Dear Reader...

Chapter Three

~Juliette~

3 hours me and Riles had looked up how to do this properly last night and honestly, I think we were too drunk to even pay attention to what I needed to do because I still don't have a god damned clue. Still. I can't keep wrapping myself up tight in duvets and wearing 3 pairs of socks. It's not even that cold but I think feeling home sick and not having anyone else here is making me feel colder. I don't know. Brain science.

I had to sort this today. So 9am this morning I'd pulled myself out of bed with a minor hang over, showered, ate, and got into what I was now calling my handywoman outfits- otherwise known as jeans that had ripped a little too much at the knee and a super old, printed tee that I'm pretty sure is Riley's. What she doesn't know won't hurt her.

I'd made a list of things that needed urgent attention today.

- Radiators
- The leaky tap in my ensuite that kept waking me up to pee
- The loose handrail on the stairs.

I intended on buying myself a little tool kit from here. Basics from a list I found on some random forum site for single moms. I can't see them having much different issues to me really right?

"Can I help you Darl?" Why do brits have about a million different things they call people? I'm not sure if it's normal or not but they all seem nice enough.

"Um, yeah. This is going to sound really ditzy but I'm not from the UK and this is my first time living alone. Anyway, the house needs a good bit of work so I might be in a lot with stupid questions. Now I've looked into the ones that are bothering me the most right now and I need to bleed my radiators."

"Right. Guessing you don't have a clue?"

"I spent 3 hours looking at it last night but there was a few too many glasses of wine as well." He chuckled, walked around the counter. "I'll be able to work it out but I need a key or something?"

"Yeah. This way." I followed him around the aisles and he pulled a funny little thing from one of the pegs. "It's easier than it looks. You just put it in the side, twist until water comes out and then turn it back closed."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"Oh well I can do that." I looked at the key, filled with a strange confidence that maybe I would be alright.

"What else is on your list?"

"A leaky tap and a loose handrail on the stairs. The stairs I think the screws just need tightening. But I have no tools."

"Right. Starting from scratch?"

"Very." He nodded again, walking off and I followed closely. He started racking things up for me that were on the list, some of the things he said were handy to have but not essential and depended job by job so it'd be easier to get them if I needed them. He was talking to me about each piece slowly and by the time we were coming to the end of my list I was almost completely set. There was some things he said I could do with but he didn't have in. Filler for example, he'd run out of but it was handy to keep in for filling little holes in walls and I was sure I'd have loads when I start looking properly. "This is great, thank you."

"Not a problem Darl." The bell rang through the store and the man turned his head, "I'll be around in a second."

"No problem Paul."

"Now. Anything else?"

"Oh, me. Um. No. I don't think so." He nodded, helping me cart the stuff up to the till. I looked at the piles in my arms. Riley was going to piss herself. Probably tell me I was going to be renovating homes as a part time job if I wasn't careful. He pressed a few buttons and I paid whilst he packed everything into plastic bags.