Beggars Not Choosers

By Anna Carey

Illustration: Shutterstock

UPLIFTING SHORT STORY WRITTEN BY SUSAN WRIGHT

What would it take for Kat to like their new neighbourhood – and for the new neighbours to like her?

Emma was worried about going home that night. Just before she reached Chestnut Avenue, she pulled over to the side of the road and turned her engine off, so she could take a few deep breaths and pluck up the courage to face her wife.

It was obvious Kat still wasn’t happy. She’d ignored all the texts Emma had sent her during the day, and she’d been in a right old mood when Emma had got home from work the night before.

Standing there in the middle of their new living room, she’d glared at Emma and declared she wished they had never moved.

“But this is a lovely house,” Emma had protested.

“Yes, but we’re never going to be able to afford to make it look good,” Kat muttered before she plonked herself down on their one and only chair.

“Of course we are,” Emma said. “I grant you, it’s going to take us a while to get the place how we want it, but it’ll look much better once we’ve painted everywhere, won’t it?”

“I suppose so,” Kat replied grumpily. “But we’ve got hardly any furniture and we won’t be able to get anything decent now the boiler’s conked out.”

“No, I know – but they have some good stuff in some of the charity shops if we keep a look out,” Emma said, sitting down on the grubby carpet.

Kat glared at her. “But we said we were going to get new stuff!”

“I know, but beggars can’t be choosers, Kat, and we didn’t know about the boiler then. Or the bath.”

“Oh, we knew about the bath,” Kat snapped, brushing some dust off her sleeve. “We saw how disgusting it was when we first looked at the house, and we should have found out how much a new one would cost back then. And how much a plumber would charge.”

“True,” Emma agreed.

“And we should have asked around and found a reliable plumber too,” Kat went on. “I was really looking forward to having a bath tonight, but now I can’t because the plumber didn’t turn up.

“And the neighbours are awful, too.”

“Are they?”

Kat nodded and sighed.

“Yeah, they are. The woman next door walked to her car while I was outside earlier on, and she didn’t even say hello!”

“Perhaps she didn’t see you.”

“Of course she did,” Kat growled as she picked at a hole in her jeans. “She probably just didn’t want to talk to me because I look so scruffy.”

“You don’t look that bad.”

Kat sighed. “Oh, yes I do. I look a right mess because all my clothes are ancient, and my hair hasn’t been cut for years.”

“But it looks OK.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Kat fiddled with her fringe. “I look awful, so the neighbours don’t want to talk to me. Or maybe it’s because we’ve lowered the tone by having a great big skip on the drive.”

Emma shook her head.

“No, no, I shouldn’t think it’s anything to do with that at all.”

“Well, the woman next door didn’t say a word – and none of the other neighbours have been round either.”

Kat ripped a scrunchie out of her hair and then started putting it back in again.

“Things were so different when we moved into the flat. People brought us housewarming gifts then, didn’t they?”

“Yes – but they only gave us little things, if you remember.”

“Well, that was better than nothing. They were all so welcoming.”

“No, I don’t think they were really,” Emma replied, thinking back. “I’m pretty sure most of our neighbours only came and introduced themselves because they wanted to get us onside because of the landlord, and I don’t think any of them came round after a couple of days.”

“They did,” Kat snapped before sticking out her bottom lip. “Oh, we should never have moved here, Emma. We’ve made a massive mistake.”

“No, we haven’t,” Emma replied, resisting the urge to tell Kat that she was acting like a spoilt little kid. “You’re just stressed because of the move and the bath and the boiler. We’ll get a takeaway, have an early night and you’ll feel much better about everything tomorrow.”

“No, I won’t.”

“Oh, yes, you will,” Emma said, hoping and praying Kat would feel a lot more positive after a good night’s sleep.

She was normally in a much better mood in the mornings, but she’d still been asleep when Emma had set off for work in the dark, and she hadn’t been in touch all day.

It was so unlike her, and Emma was worried that she was going to be in an even worse mood than she’d been in the night before. She was going to have to go home and face her at some stage, so she might as well just get it over with.

She turned her engine back on and headed for home.

Hi,” she called out once she’d opened the door. “I’m home, Kat!”

“Oh, good,” Kat cried as she hurried into the hall, a tea towel in her hand. “I’ve got so much to tell you, Emma. The plumber turned up and sorted the bath out, and some of the neighbours have been round as well!”

Emma smiled in relief.

“Oh, that’s good. But why didn’t you answer my texts? I’ve been worried, Kat – thinking you weren’t talking to me.”

“Oh, sorry.” Kat looked as if she really was. “I’ve just been so busy. Lorna from next door came round with a lovely cake and I was talking to her for ages. And then the couple from number 14 came round and invited us to a barbecue!”

