Lucky Break

First it was her wrist, then her feet — and now her forehead. What on earth was going on here?

How hard could it be? A week in her older cousin, Anna’s, house looking after two dogs, a cat, and a budgie, while Anna went to visit her son who now lived in Italy with his Italian wife, Gabriella? Besides, Helena could do with a break.

Dogs to be walked three times a day, 20 minutes each time. Feed after the first and second walks only.

Cat to be fed at 5pm. One small saucer of food. Felix’s water bowl to be kept topped up at all times.

Budgie to have half an eggcup of seed every other day and water trough kept topped up.

Helena re-read her instructions.

“Easy peasy, I can do that,” she said, ruffling the head of Max, a rather handsome black and tan dog of indeterminate parentage. Not to be outdone, Lola came for a head ruffle too, Helena’s fingers almost disappearing in the Bichon Frisée’s mass of white fur. “And you two might find I’ll walk you further than Anna does.”

Good, long walks would clear Helena’s mind — or she hoped they would. She was what actors called “between” jobs whereas, in reality, she simply didn’t have one any more. She’d been “let go” at the estate agency she’d worked in for the past 10 years. She was also “between” diets and needed to be thinking about the next one so good, long walks would set that up for her nicely. Helena was “between” relationships as well following her split from Adam — her choice. That Adam hadn’t sounded heartbroken when she told him she thought it was time to call time on their relationship, he’d simply said, “Yeah, might be best.” No surprises then that he’d moved in with someone he worked with a fortnight later.

Helena had no intention of moving in with anyone. Not for a while, anyway.