would only release uncontrolled passion. He had to distance himself from her whilst his whole being adored her.
"Lend me your hanky, Mantel."
"Here it is."
"Thank you."
She blew her nose heavily into Mantel's handy instead of wiping her tears. She returned his hanky in which Mantel politely declined.
"You can keep it. It is my gift to you, Naomi."
"You are so kind. Thank you."
"Everything will turn out to be alright. You're going through a storm. The storm will soon be over and it is only temporary, Naomi."
"I don't want to be in a storm, I hate struggling in life, Mantel."
"We serve a God that even the wind and seas obey. He has the power to speak calm to the storm, Naomi."
"He needs to give me a job, Mantel."
"He will give you the right job at the right time. Have faith in Him, Naomi."
"I am sorry that you saw that side of me, Mantel. I have always held it together and have hidden my vulnerability from you. Losing my home and job had a devastating effect on me and it has got the better of me."
"I do understand. If there is anything you need me to do, please don't hesitate to ask me."
"You're leaving so soon, Mantel."
"Yes. I am working in the morning."
"So you have no time for the unemployed."
"I didn't mean that, Naomi."
"I know you didn't mean it, Mantel. Don't let work consume you, it's not worth it. You are just a number, take care of yourself."
"I will, Naomi."
Before Mantel had time to close the door a little old lady rushed inside Naomi bedsit. She was still in her dressing robe and night dress. Mantel stepped back inside the bedsit and waited until it was safe to leave. The elderly woman explained to Naomi that she lived in the flat below and had wanted to welcome the new tenant.
"It's okay Mantel she is my neighbour."
"Goodbye Naomi."
"Goodbye Mantel."
Twenty-eight
The elderly woman sat down on the pine chair and rested her walking stick on the table and smiled brightly at Naomi.
"Is he your boyfriend?"
"No. He is just a friend."
"He is not bad looking. Don't you think?"
"He's alright."
"He is more than just alright. He's a handsome young man."
"As I have already told you, he's just a friend."
"I can see he wants to be more than a friend to you."
"That's not possible."
"Everything is possible if you have a little faith."
"He's just not my type."
"Why isn't he your type?"
"There is no chemistry or sparks between us."
"There should be a mutual attraction between you and him. Beside, he's a man and you're an
"He is not like any other man."
"He is not made of stone. You can see he adores you."
"He has been kind to me."
"You have more in common with him that you will ever realize."
"You don't know that and you don't know us."
"I know him and he is passionate about people. He lost his mum like you had."
"How do you know that?"
"I'm so sorry I had upset you. Your mum was my closeness friend and I have missed her too."
Naomi wiped away the tears from her eyes. She was extremely close to her mum.
"I am preparing tea for myself and you are more than welcome to stay."
"Thank you, but I'll.."
"Before you leave me please tell me your name."
"You don't need to know my name yet."
"I won't let you go until you tell me your name."
The athletically built elderly woman knew that Naomi was determined to know her identity and Naomi was prepared to lock the elderly woman in the flat.
"False imprisonment is against the law."
"I don't care they have taken everything away from me. I have nothing else to lose. My life is finished."
"You will have a great life."
"How do you know that?"
"God sees all things and He knows all things."
"Did God see me losing my job and flat?"
"Yes. Don't worry. He has everything under His control. You will have a bright future, a purpose and a hope. You must renew your mind and take a risk."
"What do mean by take a risk?"
"You must find out what you are passionate about and go for it. There is more to life than social work."
"Like what?"
"You'll find out sooner than later."
"It is time for me to go. It was good seeing you again, Naomi."
"Have we met before?"
"We've met when your mum was still alive."
"Did you really know my mother?"
"Yes, she was my dear friend. I know you are missing her. She loved you and Jill with all of her heart."
"How long have you known my mother?"
"I knew her when you were newly born, love."
"Who are you?"
"It's not the right time yet. I will see you tomorrow. Take this card, Naomi. You will need it. It's a smart card."
"What is a smart card?"
