Lockdown Blues - Sometimes Mother Doesn't Know Best

 

Sharon had known Mikey long enough to remember the shape of the unusual mole on the left cheek of his bottom. They’d been ‘an item’ for more than seven months now, having met through mutual friends at a party. The relationship was going well. They’d been on holiday together and discovered they could actually stand each other’s’ company for more than a few hours every weekend. The sex was improving now they understood each other better. Their friends believed it was only a matter of time before they moved in together.

Mikey shared a flat with Jimmy. It was an arrangement that suited both parties well. Now Mikey was loved up with Sharon, Jimmy had offered to vacate the flat on Saturday nights to allow the couple some space to improvise, experiment and then recover gradually. In truth, Jimmy couldn’t have been happier with how this had panned out because it gave him the opportunity to persuade his regular weekend partner Gary to let him stay over. Gary’s place had many more mod cons than could be found in Jimmy’s flat, and he was a bugger for new technology.

Whilst Sharon still lived at home with her mother, Geraldine, the relationship between them was more like they were sisters nowadays. Her father had died when she was quite young (don’t ask about it) and Geri, as she liked to be known, threw her life into bringing up her only child. The life insurance payment softened the blow of widowhood and, as time passed, the idea of getting out there and making new friends just didn’t appeal. However, Sharon was obviously very keen on Mikey and the prospect of a future on her own wasn’t something she looked forwards to with any great excitement. It was always going to happen one day, but somehow that day had never seemed to get much closer. Until 23^rd March 2020 that is.

It was a Monday evening. As tradition dictated, Sharon watched Corrie with Geri. They both sat on the sofa, laughing and screaming at the goings-on in Wetherfield. When it was announced the PM would be making an address to the nation, neither thought too much about it. Yes, they were concerned that the coronavirus issue was escalating, but not so much that it would directly affect them both.

How wrong they were. In some ways, Sharon thought as she sat in the canteen at work the next day, the lockdown initiated during the PM’s address was the worst possible thing that could have happened to her. Over the course of a few hours she’d realised her job at the factory could be furloughed, the holiday she and Mikey had booked in Lanzarote at the end of April was unlikely to take place, and going out with Mikey at all was going to prove difficult.

It was the same from Mikey’s viewpoint. He was a self-employed builder. The work he had would keep him busy for a couple of weeks until suppliers began to close, and he had some money to live on for the moment, but what if the epidemic got worse? The self-employed didn’t (at that time) qualify for a bailout and the likelihood of him being paid for the jobs he was finishing off was limited at best. The cancellation of Lanzarote was probably for the best. They had travel insurance. How would he and Sharon manage to keep it all together?

Jimmy’s world had fallen in with the announcement of lockdown restrictions on travel. He didn’t drive and, anyway, Gary worked in the NHS so would be working all the hours God sends or self-isolating having caught the coronavirus. Jimmy was not going to be seeing anyone, socially or otherwise, for who knew how long and it frustrated him immensely.

For the next few days Sharon and Mikey continued to see each other either at hers or his. The private weekends they used to look forward to were no longer available as Jimmy was at home. Sharon broached the subject of Mikey staying at hers, but both Mikey and Geri weren’t keen. It was only a two-bed terraced house and sound travelled a long way.

Government advice hardened. People weren’t taking the restrictions seriously enough. Tourist places were rammed on the first weekend after the PM’s address. Threats to use the authorities to enforce the lockdown were made and some police authorities created road-blocks to stop unnecessary travel.

Sharon and Mikey were able to video-call and entertain each other in ways previously unimaginable. Jimmy sent text messages to Gary but received no replies. Geri worried about the future. As their work diminished, the lovers had more time available but found it morally difficult to be together. Jimmy stayed in the flat during the day and became addicted to the jigsaws he’d purchased from the local charity shop as soon as he’d realised the seriousness of the situation. Geri continued to worry.

