On Saturday, Hannah helped me bag up Thomas’s and Gwendoline’s bedroom; a task I’d been dreading doing on my own. I recognised various items in Thomas’s wardrobe and could remember the last time he’d worn them, so I felt quite tearful going through his clothes.
‘Wow!’ Hannah exclaimed, holding up one of Gwendoline’s many fifties prom-style dresses in each hand. ‘These dresses are stunning. Was it something like this that Thomas gave you for Christmas?’
I nodded. ‘She had good taste, didn’t she?’
‘Are you going to keep them?’
‘Thomas said I could but I don’t know. It doesn’t feel right. And when would I wear them?’
‘I’m sure you’d find an opportunity,’ Hannah said. ‘But it’s up to you. Why don’t you hang onto them for now and make a decision later?’
Even harder than sorting through clothes was sorting through their personal possessions. I decided to keep their wedding and engagement rings and a silver bangle with a hedgehog etched onto it but I put the rest of her jewellery aside, unsure whether or not it was valuable. If it was, it might provide valuable funds for the centre down the line. I was sure that’s what Gwendoline would have wanted.
When Hannah left, I finished sorting the office and, on Sunday morning, I started on the storage room. Dad spent Sunday afternoon with me, helping me finish that before moving onto the kitchen. I felt guilty about packing up their life together but I kept reminding myself that it was what Thomas had wanted; he’d specifically said so in his letter.
‘Have you had a chance to look for jobs?’ I asked Dad during a much-needed coffee break.
‘A quick look online but nothing in Whitsborough Bay at the moment. I really need to phone round but there’s no immediate panic. I’m getting paid for three months and only have to work for two weeks of that so time is on my side.’
On Sunday night, Dave and I finalised plans for the interior of the barn and ordered the materials for it. Construction of the mezzanine would likely start on Friday, which was exciting.
I packed, ready for my trip to Whitby. Rich and Dave kept joking about me going on ‘work experience’ and it actually felt like I was, except this was the most important work experience of my life. I had three days and two nights to lap up as much knowledge as I possibly could because, next time I handled a hedgehog, I’d be the one solely responsible for its wellbeing. Scary thought!