Paradise Fields (7 page)

Reg shook his head. ‘It's bad. How will the hospice manage without the money it raises from the do's? Not to mention the rent the stallholders pay.'

‘Don't mention that! If the Hunstantons find out they may demand back payment! I was hoping, with the market going official, and getting much bigger, that we'd get loads more!'

‘You may be able to move the market to another site,' Reg suggested.

‘Yes, I'm going to look into that. As long as we don't have to pay the council – or at least, not much – the market should survive. But I – somehow – have to arrange for the hospice still to benefit from it! We need the money so badly. And our jamborees! How are we going to have them without a site with river frontage for the steam boats? I'm thinking of organising a
campaign to stop the building, until someone finds a rare newt or something.'

‘Are there any rare newts or anything?'

‘I have no idea, but there'd better be. I can't think what else will work.'

‘And even that might not do the trick nowadays.' Reg rearranged a pyramid of beetroot. ‘Tell you what, why don't you go along to the chairman of the football team? He might help you.'

‘Why would he?'

‘Because they use the other bit of land, across the road. Their junior teams practise there, to save the pitch getting all muddied up.'

‘I don't know if I knew that.' Nel thought for a moment. ‘I suppose it's because football is a winter thing, and we use the meadows more in the summer.'

‘Your lads not play football then?'

‘No. They had no ball control, according to their PE teacher. You don't know who the chairman of the team is, do you?'

“Fraid not. Not since old Bill Chapman died. They've got a new one now. But the best place to find him would be at a match.'

‘I've never been to a proper football match, with grown-ups in it.'

‘Time to start. There's one on Wednesday. You go along to that, and then ask to have the chairman pointed out to you. He'll be delighted to see you.'

Reg, Nel knew, had a soft spot for her, and a very kind heart, in spite of a somewhat brusque exterior. She doubted if the chairman of Meadow Green Rovers would be that thrilled to see her, but he might be glad of support if he knew and cared about his junior teams'
practice ground being built on. On the other hand, perhaps they'd already got somewhere else to practise, so he wouldn't give a damn.

‘Who can I go with? I don't want to go to a football match on my own. That would be just too sad.'

‘What about those strapping sons of yours?'

‘As I said, not into football. They would come with me if I asked them, but I'd have to get them to come down from university, and I'd rather find someone who actually wanted to go.'

‘No use looking at me, love. I'm not into football either.'

Nel continued her shopping, eyeing up all the friends that she met for potential footy-loving characteristics. Eventually, in despair, she told of her dilemma to a friend she didn't see that often. Sheila was an extremely positive person and Nel made a note to get her involved in the campaign. She was surprisingly helpful about the football match too.

‘Oh, Suzy'll go with you. She's a big fan of Meadow Green.'

‘Would she mind? I haven't seen Suzy since she was little, and she probably wouldn't want me with her at a football match.'

‘She wouldn't mind at all. She'd be delighted. I'll ask her when I get home.'

‘So how are her A levels going, then?'

‘She's working extremely hard, but you can never tell, can you?'

Nel shook her head. She wasn't sure that Fleur was working at all, let alone extremely hard. All her enquiries were answered by soothing noises and, ‘Don't worry, Mum.'

‘I'll get Suzy to give you a ring later.'

‘That would be so kind, as long as you're sure she wouldn't mind.'

Suzy, on the phone later, assured Nel that she'd be delighted to take her along. ‘Wrap up really warm, and wear comfortable shoes, or boots: your feet get freezing. I'll get a lift to yours.'

On Wednesday, although Nel had not gone there to enjoy herself, she couldn't help picking up on the buzz of excitement of being in a crowd of people all on the same mission: going to ‘the match'. It was an evening match and the darkness added to the feeling of expectation that Nel found developing. Suzy's infectious enthusiasm helped. Although they were the same age, Suzy, Nel discovered, was a very different child to Fleur. Suzy was interested in politics, world poverty and the ozone layer. Fleur was interested in her friends, her social skills and clothes. Having lots in common with them both, Nel found them equally delightful.

