he held it out for Jan to take. Her slight hesitation before she did so was not lost on him.
‘Thank you,’ she said, wrapping the article around herself. Then she stood eyeing him awkwardly again for a moment before she ventured, ‘Er . . . do you mind if I squat down here, only . . . I’m . . . er . . .’
Scared, frightened, feeling vulnerable on her own, just like he’d been when he’d first started sleeping rough. Glen wasn’t at all keen on the idea of sharing space. He was used to his own company, and it was bad enough having to watch his own back in these mean streets let alone hers as well, which he’d feel obliged to do as he had in the arches. He’d had no choice about losing his self-respect and being reduced to doing things in order to survive that would have absolutely appalled him when he’d been part of normal society, but at least he’d managed to cling on to some of his old beliefs, including the one that a man naturally protects a woman, which was urging him now to tell her to stay. But his opinion turned out to be irrelevant as she was already trying to make herself comfortable on the hard stone floor a foot or so away from him.
He watched her for a while, trying to achieve her task but failing miserably. Finally, in frustration that her shuffling about was preventing him from snatching some sleep while he could, he snapped, ‘Why don’t you take that brick out of your handbag that you just about finished me off with, then use the bag as a pillow?’
‘Oh, I never thought of that,’ she gratefully responded. ‘Thank you.’
He then spent another frustrating few minutes watching her try to get herself into a comfortable position until finally he sat up and said gruffly, ‘Look, why don’t you swallow your pride and go home?’
Jan stopped her shuffling and sat up to look at him, her face tight with annoyance. She snapped, ‘Do you seriously think I’d be willingly putting myself through this . . . this . . . living nightmare if it was as simple as that!’
‘Well, in my experience many people end up on the streets after silly family feuds that go beyond repair because neither side will make the first move to sort things out.’
She eyed him curiously. ‘Is that what happened to you then?’
He fell silent for a moment before he said, ‘No. It’s more complicated in my case.’
‘So is my situation.’ Jan gave a deep sigh and said quietly, ‘My husband’s chucked me out. Told me never to darken his door again. He meant it.’
It was Glen’s turn to eye her curiously. ‘Just like that? For no reason?’
‘Oh, he had a reason. Me having an affair.’
‘What reason did he give you for believing such a terrible thing?’
‘He didn’t need to give me any. He caught me red-handed in bed with another man.’
Glen had heard many dreadful stories about how people landed up in dire straits, but nevertheless he was taken aback by this woman’s admission as she didn’t seem the type somehow. But then appearances could be deceptive, as he’d found out to his own cost many moons ago. Whether he wanted to know the gory details or not it seemed he was going to be given no choice as Jan continued speaking.
‘Harry could at least have asked me what had driven me into another man’s arms before he threw me out. Maybe then he might not think so badly of me and would accept part of the responsibility.’ She paused for a moment, her eyes growing misty. ‘At one time we had a successful marriage. He was a good husband to me and father to our son. The three of us always did everything together . . . well, until that horrible evening.’
She paused to flick a tear off her eyelid and there was great sadness in her voice when she carried on. ‘I couldn’t have wished for a better son. Keith loved his mum and dad and never in all his years did I hear any back chat from him or grumbles and groans if I asked him to run an errand for me.’ A smile on her lips, she said, ‘He had this shock of thick brown hair, the kind that whatever you plastered on it would not lie down, and a splattering of freckles across his nose . .