The Factory Girls – Episode 24
Helen’s house was small but warm and friendly, packed full of toys and home-made crafts. The hall was lined with photos of family and friends and a whole wall of the neat kitchen was covered in children’s paintings.“Bit untidy, isn’t it?” Helen said, seeing Dana looking. “But they love seeing their stuff hanging up.”“No, it’s great,” Dana said. “My mum used to do the same.”She had forgotten how bright and fun their kitchen used to be. The last of their childhood creations had long since fallen off, but she should really make more effort.“I was so sorry about your parents,” Helen said quietly.Dana felt tears well and flicked her hair back defiantly.“Yes, well, we get by. Now, look what I brought us. I thought it might help.”She pulled a bottle of wine from her bag and Helen giggled.“Wow, thanks. Great idea! I’ll get glasses, and there’s bound to be some crisps somewhere.”Kevin wandered in.“What’s this, Lennie, a party?”He went over to his wife, slinging an easy arm around her shoulders. Dana felt a rush of something like envy. Lennie. She’d never heard Helen called that, but it suited her.“It’s a business meeting, actually,” Helen corrected him.“I can be businesslike!”“Oh, go on, you can have a glass but then you have to get out.”He kissed her on the cheek.“I’ll just have to go and watch the footie, then. The sacrifices I make!”He took his drink and, thanking Dana, loped into the lounge, leaving the two of them to sit down with the contract. Dana sipped her wine as she read through the first clauses. Helen was right it was mainly gobbledegook as far as she could see.“Let’s just look for keywords,” she suggested. “Here.”She split the 15-page document in two and both of them dipped their heads over their share.“Do you think we’re mad?” Helen asked after a minute or two of silence. “Trying to save the factory, I mean.”Dana considered.“I think we’d be mad not to.”Helen smiled.“Me, too.”They worked on before she spoke again.“Couldn’t you work at your brothers’ garage?”Dana groaned.“Everyone says that, even them, but I don’t want to. I want something all of my own. Do you know what I mean?”“Yes,” Helen said. “I know exactly what you mean. Hang on a minute!”Dana looked up. “What is it?”“It says here that the building should be ‘preserved for community use’. What does that mean?”Dana went round to see more closely. She read it several times but there was no disputing the words. “Community use”, just like Jonathan had suggested. Picking up her wine glass, she held it out to Helen.“It means, I think, that you . . .”“We!”“OK, we may just have found the answer to our prayers!”