“Oh, that sounds good.”

“Yes, it does, and they’re really nice, Emma. He’s a teacher and she’s a hairdresser, and I’m going to go to her salon and have my hair cut.”

Emma’s eyes opened wide at this startling news.

“But you don’t usually trust hairdressers. You worry that they’re going to cut your hair too short.”

“I know, but Natasha told me exactly how she would cut it and it sounded great,” Kat said enthusiastically.

“Oh! Good.”

“Oh, and something amazing happened,” Kat went on as she grabbed hold of Emma’s hand and led her through to the living room. “Just look!”

“Wow!” Emma walked up to the black leather sofa and ran her hand along the top of it. “It’s lovely. Did you get it from one of the charity shops?”

“No,” Kat replied excitedly. “Somebody left it by the skip last night!”

“Did they?” Emma frowned. “I’m pretty sure it wasn’t there when I went to work this morning.”

“Well, it was dark when you went, and they might have left it after you’d gone,” Kat said as threw herself down on to the sofa. “But it’s great, isn’t it?”

Emma nodded as she sat down as well.

“Mmm. It’s nice. Very comfortable. But it’s not new, obviously.”

“No, of course it isn’t, but there’s nothing much wrong with it and beggars can’t be choosers, Emma.”

“True,” Emma grinned. “But how on earth did you get it in here?”

“The plumber helped me,” Kat said. “Anyway, do you want a piece of the cake Lorna brought round? It’s delicious. It’s lemon drizzle.”

Emma nodded eagerly. “That would be great. Is this Lorna nice?”

“Yes, she’s lovely, and I got it so wrong when I thought she ignored me yesterday. She said she didn’t even see me when she walked to her car because she was staring at her phone.”

Emma decided not to say anything.

“Mind you, she was a bit apprehensive when she came to the door because the couple who lived here before were really awful,” Kat added, her eyes opening wide. “Apparently, they used to complain about everything.”

“Really?”

“Yes, they used to go berserk if anybody parked across their drive even for a moment, and they used to go and have a word with Tim and Natasha if they thought their children were making too much noise in the garden!”

“But children always make a lot of noise,” Emma pointed out, wondering if the day would ever come when they’d be able to afford to have a child.

“I know, but Mr and Mrs Johnson used to complain about that and a lot of other things, apparently, and they never mixed with the neighbours.”

Emma frowned. “Really? But they seemed friendly enough when they showed us round.”

“Yes, but no one liked them, Emma,” Kat said as she ran her hand along the arm of the sofa. “Apparently, they even used to complain when anybody had a barbecue. Said the smoke made their washing reek.”

“Well, it probably did. Didn’t people warn them when there was going to be a barbecue? Or invite them?”

Kat shrugged.

“I don’t know. I think we’re going to get on with the neighbours really well, though. They’re all so friendly. Lorna said some other people are going to come and introduce themselves once we’ve settled in a bit more.”

“That will be nice.”

Kat nodded as she stood up.

“Yes, it will. Apparently, people didn’t want to disturb us when we’d just moved in, but there are loads of other neighbours, and one of the women living over the road is an interior designer, so she might be able to give us some tips about colours and stuff!”

“That will be great,” Emma replied, wishing that Kat would just go and get the cake.

Kat sat back down again.

“I was thinking we could have different shades of grey everywhere – but then I wondered if that might be a bit depressing.”

“No, I think it would be fine.”

“Or we could go for magnolia. Or white! That can look stunning, can’t it?”

Emma nodded.

“Yes, it can, but we can talk about all that sort of stuff later on. I’d just like to have a piece of that cake now.”

“OK.” Kat stood up, took a step towards the kitchen, and then turned back again. “Oh, I’ve just remembered. Lorna said that everybody in Chestnut Avenue belongs to one of those neighbourhood chat group things!”

“Yes. I know they do. The estate agent told us about it.”

“Did she?” Kat looked blank. “Well, I don’t remember her mentioning it, but we’ll have to join it so we can keep up with what’s going on.”

“Yes, we will,” Emma agreed, deciding she wouldn’t tell Kat that she’d already joined until she’d eaten her cake.

Because Kat would only want to look at it straight away, and she was starving because she hadn’t had any lunch.

She’d woken up late because she’d been chatting to people on the Chestnut Avenue group while Kat had been sleeping the night before, so she’d arrived at work late and had to forgo
her lunch break.

It had been worth it, though.

Their neighbours had all been so friendly when she’d been chatting to them during the night, and someone had obviously taken pity on her after she’d posted about not having any furniture.

And the sofa really was great.

It was going to look so good with the coffee table she was going to go round and collect from Lorna’s house.

Just as soon as she’d had a piece of her delicious cake.