A Change in Lifestyle
Chapter 3

It was our next door neighbor Francesca looking over the fence and holding her young daughter who was crying.

‘Robyn is that you?’ I stopped to look up and immediately thought how stupid I was to assume nobody would see me.

‘Robyn can you help me please I’m at the end of my tether.’ She seemed to ignore how I was dressed and the fact that I was wearing some make-up. She was obviously very close to tears.

I asked if I could help and found that her daughter, Beth, had been crying on and off all night because she was teething. Frans husband Roy was working away from home so she’d nobody to help her. I couldn’t ignore her and she didn’t really seem to acknowledge how I was dressed. Not that I had gone over the top but unfortunately I couldn’t disguise the fact that I was wearing make-up.

I went through a small gate that connected our gardens and immediately took Beth from her and the relief on Frans face was immediate. She started crying and it soon turned to sobbing so I hugged her as best I could without risk of dropping Beth. Fortunately Beth stopped crying and perhaps she wondered who this weird stranger was or maybe it was because the lawn mower had stopped.

I comforted her and then put her over my shoulder to allow her to release some wind as I patted her back. Fran was nuzzled into me still sobbing and obviously tired.

We walked slowly to her patio door and we sat down in the conservatory on a two seater sofa.Within seconds I was trapped. I had Fran clinging onto my arm and Beth over my shoulder. Somehow I managed to transfer Beth to my lap and she put her thumb in her mouth and fell asleep.

Fran looked up at me and smiled and I put my arm around her shoulder. Within minutes she was sound asleep too. So there I was unable to move without disturbing either of them.
I managed to kick off Helens wellington boots and put my feet up onto a footstool.

Both of them nuzzled into me and so I realized I was going to be stuck for a while. It was a nice feeling. There was Beth sound asleep and comfortable in my lap and it gave me a nice feeling. I hoped that one day that could be our daughter in my lap.

Fran seemed to be in a deep sleep already and I looked at her face. She was naturally very beautiful even though she wasn’t wearing any make up.

I closed my eyes and I guess that soon I too had nodded off.

Eventually I woke up because I’d been holding myself stiff and my foot had gone to sleep. Fran opened her eyes and closed them again. I managed to get up and decided to carry Beth into the house where I found a cot in the dining room. I tucked her up and then looked around.

The lounge, dining room and Kitchen were all completely in a mess and so I decided to tidy around. I worked non stop for 2 or 3 hours and had the time of my life. When I eventually finished I turned and looked at my handiwork. What a transformation. I hoped that Fran wouldn’t mind.

Still no noise or sign of life from either of them so I boiled a kettle to make some instant coffee. The aroma must have quickly reached Fran because she sat up rubbing her eyes. She was a little bit shocked to see what I’d done and embarrassed that she’d fallen asleep. She looked at Beth and wrapped her up and sat her teddy bear in the corner of the cot.

Then she looked at me. ‘Robyn I’m so sorry to burden you. I didn’t know what to do. You saved me from going insane.’

I smiled and told her not to worry it was my pleasure.

‘Robyn you do look nice today. I thought you were somebody else. Actually I thought you’d hired a lady gardener.’

‘I’m sorry Fran but I was playing around this morning after I saw someone on Breakfast TV.’
I couldn’t really think of anything else to say in the circumstances but in any case Fran just smiled and said I made a better woman than a man and Helen should think herself lucky to have a wife to look after her. She was smiling of course but I liked it she obviously knew.

‘Robyn do you do this frequently?’

‘No not really but I did enjoy myself today even though I know that Helen would kill me if she found out.’

‘it’s our secret if you like. It would be nice if you did this again sometime and maybe then we could have coffee together once Helen has gone to work. Of course if Beth is behaving herself’

I was happy for the opportunity and said I’d think about it.

Then Fran asked me to stay for lunch and help with Beth if she woke up to be fed. ‘

I had nothing else planned except to finish cutting the lawns so I accepted and we made a nice salad lunch together.

Beth slept and Fran and I chatted. I found myself telling her things about my relationship with Helen and she told me how difficult it was trying to look after Beth whilst her husband was working away.

That’s when she asked me if I was interested to help her around the house and looking after Beth and she’d pay me.

I guess I was taken aback because she tried to withdraw the offer. I said I needed to think about it because it wouldn’t look right for Fran to hire a man as house help and baby minder and besides I had no qualifications.

Then she said ‘I wasn’t thinking of hiring a man I was thinking of hiring you and I hope that you will come like you have today. If you like I’ll even help you to be even more feminine. What do you think. Is it a deal?’

To be continued…..