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THE FRAYED EDGES OF the brown and blue nineteen-seventies carpet in the waiting room made Michelle wish she’d done more research. She had a feeling this was going to be a wasted afternoon. She’d have to start again, and she’d already lost Friday morning, which she’d agreed to work to make up for leaving early that day.
A middle-aged woman in twenty dernier American-tan tights led Michelle into a stuffy room, her Scholl sandals slapping off the soles of her feet as she walked. Particles of dust whirled in the air, illuminated by the tiny ray of light that had managed to seep through the dirty window. The woman, who Michelle had assumed was a receptionist, turned out to be Claire Brown, the solicitor. Michelle sat down and tried not to question the professionalism of a woman with a family-sized bag of Monster Munch snacks on top of her filing cabinet.
Claire was staring at Michelle across the ancient oak desk.
‘Sorry, did you say something?’ said Michelle. ‘I was distracted.’ She placed her documents on the desk. ‘I’m a bit worried...’
‘Snoring, what causes it?’
‘Erm...’ What could she say without drawing attention to Claire Brown’s multiple chins? ‘It can be caused by enlarged tonsils. An overbite. Weight.’
‘It’s because I’m fat, isn’t it?’
‘Oh, I wouldn’t say that.’ Michelle felt uncomfortable. It wasn’t only the topic of conversation, or the fact that the clock was ticking; it was also the sinking sensation caused by the lack of padding in the chair – a dilapidated relic with a worn-out cushion.
Claire Brown studied the documents. ‘If you didn’t sign these papers –’
‘I didn’t. Definitely not.’
‘Then you should be all right. I would start by replying in writing.’
‘But Mr Esteban didn’t believe me when I told him.’
‘Do you have any proof of your true residence for the time you are supposed to have lived in La Chantrea? What about a Visa for your daughter?’
Of course... Sara’s Spanish baby passport. That’s why Fermín wanted it. ‘Yes, I do. I had to get permission from the Home Office to keep Sara with me in England permanently. They stamped her passport.’
‘I must point out that we’re at the end of your introductory consultation. Would you like to extend it at full price? Or schedule another appointment?’
‘I think I’ll see what information I can gather first.’ And do some more thorough research on solicitors, she thought, unconvinced that those twenty minutes had been worth one hundred pounds.
‘We’ll send his solicitor copies. The originals can be stored securely with us, for a fee. At some point, you might also need a solicitor with experience in international law. We can discuss that option in more detail next time.’
***
THE ‘OFFICIAL STUFF’ drawer lay empty in the middle of the sitting room floor, surrounded by date-ordered piles of documents. Everything was there – passports, addresses, medical records. She even had the old rent card for the house in the street-from-hell, where they’d lived next to a prostitute and a drug-dealer after returning from Spain.
Fermín had nothing like this. He was so stupid. How on earth did he think he could get away with conning her – again? It was as Michelle was starting to feel sure she could sort it all out, that an email from her father pinged into her inbox.
Hi Michelle,
I have to say how taken aback I was when I received your email. I have given a lot of thought about how to reply and what to say. Although I can understand your point to a certain extent, I’m afraid I can’t live my life looking over my shoulder.
From Dad.
P.S. I will call in some time soon. I have a couple of things to discuss before Sylvia and I go to Murcia. Or you could always pop down here on your day off.
His words felt like a slap. He had no idea what it had taken for her to ask anything at all of him. She clearly meant nothing to him. He would have let her die an agonising death in that fire.
She looked around the room at the piles of papers, which now seemed amateurish and stupid. What if she did have to pay Fermín’s debt? How would she raise the money for an international solicitor? And how was she going to protect her mother now?
Michelle felt very small.
There was so much to do, and she was so sleepy.
