Page 45 of From Scotland with Love

“Callum, that would be very kind if you could take her things. Tammy has to work today at the bakery, apparently she can’t get another shift, and I haven’t seen the girls properly yet, I was too late last night. Karen stayed over.” She bit her lip then hesitated, “Also... well, Lori might need some clothes, as she left her flight in such a rush. I think her suitcase will be in New York by now!”

“Well that’s settled then. I can go in a few hours after I close up the shop?” Callum nodded at Karen. “Sounds to me you need a rest Karen, why don’t you take the day off?”

Karen’s alarmed face spoke volumes. “No, we have a group booking today, we can’t close!” She pointed up on the whiteboard of the day’s events, which was above some children’s drawings that Callum hadn’t seen before.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it Karen. You need some time. Why not take tomorrow off too, I'll make sure I'm back here to open.”

Karen smiled at Jean. “Maybe I could take the time off.”

Callum didn’t need to tell her twice, and within minutes she had packed up her things and left. He got himself a cup of tea, and looked over the paperwork before him. A job that he did himself usually, but now wished he had an accountant to deal with. He took a big gulp of tea and thought to himself, better late than never, ploughing into the stodgy figures with his usual stoicism.

26

Lori had been talked into going back home, while Gran recovered. The doctors had said she was on the mend, and they could start with plans for rehabilitation, and find out exactly what she needed to exercise. Gran readily insisted Lori leave, and allow her time to catchup on sleep. Reluctantly, Lori did as she was told, and hired a car back to Arlochy to see Bracken, then would visit Gran again in the next couple of days. On the journey back her thoughts finally focused on New York. Shit! She had forgotten to contact the office. They had been expecting her yesterday to present her ideas. “Oh bugger!” Lori cried. She dreaded what would be waiting for her at the other end of the line. Her insides tightened, and she couldn’t think of anything else until she reached home. It was late, but not in New York, so she called the office on the landline, and desperately and anxiously awaited Frankie’s voice.

“Yup...?” Came some particularly frosty tones.

“Oh Frankie, I’m so so sorry!”

“Lori, what happened? We’ve been calling you and leaving you messages! We were all waiting to see your presentation. Now I’ll have to reschedule everything! The board is not happy. I’m not happy!” Frankie spoke loudly, and Lori butted in as soon as she could.

“I’m so sorry! It was my gran. She had a stroke just when I was due to fly back, and I’ve been so preoccupied with her and the family I... I lost my phone, and it completely slipped my mind to call and cancel the presentation.”

“You forgot?” Frankie said, in disbelief. “I’m sorry about your gran Lori, but you have responsibilities. You can’t just have forgotten!”

Lori was taken aback by her boss’s tone. “I know that, but that’s the truth of it.”

There was silence on the other end and Lori didn’t know if she had hung up on her.

“Lori, these are very important times for the company. You had a duty to show up. I have to say I’m really surprised at how you’ve behaved. You always put work first, I was sure big things were going to happen for you here.”

Lori was in shock at what her boss was saying, her mouth was dry. After all the time and extra effort she had put in, this is how she was being treated?

“Frankie, my gran’s health is very important. And I’m sorry, but it’s much more important than clothes. I was always in the office, I’ve given you late nights and weekends for years! And now because I have taken a few extra days off in the middle of an assignment that we can easily reschedule, to care for my family, one of whom is in hospital, having come close to dying! I’m shocked that you don’t care for your employees well-being!”

“We all have social lives, but you need to put your career ahead of all that if you want to succeed in this type of world.” Frankie was stern, and bellowed at her receptionist to leave the room.

“I have put my career first, and all it gave me was missed years from my family – it certainly hasn’t yielded much personal support from you! It doesn’t have to be that way Frankie. Things are meant to have a better balance.”

The next words came over the phone like sharp drops of ice: “Listen Lori. I have no time for this. You can forget that promotion I was talking about. I see no future for you here anymore. You have let me down and embarrassed me in front of the Board! In fact - you’re fired. Feel free to prioritise your life anyway you want to. I have chosen my path in life and stuck to it, I suggest you do the same.”

