As Mandy entered the motor home sales office the next day, Ruarc who was already in his office, called out to come in and see him. Mandy hung up her coat with a feeling of foreboding, opened the door to his office and stood nervously wondering what was on his mind.
Ruarc, tossed an invoice that had arrived in the post on top of some paperwork that looked suspiciously like yet more unpaid invoices. It was obvious he was a bad mood.
“Gladys is still off sick. We can’t do without her. I need somebody to go around and sort her out. I don’t know whether it’s a girly thing that she’s got so I need a woman on the job. Rita’s no good at this sort of thing so that only leaves you.
“What exactly do you want me to do?”
“Anything that sorts the matter out. We need the motorhome sales office to run properly, we need the suppliers kept happy and we need to make more sales. You know what we need and it’s in your interests to make the firm work so you get paid. Now get around there sharpish so that you can get back to pulling in the motor home rentals.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know where she lives and I haven’t got any transport.”
“Take the Nu Venture Rio motorhome. Its nippy and easy to manoeuvre for parking. Here’s Gladys’ address.”
Ruarc, tossed a set of keys for the Nu Venture Rio motorhome and a note with her address scrawled on it. Mandy saw that it was in the local town.
It had been a few weeks since Mandy had driven anything after being forced to surrender her car back to the leasing company because she couldn’t keep up the payments and it felt great to be behind the wheel again.
The Nu Venture Rio hummed along beautifully and felt hardly different to drive than a large car. The twin bench seats spread out behind her like a pair of wings urging her to fly.
Mandy wondered whether her work duties might become ever more integrated into Ruarc’s business so that eventually she could take a much greater management role.
Ruarc seemed an acute businessman. There was the aspects of his business that Mandy didn’t like but, if the edges could be refined, it was potentially a business that could go far.
To get the feeling of the small motorhome, Mandy took the bypass all the way to the roundabout and then came back almost to Ruarc’s motorhomes before heading off into town.
It would have been so nice just to keep driving … to be free, thought Mandy then, resignedly, headed back.
Gladys’ house was located in a clump of properties that looked as if they were ex-local authority. Mandy easily parked the Nu Venture outside.
The garden gate was rotten and held open by a small boulder although the garden itself was tidy enough. The house had a tired feeling as if an attempt had been made to make it look respectable but with little money to put plans and dreams into effect.
Mandy pressed the doorbell, found it didn’t work and wrapped gently on the door with her knuckles.
A dishevelled man Mandy assumed was Gladys’ husband came to the door and eyed her suspiciously as if she was somebody from the Benefits Office.
My name’s Mandy and I’m from where Gladys works. We were worried about her. Is she in?
“She’s upstairs and not up yet. You can find your way. I’ll be in the back garden with my pigeons if you need me.”
The man retreated, obviously keen to get out from any line of fire.
Mandy closed the door behind her. The hallway was empty and sparse with a covering of lino on the floor. The staircase was to her right and Mandy climbed the stairs feeling intrusive calling out to Gladys as she went.
“What is it?” It was a sound of Gladys’ voice from behind one of the doors.
Mandy knocked on the door and entered saying “It’s only me! Ruarc sent me around because he was worried about you.”