Once at the ground, Nel parked the car where Suzy suggested. ‘Dad always parks here because you can always get out easily. We need a car park, really, but then we need a lot of other things, too.'

Nel was surprised at how many people were thronging to the match. ‘Is it always this busy?'

‘It's an important match. If we win this, we're up for promotion, which is why we need a revamp. But don't worry, it's a very friendly crowd, if we stay away from the opposition.'

‘Thanks. I'm not that keen on crowds.'

Suzy wrapped a scarf of the appropriate colours round Nel's neck. ‘Don't worry, I'll look after you.'

Role reversal again.

‘I'm a season-ticket holder, so I go in here,' explained Suzy, who was proving the perfect companion. ‘You go through that turnstile. We can buy chocolate now, or wait until half-time and buy pies,' she went on. ‘Only please don't have a pasty as we always lose if any of us buys a pasty.'

‘It's all right, I've already eaten. There are about a thousand calories in a pie.'

‘I know. That's what makes them so delicious, but I've eaten too. I'm afraid the best place to stand is all the way over there.'

‘You don't happen to know who the chairman is, do you? You seem to know everything else.'

Suzy laughed. ‘'Fraid not. He's new and doesn't get to every match. But I'll ask around. Hey, Rob? You don't know if the chairman's here tonight, do you? And if he is, which one is he?'

‘Yeah, I think he's here. And I think that's him. Do you see? He's got his back to us, talking to that man in the anorak?'

Neither Suzy nor Nel could see, but knowing he was present was a start. Although Nel was starting to enjoy herself in a way she hadn't thought she would, she didn't want to have wasted an evening waiting for someone who wasn't there.

Football banter went back and forth between the group of regulars as they waited for the kick-off. Nel couldn't understand much of it, except the bits when they talked about the dreadful condition of the buildings.

‘The showers are so bad, the players warm up running up and down trying to catch the drips,' said one.

‘Yeah, and the water that does come out is full of rust. Our Kevin played up here as a junior once. Don't think anything's changed since.'

‘Hey, they're off!'

With Suzy at her side explaining things, Nel found herself getting caught up in the match. She got excited when a goal was scored, and although she didn't join in with the chants (everyone seemed to know what they were, even before anyone started), she found the whole experience extremely enjoyable.

It wasn't, she explained at half-time as she ate a thousand-calorie meat pie with Suzy, that she wanted to become a regular, ‘but I can see how people get bound up in it. I'm just sorry my boys didn't get interested. I wonder if I didn't encourage them enough.'

‘My brother's not into football and Dad is, so I don't suppose it's your fault,' said Suzy. ‘Have a chip?'

‘You realise I've just blown an entire week's dieting just with the pie. The chip will turn me into Colonel Blimp by next Monday.'

‘Why Monday?'

‘When I get weighed.'

‘I really don't think dieting's good for you, you know.'

‘It's funny, but it's only people who don't need to who say that.'

Nel's feet were very cold by the time Meadow Green Rovers had won their match. ‘It means they're up for promotion,' reiterated Suzy, still enthusiastic, but losing hope that one day Nel would understand the offside rule.

‘That's good. It'll give me something to talk about when I go and speak to the chairman. Now, can I just march up to him and say hello, or is there an etiquette I should know about?'

‘No idea. I expect you can just go up to him. He's not royalty, after all.'

‘Are you going to come with me? Or do you want to meet up with your friends?'

‘I'll meet you later. Have you got your phone on you?' Nel nodded. ‘Send me a text when you're ready.'

‘I don't do texting. I'm over thirty.'

‘Mum does! And she's well over thirty!'

‘So am I actually. I'm going now. See you soon.'

Nel was considered by all who knew her to be friendly and outgoing. Only she knew that inside she was extremely shy. Now, for instance, although she was holding her head up and had a smile at the ready, inside she was convinced that the chairman wouldn't want to talk to her, and she'd have to fight her way back through the crowd rejected.

