. Roly cringed as a tall, angular woman with lank hair stepped out of her office and beckoned him inside. Thankfully no one paid any attention, and it was a relief to get away from the prying eyes of all the other deadbeats waiting around in the stale afternoon air of the social welfare office, waiting their turn with some bored civil servant behind a Plexiglas screen while a TV blinked silently in the corner.
It had turned out Ella was right, and he’d been summoned for a meeting with his case worker to discuss his employment prospects.
‘See, I told you!’ he’d said to Ella when he’d shown her the letter. ‘I’ve got acase worker, like some … young offender!’
‘You’re too old to be a young offender.’
‘Very funny.’
He’d already had to attend an information meeting about training courses and back-to-work schemes, and now he was going to have to explain himself to this woman who was ushering him into her office. Still, he supposed it was a small price to pay for getting his cash every week.
‘Hello, I’m Geraldine.’ She shook his hand, then waved him to a seat on the other side of her desk.
He reckoned Geraldine was around the same age as him. It was strange how much people’s lives diverged once you grew up, he thought. When you were kids, everyone did pretty much the same stuff – going to school, playing with your friends, doing homework. Then you became adults, and some people became pop stars and went on world tours while others ended up in places like this, sitting at a desk in a dingy government office under fizzing fluorescent strip lighting day in, day out. It was sad how some people’s lives turned out.
‘So, how are you getting on?’
‘Fine, thanks, Geraldine. How are you?’
She seemed taken aback by the pleasantry. Most of her customers mustn’t be as polite and friendly as he was.
‘I’m grand, thanks, Roly. But I meant the job search. How’s that going?’ She tapped a manila folder in front of her. He saw his name written on it in Sharpie.