People make do and improvise. Mikey started to stay overnight at Sharon’s a few nights a week with her Geri’s blessing. She’d accidentally seen part of a video-call between her daughter and Mikey, and something for a long time dormant had sprung back to life. She’d stopped worrying and was now working on a plan involving Mikey and, possibly, her daughter as well. She was flexible. After all, the pandemic was uncharted territory and decisive actions needed to be taken. In the meantime, she’d managed to find her ear-plugs.

Jimmy quickly became disillusioned when he realised every one of the jigsaws he’d purchased had pieces missing. Not the regular blue sky pieces either – it was the much more important focal point ones. Big Ben without the clock face – ridiculous! His daily walk passed the off-licence, and the quantity of cider he was able to purchase each day allowed him to sleep for much of the time, oblivious to the chaos around him.

As for Sharon, she was beginning to realise that you could have too much of a good thing. She’d never considered the expression ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ was such a truism. Life with Mikey wasn’t nearly so much fun when you spend all day with him and there was limited opportunity to do anything. And what was her mother up to? She’d changed ever since Mikey had started to stay over. The lack of privacy upset her too. Was coronavirus offering a glimpse into her future and the chance to do something about it?

Sharon noticed she was becoming more pissed off with both Mikey and Geri as each day passed. He was spending most of his days drinking lager and watching TV, whilst she was treating him like he was the greatest thing since sliced bread was invented. Geri had also seemingly developed an obsession with wearing tight-fitting low-cut tops lately. If Sharon asked Mikey a question whilst they were watching TV which involved him turning round to reply, it was even money he’d be facing her Geri’s boobs. They were large anyway, but the new bras she’s recently purchased somehow enhanced them more. It was all quite disturbing really. Sharon bit her tongue rather than say what she really thought.

Of the three people living in the house, Sharon was the only one working. It was now restricted hours only due to the new rules, but it gave her the opportunity to get away from an atmosphere that she knew was getting more and more stifling with each passing day. It was only a matter of time before she would be having ‘the big conversation’ with Mikey, she realised. It was sad, but better to do this now than suffer on a worse level later. She referred to her prospective decision as a bullet dodged. The days of smutty video-phone conversations were soon to be over.

Mikey too realised ‘the big conversation’ with Sharon was imminent. It wasn’t going to happen because of anything Sharon had or hadn’t done, but because he was by now shagging Geri senseless every time Sharon went to work and he felt it wouldn’t be fair to continue in the circumstances. There were principles here!

The mother / daughter thing was a pipedream for most blokes, but it had happened to him and, guess what, the mother is much more fun than the daughter. That was another reason for ending it with Sharon, but even Mikey knew better than to say something like that to her. Another reason was breasts. Those that Geri now regularly exposed to him were awesome! Again, don’t tell Sharon. If it hadn’t been for the coronavirus crisis he’d never have had the opportunity to find any of this out. It was something to be thankful for in a time of great upheaval. Or was he thinking of Geri’s boobs again?

Geri herself didn’t know whether she was coming or going any more (all puns intended). The rediscovery of interest in the opposite sex had led her into Mikey’s arms, but Mikey was her only child’s live-in boyfriend. When Sharon found out about it, which was only a matter of time, more than shit would hit a very large fan. Her relationship with Sharon would fall irredeemably off a cliff in a nanosecond, but she simply couldn’t help herself. There was something about Mikey that was irresistible. In Mikey’s arms she was so happy. Out of them she was a nervous wreck.

The world according to Sharon, Geri, Mikey and Jimmy was therefore spinning irredeemably out of control. The catalyst may have been the coronavirus crisis, but (cue voice-over from the start of the Jeff Wayne version of The War of the Worlds) no-one could have expected the fallout to have been so spectacular, so life-changing.

Eventually, Sharon and Mikey had ‘the big conversation’. Both had independently decided to end the relationship but, so far as Mikey was concerned, it would at least allow him to continue his relationship with Geri without all that guilt. his sexual capability he reckoned, not that Geri seemed to notice. Well, she didn’t say anything. Nevertheless, once that cat got out of the bag who knew what was going to happen?