She got herself near the middle of the throng before asking someone if they'd mind pointing out the chairman to her. The someone obliged, and Nel plotted a course in the direction of the navy blue overcoat indicated.

She cleared her throat. ‘Excuse me! Oh! It's you.'

Jake Demerand was the last person she wanted to see.

‘I was looking for the new chairman. I was told it was you. Can you point him out to me, please?'

‘I'm afraid it is me.'

‘What?'

‘I am the new chairman of the football team.'

Nel's feet hurt. She was cold, and her pie was beginning to give her indigestion. ‘Oh God! This is so awful!'

‘Why? You weren't hoping for the position yourself, were you?'

‘Of course not! It's just I was going to ask the chairman of the team for some support for my campaign.'

‘What campaign?'

‘Derr!' Nel heard herself sound just like Fleur but didn't care. ‘The campaign I'm going to organise to stop your millionaire clients from building on the water meadows!'

‘If my clients were millionaires they wouldn't need to build on them.'

‘They don't need to build on them anyway, it's just that that woman wants to turn the whole place into something likely to get her in the house magazines. All Hunstanton Manor needs is a few new tiles on the roof, and it would be fine! People's standards are just too high!'

He laughed, and she realised she was being ridiculous. It was the shock of meeting Jake Demerand when she was expecting a friendly, grizzled man in a sheepskin coat who would pat her on the shoulder and say, ‘You leave it with me, love. We'll stop them toffs puttin' ‘arses on them water meadows.' Perhaps her
EastEnders
addiction was dangerous, after all.

‘Listen, Mrs Innes – Nel – why don't we carry on this conversation over a drink?'

In any other circumstances in the world, Nel would have said yes, Simon or no Simon. She took a breath. ‘Because not only do you talk in clichés, Mr Lawyer Demerand, but there isn't a spoon long enough in the world.'

‘What are you talking about?'

‘You've heard the expression, I'm sure. “If you sup with the devil, use a long spoon.”'

There was a short silence. ‘I'm sorry you think of me
as the devil, Mrs Innes. Because I assure you I don't think of you in those terms at all.'

‘Oh, don't you? Well, you will. When I get my campaign up and running, you're going to be sticking pins in wax models of me.'

‘Really?' Irritatingly, a smile flickered across his face.

‘Oh yes. You'll find I'm a force to be reckoned with. You'd better warn your clients to scale down their plans, because that land is not going to be built on while I live and breathe.'

‘Well, I do hope you continue to live and breathe but I'm afraid you're wrong about the building. It's going to happen. There are some starter homes planned and the council are going to be delighted.'

‘God! I believe you want the water meadows lost for ever! Did you know that the junior football teams practise on them?'

‘No, as it happened, I didn't. But I do now.'

‘And doesn't that affect how you think about things? Poor little boys, freezing cold, in shorts, with nowhere to practise.' Too late she realised she probably shouldn't have said those negative-sounding things.

‘Well, of course it's a shame we don't have a nice warm indoor stadium for them.'

‘You weren't planning to build one, were you?'

‘No. But it explains why you can't get me excited about that extremely damp bit of ground you've just described.'

‘How do you know it's damp?' Nel replied after a moment's thought.

‘Because I help train the junior team.'

‘Oh.' Deflated, Nel paused. But she soon rallied. ‘Well, you can't have done it for long. You're new to the area.'

‘Not that new. It's just that I've only recently come to your attention.'

‘You haven't “come to my attention”! I would pay you no attention whatever if I hadn't thought you – or rather the chairman of the team – would support my campaign!'

‘No? I saw you watching me play squash, you know.'

‘What?'

‘I saw you watching me and my friend play squash. What is it that takes you to the leisure centre on Monday nights?'

‘I don't know what you're talking about,' she lied, knowing only too well.

‘Oh yes, you do. You didn't have a sports bag with you, so what were you doing?'