Frankie rang off, and Lori leaned against the wall with the receiver in hand and slid down slowly to the floor. Bracken shuffled over to her and laid his head in her lap. She stroked his soft black-and-white fur absentmindedly. She had given years of her life to a company that had dismissed her without a moment’s hesitation. Just like Michael. What was wrong with her? Through all the times she had supported Frankie, she had thought there was a bond between them, an understanding as women - helping one another in the workforce. Maybe she had been careless; since returning home, family matters had taken over her mind bit by bit, making New York fade into a distant memory. What should she do now? Maybe look for another fashion job, perhaps with a rival company? Frankie would hate that. If Lori wanted to make her suffer then that was surely something she could do. But that just wasn’t her; she was naturally loyal-minded, and now to see her loyalty dismissed as quickly as a fleeting thought, made her angry. She got up off the floor and paced the kitchen. Bracken made whining noises because she had stopped her petting, but she ignored him, and went to the cupboard to look for something strong to drink. Her gran had lots of healthy snacks, organic this and gluten-free that, in which Lori had no interest. There was nothing to soothe the soul or drown her sorrows. Damn it, Gran! She thought of the fit, lively old woman, and relented; perhaps all her years eating well and exercising would pay off, and she’d recover from this stroke with more of her strong mind and body present than most people her age. Lori put the kettle on and decided to have a cup of tea and a slice of banana loaf instead. The night trickled by, and Lori found herself itching to do something more the following morning. She spent the majority of the day cleaning the house from top to bottom and made the beds, but her energy had not disappeared. She put away her gran’s scarves, and a jumper in the cupboard, clearing the room to make it nice for her homecoming. Then she saw her mum’s sewing machine at the back of the cupboard, the prized, if archaic piece of equipment she had used for Tammy’s wedding dress. The old singer was black, with intricate patterns in gold across its surface; a beautiful piece of kit, Lori reflected. She crouched down to touch its curves and remembered her mother at the kitchen table sewing dresses for her girls. Just looking at the machine now, made her feel closer to her mother and her creative ways. She stood up, and before closing the wardrobe door she caught a glimpse of a particular long blue skirt which was oddly familiar. The light cotton material had a strip down the sides in a deep orange, with orange stitching along the bottom of the hem. Its vibrant colour popped out against the blue, and gave the garment a structure and elegance that stood it apart. She had made this for Gran so long ago, but as she looked at it now, found it could be worn today, and not look out of fashion. Lori closed the wardrobe and made herself another cup of tea, then sat at the kitchen table, with pen and notebook in front of her. The pen darted about the paper in frantic scratches, forming silhouettes and shapes flowing over one another. She scribbled evermore notes and ideas. Fabrics she’d use for a swing jacket, a tea-dress, a pleated skirt - more and more ideas poured out onto the pages. The black and white sketches continued, and Lori felt the release she needed, but she also knew there was more within her.

Jean answered the door to a breathless Lori, with her car still running outside.

“You’re home! We were going to come in tomorrow to see you and Gran!” Jean said, gesturing for Lori to follow her inside.

“I can’t Jean, I’m in the middle of something. Do you have coloured pencils? Crayons, pens - anything?”

Jean looked at her sister in confusion. “Crayons?” She mockingly touched her sister’s forehead, but was shrugged off.

“I’m fine, I’m sketching, but I need to colour them in Jean! Do the girls have anything I can use, I’ll give them back ASAP!” Lori's face was so earnest that her sister wasted no time, and went off in pursuit of the desired articles. Lori stood on the step nudging the doorframe with her foot, eager to get back home.

Karen’s face peered from the hallway.

“I thought I heard your voice!” Karen stood smiling, looking a little exposed in a thin white t-shirt and pyjama bottoms. She looked very much at home, Lori noted, and a little flushed, but she checked herself and quickly decided to make the most of Karen’s presence and do a little casual digging.

“Yes, just me – not staying though, just getting some things from Jean. How are you Karen? Oh, I meant to ask you - I’ve been trying to find Callum - he’s not answering his phone, and he wasn’t at his house earlier either. Is he OK?” Lori felt like a stalker, and cringed at her lack of decorum.