Geri had been, not to put too fine a point on it, bricking it. Mikey was an addiction she couldn’t and wouldn’t break. She knew that Mikey was going to have to come clean about everything sooner rather than later, but doing that would more than likely permanently ruin the wonderful relationship she had with Sharon. The possibility of being ostracised by her daughter was, sadly for Sharon, a risk she was prepared to take. So, every time Sharon tried to speak privately to Mikey, she tried her best to interrupt or interfere to attempt to delay the inevitable. It was consuming her. She was damned regardless. Love can be so cruel.

The ‘big conversation’ had started in Sharon’s bedroom in the small house. It was one of the few areas where Sharon was able to get some time alone with Mikey. Geri seemed to monopolise everywhere else. Considering it was her house, it’s fair to say she was probably entitled to do so. However, Sharon considered that even though Geri was her mother, bursting into the bedroom unannounced whilst both she and Mikey were less than fully dressed was a step too far. Sharon would find out the reason why soon enough. Today though, Geri was talking to her best friend on the phone. They would be nattering for hours. It had given Sharon the perfect opportunity.

For all of his other faults, and Sharon had noticed quite a lot since he had moved in recently, Mikey realised he had to tell Sharon about what was going on between him and her mother before she found out herself. It wasn’t going to make him any less of a bastard, but he felt it was perhaps the most honest thing to do. He would wait for a suitable opening.

He sat in the bedroom and listened to Sharon outlining all the things that had made her upset, frustrated, anxious and concerned since he moved in. The relationship had changed out of all recognition so far as she was concerned. He seemed lazy, disinterested and unwilling to engage in conversation with her. As for the bedroom, their sex-life had stopped completely. No explanations had been offered; no apologies were forthcoming.

Mikey tuned out a bit whilst Sharon continued to dump him by instalments. He contrasted his time with Sharon of late to that being experienced as often as possible with Geri. It reminded him of a joke one of his mates had told in the pub one night. ‘How can you enjoy better sex with your girlfriend? Whilst making love to her doggie-style, whisper in her ear that her sister does it better. Then hold on very tightly.’

He still couldn’t believe how much fun sex with Geri was compared to with Sharon. He was no psychiatrist, but he felt she was making up for the lost time she had endured as a single mother bringing up Sharon by herself all those years ago. Was she repressed? If she was, she most certainly wasn’t now. He was finding it hard to keep up. No wonder he was too tired when he went to bed with Sharon.

As outsiders looking into this situation at this moment, it’s probably safe to say Mikey is being led by a part of his anatomy that knows no shame or guilt. It can’t speak, but its actions speak louder than words. Mikey knows deep down what he is doing is reprehensible, but he can’t stop. The future can wait. The past doesn’t matter. It’s the now that’s important. The sex is everything. We may all have been in that situation at some time in our lives. The difference is we think we can control our desires. Mikey and Geri clearly cannot.

Mikey zoned back in. Sharon was looking at him.

“You’ve not been listening to a word I’ve said.” She looked at him accusingly. “The sooner you leave; the sooner I can get my life back on track. Allowing you to stay because of the pandemic has been the best and worst thing I’ve ever done,” she continued. “The best because at least I have been able to realise what a mistake I nearly made becoming involved with you. And the worst because the last few weeks have been some of the most awful of my life. That includes when my dad died.”

Mikey had an entirely different outlook on the last few weeks. He sensed here was the opening he’d been looking for.

“I was listening to what you said. I’m sorry if you thought that wasn’t the case. The last few weeks have been a voyage of discovery for me too. Spending nearly all of every day inside a house I don’t really know well, with people I’ve rarely spent too much time with until now, has been an eye-opener. You at least have the luxury of leaving the house for a few hours most days. I’m stuck here.”

