The 'phone call

Leonora was miserable. Her ankle was not painful but it was aching. She had no energy. She had little food in the flat, and what little she had she didn't feel like cooking.

She missed her personal waiter service. She definitely missed Mrs Leonard in the kitchen preparing something delicious every day. She missed Tata. It was a good thing she had the little crutches for company and they tried their best to cheer her up.

Leonora wondered if she should ring Leonard on some feeble pretext, and see if she would be welcome to return, but decided against it. Perhaps she should send him a snotty email, pointing out how thoughtful it was of him (not) to get in touch to see if she had arrived home safely. But she didn't do anything.

She gazed at the internet and decided internet supermarket shopping would be the way to sort her depleted kitchen. Perhaps she should sit down and plan her menus over the next few days and make sure she had exactly everything she needed. She didn't feel like paying extra delivery charges for a few small items, and she would be so annoyed if she forgot anything from her list.

For the next couple of hours all was peaceful, as Leonora lay on the sofa with a notepad and pen, surrounded by cookbooks, happily planning some delicious meals. The little crutches lay on the floor next to her, chatting for a while, and then snoozing on and off.

...............................

"Don't forget to ring Leonora at lunchtime," was Mrs Leonard's parting shot as Leonard went out of the door to work.

Leonard frowned. It was going to be difficult to get out of this. He hoped he wasn't going to be too busy at work, and then he could spend most of the morning planning what to say to Leonora.

He wondered if Mrs Leonard would accept an email as a suitable compromise. He doubted it.

He still wasn't sure what he was going to say when he arrived home at lunchtime. He decided to pick up the 'phone and get it over with.

.................................

Leonora had finally compiled her shopping list. She was carefully entering it into the supermarket on-line ordering form when the 'phone rang. Just as well it was on the desk, she thought, as she picked it up absent-mindedly, still thinking about her shopping list.

.................................

"Hello Leonora," said Leonard chirpily.

Leonora paused. Actually she nearly dropped the 'phone.

"Hi," she said curtly.

Oh dear, thought Leonard. Here we go.

"I rang to ask how you were. I thought you might have been tired last night after the journey so I didn't want to disturb you if you were sleeping," he said quickly, before she could say something sarcastic.

"Actually I'm feeling particularly shitty, if you really want to know, and it was a vile journey."

Told you so, ooops, no, that's not the right thing to say.

"I can imagine Leonora, I do feel for you having travelled by train with my broken leg. It's very difficult isn't it?" Leonard was pleased with that. A rather subtle I-told-you-so.

Fortunately Leonora missed it, and softened up a bit in the face of his apparent sympathy.

"Yes, it was horrid. How are you?"

"Not bad, the house feels pretty quiet and empty without you. We'd all got used to you. Tata is very upset.

"Mrs Leonard wants to know when you are coming back and then she can plan the shopping," he said, finally getting in the all-important point.

"Coming back?" asked Leonora.

"Yes," he said casually as though it wasn't in doubt. "Now you've checked out the flat, and your mail and stuff, you can come back whenever you are ready and we can look after you again." But as he said it, he realised he had made a mistake.

"Look after me?" she said.

"I don't need looking after, thank you. I thought I had made that clear and that was why I came home.

"As a matter of fact, I was just in the middle of ordering my shopping when you rang.

"So you see Leonard, you are not as indispensable as you seem to think you are."

Do not groan over the 'phone Leonard. Do not tell her what a spoilt ungracious brat she is.

"Oh well, Leonora, if you want a few days there while you work out the best timing for you, that's no problem, just ring and let us know when you want to come back down, we're flexible and happy to fit in with you. One of us will pick you up at the station.

"After all, you will need to go back to our local hospital. They have your records, and you know what the NHS is like. If they start trying to transfer them they will probably end up in Scotland."

Leonard thought that was a clever practical touch. She couldn't argue with that. She didn't.

"Well, I must get back to ordering my food. Thank you for the call. Very kind and thoughtful of you. Bye," and she put the 'phone down.

Then she felt guilty because she had not sent her love to Tata and Mrs Leonard.

But what was she to do? Stay or go?

As Leonora can't decide, I have put up a poll.