Follow My Lead Episode 30
Lydia sighed, thinking back to her lunch with Basil.
“Pizza again?” Danielle flashed her a mischievous grin.
“Pizza,” Lydia confirmed. “That was pretty much same old same old.
“I told him about that job I’ve heard of. He was very encouraging, and asked lots of questions about it.
“He knows the company, of course, so he offered a few pointers.
“If I go for it,” she stressed. “I haven’t decided yet.”
Her voice tailed off and she sank into silence again.
Something was obviously troubling her, but she would talk about it only when she was ready.
Danielle assumed it was this business with Basil.
She felt sorry for her godmother, who was the kindest person she knew, apart from her own mum.
“Oh, I just remembered,” Danielle said. “Mum phoned. She’s coming for a visit on Saturday. She wants to check up on you.”
That earned a smile from Lydia.
“Yes, she messaged me, too. She said she wants to see for herself that I’m not driving you nuts.”
They laughed as Danielle drove on, nearing Ollie’s home.
She toured the streets around his address, looking for somewhere to park.
It was a busy neighbourhood, but especially so when the junior school came out each afternoon.
“Don’t children walk anywhere any more?” she grumbled as she dodged round cars parked across driveways and on corners.
“They all want to park at the school gates.”
Finally she found a space two streets away from Ollie’s home.
“He won’t complain about another little walk, will you, Ollie?”
She turned round to blow him a kiss through the grille and hopped out of the van.
Danielle grasped the back door handle.
She turned it. Nothing happened.
“No!” she groaned. “Not again. Not now.”
She took a deep breath.
“Don’t panic, Danielle,” she muttered. “Just grip the handle and turn.”
Still nothing.
She raised her eyes to the sky. One more try.
She crossed the fingers of her left hand, but it was no good.
“Oh, Ollie,” she said.
He was peering at her through the back door’s glass panel.
“Just when things were going so well.”
Lydia jumped, startled, when she appeared at her window.
She opened the door.
“What’s up?”
“You know how I said things were looking up?”
“Yes. Has something happened?” Lydia asked
“Guess.”
Danielle watched the penny drop.
“The lock’s playing up?”
Danielle nodded.
“And this time it’s worse, because this time it’s not just your luggage that’s stuck in the van.”