Sharon looked at Mikey slightly more sympathetically than she intended to. It was true he’d moved in at relatively short notice and had to fit in with a regime that had been created by her and her mother, but he didn’t even try to help out. A bit of cleaning perhaps; an offer to make a meal; maybe wash a car; anything other than watch TV all day whilst drinking alcohol. It was such a disappointment. She thought he was better than this. Yes, she was able to avoid going stir-crazy because of her part-time job, but any excitement she’d felt when she thought about coming home after work had evaporated into frustration and annoyance. She’d had enough.

“Look Mikey, I appreciate it’s not easy for you, but it’s simply not working. Even you must be able to see this. I want you to pack your things and leave. Please don’t make things any more difficult than they are already.”

Mikey knew he could make things more difficult. “Actually, Sharon, there’s something I need to tell you.” He took a deep breath and dropped the bomb.

When he’d finished he looked at Sharon. She was open-mouthed with an astonishment so great she was finding it hard to breathe, let alone speak. It was as though everything that was sacred to her had been thrown onto a fire and was being consumed by ever larger flames.

“GET OUT NOW!” she screamed, picking up a pot-plant by the side of the bed.

Mikey needed no second invitation. He could see the look in her eyes. As he left the bedroom he heard a crash as the pot-plant hit the wall behind where he’d been sitting. He raced downstairs. Geri was sat on the settee looking extremely upset. She’d finished her phone call and was crying. When she heard something hit the wall upstairs she knew. Mascara was already running down her cheeks.

“She knows about us,” he said unnecessarily. Another crash from the bedroom. “She’s not very happy.” Another understatement, this of of epic proportions. “I think we need to go out for a while until she calms down.”

Let’s now consider this from Geraldine’s perspective. As outsiders, it’s easy for us to look at her and say she’s an idiot, or she’s mad, or even she’s being used. All valid statements of course. Her response would be that this wasn’t what she planned, and the last thing she would ever want to do would be to hurt her daughter and prejudice their own relationship.

The truth is even more complicated than the relationship situation she finds herself in at home. After the unexpected death of her husband when Sharon was quite young, Geri made a difficult decision to forgo personal enjoyment for the sake of her daughter’s future happiness.

Her own father had died unexpectedly, and her mother had remarried with indecent haste. The step-father wasn’t a bad man, but he wasn’t half the man her real father had been. The two of them quarrelled regularly, and Geraldine left home as soon as it was legally possible for her to do so. The worst thing was that her mother always defended him, regardless of what had happened. Geraldine was lucky though, in that she quickly found someone who loved her. Any pain she felt as a consequence of the domestic upheaval she experienced was usurped by her love for her husband. The arrival of Sharon was the icing on the cake.

Then her husband died, both unexpectedly and very young. Geri’s world collapsed, but she made a vow she would never allow her daughter to go through the traumas she went through with her mother and step-father. She expressly forbade both of them from attending the funeral. They never reconciled. Her mother is dead now. She hasn’t a clue about the step-father. In truth, she doesn’t want to know anyway. She never considered him as family anyway.

Geri was a good mother and not at all overbearing, as some of the mothers she knew through Sharon were. As Sharon got older, Geri loosened the apron-strings and both suffered and enjoyed the delights of her daughter growing up with all that brings. She thought she’d been a good mother. Sharon was a self-aware, responsible, caring and loving woman now. Yes, there had been the usual tantrums and arguments, but that was par for the course.

She was proud of her daughter, but she understood instinctively that it was only a matter of time before Sharon moved elsewhere, leaving her alone. Let’s face it; she’d done this to her own mother at a younger age than Sharon is now. As an adjunct to her concerns, she started to think seriously about her own future. Life on her own was not a prospect she looked forward to with excitement. Then again, dating at her age and after such a long time by herself didn’t exactly fill her with enthusiasm either.

Geri was an attractive woman. All her friends said so. Indeed, when she went out with them occasionally it was her that tended to be the recipient of the first approach from someone looking for or offering a good time. Such approaches were rejected out of hand with a firm but friendly shake of the head. I’m not ready for any of this yet, she thought.