"You can top up the card with electricity when you purchase electricity from the newsagent or from the post office. There is about ten pounds worth of electricity stored on this card. You will need to swipe the card through the meter before the lights goes out."
Naomi had never use a smartcard before. The elderly lady demonstrated how to use it and how to take meter readings. Naomi took a ten pound note out of her purse.
"Here you are."
"No thank you."
"Please take it."
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. You can purchase the next lot of electricity at the newsagent. See you in the morning."
Naomi looked around in the bedsit and thought to herself, it's a mess. Cleanliness is next to Godliness, her mum used to say to her. Naomi didn't want to catch anything. On that note she changed all the bed sheets and covered the settee with a white linen material. She poured bleach down the wash basin and studiously wiped around the toilet seat with a mild disinfectant liquid. Naomi cleaned the pan and bath tub and she did the same with the kitchen work surfaces. It helped to settle her anxiety.
It was her first night inside of the bedsit and she couldn't get to sleep. Naomi vacuumed the carpet to drown out the barrage of swear words she heard coming off the streets. Broken bottles were being thrown; shouts of violence clouded the air and police car chasing the night clubbers added to her fear and insecurity. She needed to do something to refocus her mind from feeling too isolated and depressed. Naomi switched on one TV channel to another. It had minimal effect on her mood swings. Perhaps the reading of books would divert her thoughts away from feeling sorry for herself.
Naomi life had changed dramatically from that of being a wage earner and a career woman to that of becoming a welfare benefit claimant living in a rundown bedsit. She was absolutely devastated. She picked up her mother bible for comfort and before Naomi read the second paragraph of the book of Genesis she felled asleep.
"Naomi, wake up," shouted the elderly woman.
"Who is it?" cried Naomi.
"It's me."
"How did you get inside of my flat?"
"The door was open."
"No, it wasn't. What time is it? I'm exhausted."
"It's about eight o'clock in the morning."
"What do you want from me?"
"I want to take you to the hospital."
"I am not sick and don't need to go the hospital."
"I want you to come to the hospital with me to visit a cousin of yours."
"Which cousin is it?"
"You'll see."
"I hate hospitals."
"We need to go now."
"Who are we visiting in hospital?"
"I told you before he is your cousin, Naomi."
&nb
sp; "How do you know my cousin?"
"I knew him when he was living in Lower Ashworth."
"Who are you?"
"I will reveal myself to you in time."
"Let's go now."
"Can't we go in an hour time?"
"It will be too late then."
"Go away, I am losing my mind."
"There's no time to waste. It is time to go."
"I'm not going anywhere until I put my makeup on. Who are you?"
"We met here yesterday, remember."
"Yes, I remembered now."
"You need to get ready."
"Okay. I need to put on my makeup and make myself a cup of coffee to wake me up."
"You don't need any makeup, Naomi."
"I am a woman after all and a girl needs to put her makeup on to give her a lift in the morning."
"There will be enough time for that. We are doing kingdom business."
Naomi was exhausted from lack of sleep and she didn't like to go anywhere without washing her teeth and having a shower. The elderly woman waited for another thirty minutes.
"What's the point of going out when I have no future and no prospects?"
"You'll have a great future ahead of you. Have faith, Naomi?"
"I don't have enough faith."
"Faith comes by hearing the word of God."
"I don't feel like going out. I just want to be left alone and curl up in bed with a book."
"It is not good for you to live your life as a hermit. In the long run you will be even more depressed, Naomi."
"There is nothing to live for."
"You have lots to live for."
"I am broke, tired and angry. I lost my job and I have never had to manage on job seekers allowance of £71.10 per week. I have nothing else to give."
"Your giving is not always financial. Money is a very useful mean indeed but it is not more important than love. It's the greatest gift of all gifts. Without love everything else is pointless. Love will overcome fear, problems and challenges. You have love in abundance, Naomi."
"I don't feel like giving love to anyone at this stage of my life."
"I know you are hurting inside and the best cure for you is to help someone else in need and that is why we're visiting my friend in the hospital. I've told him all about you."
"I will go with you today only if you allow me to rest for most of the day. Do you that Know God rested on