Lucas hadn’t been at work for more than a week. He had some sort of sick leave, but in Fiona’s eyes he had looked pretty healthy.

“So how’re you doing? I heard you were sick,” Fiona asked him, when he finally showed up at work.

“I’m OK. I needed to run some errands and things, I wasn’t really sick. But don’t tell your boyfriend.” Lucas winked in a way Fiona didn’t like. It was as if they were a team against Zero – but they weren’t. She wouldn’t tell Zero, not so much to protect Lucas, but more to protect Zero, since it would make him so angry.

Fiona went to help a customer and on her way back Lucas stopped her. “So, what did you decide about Elias’s offer?”

“I don’t know yet. It’s a big thing. I want to think a bit on it.”

“But the offer won’t last forever. Those people need a nanny, like now. Elias called yesterday asking me about you. He really likes you and thinks you’re exactly the sort of person his agency needs. You might do the first contract, come home for a while and get another one later if you want it. That’s how this thing works. You shouldn’t wait too long and lose this opportunity.”

Fiona hadn’t understood that it was something that had a deadline. She thought there were lots of jobs and she could go whenever she decided.

“So, when do you think you’ll have an answer? I need to tell Elias.”

“I don’t know … maybe later this week. On Friday. I’ll make a decision by Friday.”

Fiona had agreed to go to breakfast with Alma after her shift. Her friend collected her in her new second-hand car and they were celebrating.

“How do you like it?” Alma asked, proud of her purchase. A two-door red Toyota Rav 4. It was the perfect sort of car for her.

“It’s gorgeous!” Fiona said.

“I see some road trips in our future.”

“You bet!”

After they sat down in the restaurant and ordered, Fiona said, “I have something I want to tell you, but for now it has to be between me and you only.”

“Sounds serious. OK. What is it?”

“So this guy at work told me about this friend of his who runs an employment agency that recruits people from here to go and work in jobs in UK.”

“Sure. I know those people. Modise Tau’s mother worked in the UK for a while as a nurse.”

“Yeah, right. So I met with this man, Elias, who runs this agency and he says there is a nanny job for some rich people there that he thinks I could get. He said I’m perfect for it.”

“You?”

“What do you mean? What? You think because I have no qualifications I can’t watch somebody’s kids? Gosh Alma thanks for the confidence.”

“No! No, that’s not what I meant. What I meant is that I don’t see you being able to move to UK. You have Claudia and Zero. How will you manage being away from them?”

“No, but that’s the thing, it’s only for six months. And they pay everything. I live with the family. I could come back with more than P100,000 from only six month’s work. I could finish school; I could help Zero get his petrol station.”

“Wow! P100,000 in six months, that sounds like a lot. Did you understand him right?”

“Yes, I asked him a few times. And he said we’d sign a contract so it wouldn’t be like he could cheat me.”

Alma drank her coffee and thought about it for a bit. “I don’t know. Did you talk to Zero about this?”

“No, not yet. And I don’t want him to know until I’ve made a final decision. I know him; he’ll try to talk me out of it. He doesn’t like Lucas, my friend who took me to Elias, the man with the agency. He won’t like that Lucas helped me get the job. It will blind him to how great it could be for us.”

“OK, but I think Zero could help you make the right decision.”

“You mean he could stop me from going.” Fiona ate some of her breakfast, then continued: “You know what, Alma, since I had the meeting with Elias I’m actually feeling like there’s a way out of all of this. Out of this constant sadness and hopelessness about my life. I feel like it will be good for me to get away, see a new place, make some money, and come back here and get back on track. Honestly, Alma, I think this is the exact right thing for me. I really do.”

“If you think that, Fiona, you know you always have my support. Just make sure you get that contract and everything is legit. Maybe give it all to Claudia to have a look at.”

“I will, I promise.”

***

Tell us: Do you agree that going to the UK could help Fiona get over her grief and depression?