But, the times were changing. She was beginning to think more and more about a future by herself. She wanted the best for Sharon, but was unsure what would happen to her. And all the thinking she was doing had started to remind her of the fun she used to have when she was Sharon’s age. They were good times, that was for sure. Apart from when the step-father was around of course.

She’d compartmentalised the free-spirited Geraldine from the old days, deliberately placing her somewhere out of reach in a locked container. Then she’d hidden the key. Now it was as if the key had been magically located. It was simply a matter of time before she’d gain enough courage to open the container and release the person she once was. Strangely, this excited her. It was stirring up a few emotions long buried by the twin events of early widowhood and being a single mother. The days of denial were nearing the end.

Then the coronavirus pandemic lockdown started. She’d never been a fan of Sharon letting boyfriends stay over in her room at weekends. Thankfully, Sharon seemed to be of the same mind. Geri similarly had no problems with Sharon staying out overnight if she wanted to. Sharon was an adult now and could make those kinds of decisions herself thank you very much. It was all about communication. Just keep me in the loop, that’s all I need.

She’d met Mikey a couple of times when he’d come over to pick Sharon up. He seemed a nice enough guy. It was clear that Sharon was quite taken by him. Admittedly, it was a bit of a surprise when Sharon suggested Mikey move in. Whilst it confirmed Geri’s view that she was quite keen on Mikey, the thought of him being there all the time, interrupting the settled lifestyle she had with her daughter, was vaguely upsetting. However, these were strange times and Geri reacted in the way she believed a good mother should in such circumstances by saying yes.

For the first couple of days, Geraldine had kept her distance from Mikey. This was difficult. It was a small house. Inevitably, their paths had to cross from time to time. A charm offensive began, ostensibly to break down perceived barriers between them. Both sides attacked in an effort to out-compliment the other. It intensified when Sharon went out to work.

Geri hadn’t spent so much time in close proximity to another man since her marriage. She began to look at Mikey in a slightly different way, having realised she was becoming attracted to him. She knew it was ridiculous on so any levels, but she couldn’t help herself. Flirting had always been something she was good at. Innuendo; lower-cut tops; accidentally bumping into Mikey; she tried it all. It was obvious to her that Mikey was not exactly upset by any of this.

If anything, it was Sharon who seemed to take offence. She’d gently objected to a blouse Geri had forgotten to change out of before she came home from work, and made reference to it in the kitchen that evening. It was that kind of relationship. “Mum, I’m not sure wearing something like that is sensible. I appreciate the weather remains good, but it’s a little bit tarty if you ask me.”

Geraldine remembered the look she’d received from Mikey when he saw her wearing it for the first time. He obviously liked ‘tarty’. “Sorry love, I didn’t realise. I’ll go and change.” She made a mental note to remember to change before Sharon returned from work next time.

The worst part for Geri was the night-time. She tossed and turned in bed, thinking about how stupid she was being at her age, and with Mikey of all people. She wondered if she was having some form of masochistic mid-life crisis, or if the excesses of youth she’d deliberately avoided in favour of marriage and motherhood were returning to point out the error of her ways.

Most telling of all though was the wholly unexpected jealousy she felt whenever Sharon was alone with Mikey. It wasn’t as if Geri and Mikey were together at this time, but even at this early stage she was finding it difficult to avoid wishing it was her in bed with him rather than her daughter. Perhaps, she thought, I’m going mad.

When she and Mikey finally ran out of compliments and started a more physical approach, things moved on to an entirely new level. Any worries she may have felt about intimacy after so long without it left her as soon as she knew this was what she wanted. She gave it everything she had – there was a lot of catching up to do! Mikey did his best, bless him, but he was a paper house in the path of a hurricane. She was calling the shots.

All good things do, sadly, come to an end. In Geraldine’s case, it was precisely 14.05, as Sharon was due home from work a few minutes later. She reluctantly waved goodbye, as a now absolutely knackered Mikey exited her bedroom to put on the TV downstairs to try to get some much needed rest. Geraldine had decided she couldn’t face seeing her daughter after what had happened, so made an excuse to stay in her room.

