Taking Off
Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Katie hadn’t seen neither her brother nor her mother since kicking Matt’s umbrella. She had talked to her mother on the phone but had always terminated the conversations after ten minutes, citing studying. When her mother had called at five and suggested she brought dinner, Katie had accepted the offer out of surprise.
“Are you looking after yourself Katherine? You look pale.”
“I’m my natural colour, I’ve not been on holidays since, well, ages, like.”
“Do you eat well?”
“I try, I try.”
Linda prepared the food as she had promised while Katie packed books and folders in her bag for the following day. She was sitting for her first series of exams and had two more to do.
“Can we talk darling?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll be honest with you, I’m here because we are worried about you.”
“Are you?”
“Yes. Barely any contact with us, no contact with your brother.”
“You know why. I can’t see his face right now, I’m so angry.”
“You’re wrong. I had a chat with him and he said the problem was an incomplete form. His fault but no malice.”
“What? The… The…” Katie ran to her bedroom and brought back her initial refusal letter. “Read this. Read this!”
Linda read it through a few times. “I don’t understand. Who wrote this reference they are mentioning?”
“Matt. Matt! I only had one reference letter, it was his. There was no form to fill in, just a letter.”
“Oh dear.” She lifted her hand to her neck. “That’s… I don’t know what to say… That’s awful of him.”
“Yes. That’s why I can’t spend time with him, that’s why I haven’t been around much lately.”
“I… He…” Linda cried softly for a few seconds, then her moans grew so loud that Matt must have heard them from Peckham. Katie made a pot of tea and served a cup to her mother, who sipped at it in between sobs. After a few minutes, Linda dried her eyes.
“I’m sorry Mum, I didn’t want to upset you. That’s why I kept it from you all this time.”
“If I had known. But why?”
“Jealousy?”
“I know he can be jealous but I would never have thought. Well, anyway, needless to say, I’m happy to help you financially with the course fees now. Let’s look at the figures.”
Katie and her mother discussed her living expenses, such as electricity bills, travel and food. Her mother agreed to cover them but she remained keen on exploring grant and sponsorship avenues for the fifteen grand still required to pay off the course fees.
***
The following week, Katie and Linda met up with Adrian. He explained that Katie fared well for obtaining funding from Knowledge For All, a charity helping adults pursuing further education. Her case ticked all the right boxes as her family problems as a teenager had clearly hindered her ability to achieve good results at school then. They came back to Katie’s flat elated and celebrated with a cup of tea and a slice of chocolate cake. Katie tossed aside her homework and set the delicacies on the table while her mother grabbed a pack of letters from one of the two chairs and placed them on top of the television.
“You’ve got a bunch of unopened letters there.”
“I know, I don’t have time, it’s all junk anyway.”
“So much junk mail these days, and getting on that list hasn’t helped us much, we still get at least two junk letters every day.”
They chatted for an hour and Linda left at eight. Katie finished off reading a book about engines her teacher had recommended her, then she put the dirty dishes in the sink, wiped the table clean and reorganised her coursework on it. She carried the pile of unopened letters to the sofa and shifted through them. Offers for credit cards, loans, mortgages, Christmas shopping, more credit cards, and a letter from the estate agency she rented her flat from. She binned all of them except for the last one, which she opened.
“Dear Miss Trebworth,
We are hereby giving you six weeks notice for vacating the property at Flat 3, 278 Coldharbour Lane. The property will be put on the market in the new year.
Please get in touch with us to confirm reception of this letter and to discuss your exact leaving date.”
After reading the letter, Katie visited her corner shop and bought four cans of Stella. She drank the first one in under ten minutes. Her head started spinning. Without moving from the sofa, she drank the second can, then the third and about half of the fourth.