She was thinking. I’ve opened Pandora’s Box. I’m not sure if I will be able to close it again even if I want to. How will I ever be able to look Sharon in the face again? What will she think of me when she finds out?

Trying to pretend everything was just the same after what had happened earlier was incredibly difficult that evening. Whilst Sharon was a little annoyed that Mikey was incommunicative when she returned from work, she had a few little jobs she needed to do, so it wasn’t until around 17.00 that mother and daughter spoke directly to each other. Geraldine was in the kitchen, essentially moving things from A to B and back again. Sharon breezed in and asked how her day had gone.

 

Now to add more fuel to an already out of control fire. “It’s been fine, thanks,” she lied, keeping her face turned away from her daughter. “I haven’t done very much to be honest. Mikey and I had a spot of lunch earlier. I had a nap. Other than that it’s been very quiet.”

 

As she said this, she realised she’d made an error. Not a great one, easily recoverable, but an error nevertheless. No lunch plates were in the dishwasher. Whilst Sharon would be unlikely to notice anything, Geri immediately understood how difficult it was going to be to keep her affair with Mikey secret.

It was the guilt more than anything else. Geraldine steeled herself and turned to face her daughter. I look like I’ve done something wrong, she thought. Sharon is bound to see straight through me. But Sharon didn’t see anything untoward, embarking on a long and convoluted story about someone they both knew from the Sales Dept. at Sharon’s place.

After a while, Geraldine’s heart began to beat a little less quickly. The evening meal passed with nothing of note to report, other than Mikey continually yawning. Sharon shrugged her shoulders at her mother when Mikey wasn’t looking, and Geri managed to smile back as if understanding the joke. By bedtime, Geraldine’s worries had been replaced by feelings of jealousy again. In her bedroom she imagined what was happening between Sharon and Mikey (the answer was nothing – Mikey was already fast asleep).

Sharon’s working hours were 09.00 to 14.00 Monday to Friday. Geri and Mikey were, metaphorically at least, in each other’s arms for much of that time. A kind of ritual developed between them. The lockdown at that time had at least given them something to be thankful for as medical, hairdressing, social appointments had all but disappeared. They left Sharon to her own devices each morning. As soon as she left for work, Mikey would leap into Geri’s bed, where they would make love.

There was never any conversation until after they had finished. Mikey would then get up and make tea, which he brought back to the bedroom. They talked about everything and nothing whilst drinking the tea, before making love again. Then it was a shower, late breakfast / early lunch, and perhaps, if time allowed, another roll in the hay before life became dull and boring with Sharon’s return.

The prison mentality created by the lockdown had driven a sexually reawakened Geraldine into the arms of someone who had been ambivalent about his current relationship until the chance of something better came along. Mikey was carrying on the best traditions of wanting his cake and eating it with someone who seemed more than happy to allow this to happen.

Occasionally (but only occasionally) they talked about ‘the future’. “Have you thought about life after Sharon at all?” Geri asked him one afternoon. “How do you see everything in a few months’ time?”

“I haven’t really thought much beyond telling Sharon about us if I’m honest. How that goes will more than likely determine what happens next.” Mikey knew, as did Geri, that the ‘Sharon aspect’ was becoming an elephant in the room. “I worry more about how it will affect you than me.”

Geraldine took some comfort in what he said. He obviously cared about her. In truth, she had begun to worry more about a future without Sharon, when she knew what had been going on, than about a future without Mikey. If nothing else, the affair had given Geri a massive boost to her self-esteem. Mikey would be replaceable eventually, not that she wanted to replace him at the moment. Sharon wasn’t.

Her dilemma was compounded by a belief she couldn’t help herself now. She seemed prepared to destroy all she had built for herself since the death of her husband. Losing Sharon was the last thing she wanted, but the road she was travelling along was one-way without exits. The highs were outweighing the lows at present. Her relationship with Mikey was the equivalent of addiction, she thought. I simply can’t help myself.

Geri had discovered a zest for life. Mikey had discovered a wild animal. He couldn’t tame her, but the ride was unbelievable. Both were living in a fools’ paradise though. There was no-one to suggest they should try to just enjoy it whilst it lasted because it wouldn’t last forever. Even if there had been someone, the pair of them would have ignored the advice. It was all going to go wrong when Sharon found out, and now she had. The enormity of the crime had suddenly become very real to Geri. Now what? Time to reap the whirlwind?

Sharon ran out of things to throw. She suddenly became calm. Part of her reasoned this can’t be happening. I’m simply having a bad dream. Another part looked out through the bedroom window to see Mr Jenkinson across the road cleaning his car. It was something he always did at this time on this day of the week. So it wasn’t a dream then. She needed time to think things over before deciding what to do next. A plan formed.

Within an hour she had packed a suitcase. If she’d forgotten anything, tough. She went through the drawer containing Mikey’s things and picked up his keys and mobile phone. The keys went into her pocket. The mobile phone was flushed down the toilet. It was quiet in the house as she dragged her suitcase downstairs. She didn’t stop to say goodbye, she just opened the front door and then slammed it behind her.

Although Sharon hadn’t got a car of her own, she could drive. She had occasionally used Mikey’s in the past, when he didn’t need it for work or whatever, so was familiar with how it worked. After unlocking it with the zapper she opened the boot, put the suitcase in, closed the boot and then entered the car, where she sat behind the steering wheel for several minutes before starting the engine and driving off. She arrived at the flat Mikey shared with Jimmy a few minutes later. To her way of thinking, if Mikey was taking over at her mother’s house, she was going to do the same at the flat.

She opened the front door, suitcase behind her. Jimmy was fast asleep on the settee. The TV was still on. He was wearing underpants, but that was it. There were takeaway boxes all over the floor and a large number of empty plastic bottles and lager cans. It was a bombsite. With everything that had happened so far today, nothing could surprise her any more. She weaved a path through all the crap and deposited herself in Mikey’s room.

It was an oasis compared to what she had seen of the rest of the house, but in a way that was to be expected with Mikey not having been there for a few weeks. She found a bin bag, threw all the clothes of his she could find into it, dragged it out of the flat and threw it into the boot of the car. Then she sorted out all the items she’d brought with her and sat on the bed, thinking murderous thoughts.

It wasn’t getting her anywhere, she finally accepted an hour later. She needed to occupy herself, find something to take her mind off things for now. She walked out of the bedroom. Jimmy was still asleep. If the area around the settee was a shithole, the kitchen area was worse. Unwashed cups of coffee; bits of cereal on the work surface and the floor; milk that was well past its sell-by date; it ticked all the boxes for an episode of The Young Ones. Sharon began to tidy up.

She realised she didn’t have to do this. In fact, part of her was disgusted that she’d even considered doing it. But there were two reasons why she decided to proceed. Firstly, it was therapy. Secondly, if she was going to be staying there for a few days she’d prefer the place to be inhabitable.

It took her an hour to make the kitchen and settee areas acceptable to her. Jimmy remained asleep throughout. Whilst clearing up around him she tried to remember what she knew about him. It wasn’t much. He was gay, in an on/off relationship with someone in Leeds if memory served. She couldn’t remember what he did for a living. She could tell he hadn’t been looking after himself recently though. He looked pale, thin and in need of a shower judging by the greasiness of his hair.

I’ve gone from one disaster area to another, she thought as she switched off the TV. Then she made a small list of items she needed for the kitchen, before disappearing to get them. When she got back half an hour later, Jimmy was awake and thankfully, wearing some kind of grubby shirt over his underwear. He looked extremely confused, partially because of all he cider he’d been drinking lately.

“Where’s Mikey?” he asked Sharon. At least he knew who she was.

“At my house,” Sharon replied. “He’s not coming back for a while. I’m here in his place.” She didn’t want to go through the story of what had happened just now. She wanted something to eat and drink first. Maybe then she’d provide more details.

“Cool,” said Jimmy. “I could use the company.”