11. A Loan Secured

A loan secured

‘Lizzie, it’s Jimmy,’ Jimmy said, trying not to sound desperate. Hoping to replicate the tone that he had used on the thousands of times he had said that same sentence when he had been happy and secure and not about to beg for money. ‘Monica’s told me al about your offer and I can’t tel you how grateful I am and I never would have asked in a mil ion years, but since you’ve brought it up yourself . . .’

Jimmy knew that he did sound desperate, but suddenly he didn’t care. Al at once he decided to go for broke, throwing shame to the wind as he suddenly upped the ante, explaining to his old friend that simply nding the money to pay off David’s rm’s outstanding invoices would not actual y solve anything either for him and Monica or for David and Laura.

ere was a bigger picture which, unless addressed, would make smal xes a waste of money. e problem was that the Webb Street job was only half nished and the real fear was that, with property prices currently in free fal , the whole development would col apse under the weight of its negative equity before the upturn came.

‘I’m going to be straight with you, Liz,’ Jimmy said. ‘If I can’t service the interest on the mortgage, the bank wil repossess and I’l be official y bankrupt, leaving al my creditors, including David and his rm, to divide up the value of my remaining assets, which are basical y a bit of furniture and ve at-screen tel ies. Which is of course ridiculous because I own a street. A fucking street! But if I can’t keep the bank’s hands off it for what I’m guessing wil be at least a year it al goes to shit.’

ere was a pause during which Jimmy could feel himself sweating. e answer came in that wonderful voice, warm and honeyed. e voice that listeners to Radio 4 knew for its mouth-watering ability to describe the loveliest and most indulgent puddings. Lizzie sounded exactly as if she were reading a bedtime story and in a way she was, because she was about to produce a happy ending.

‘How much do you honestly think you need?’ Lizzie purred.

‘Honestly?’ Jimmy asked.

‘Honestly,’ Lizzie replied. ‘We’ve al been in denial about this for months.

We’ve known you’re in trouble and Rupert says it’s big trouble, but until Monica phoned me today none of us had real y sat down and talked about it.

Tel me the truth.’

Jimmy gulped. ‘Liz, if I could borrow a couple of mil ion for a year . . .’

He could see Monica’s jaw drop and her eyes widen in alarm, but he pressed on.‘I think that would just about keep the bank, David’s rm and the other immediate creditors at bay. I mean this thing has to end, doesn’t it? Of course it does. Capitalism is cyclical and Mon and I own a street. Look, I know you’ve said you’l take one of the houses as col ateral, but how about this? How about I give you and Robbo half the entire future pro t on the development? Only nine months ago that was projected at twenty mil ion quid, Liz! I’l give you half. Lend me two now and post-crunch you’l be looking at ten, minimum.’

For a moment it seemed to Jimmy as if the gures were real again, like they had been before. Not fantasy gures as he had now got used to seeing them, but real hard money that real y did exist. Or soon would. It was so easy to slip back into that familiar mindset and it felt good to do so.

Lizzie clearly sensed this and her voice, when she replied, seemed even warmer, even kinder, even more soothing than before and gently scolding in that wonderful, rather sexy way she had.

‘Jim. Don’t. is isn’t a deal. You don’t need to pitch me and you don’t need to sel me. It’s about mates, that’s al . I know you’l pay me back when you can and that’s al I need to know. Forget col ateral. When it’s al over you can get me a case of something yummy if you like. Some real y good dessert wine would be lovely, or a nice big bold red, a Margaret River Cab Sav or something.

But that’s it.’

‘So you’l . . . you real y wil ?’ Jimmy’s voice was breathless with hope. ‘Two mil ion?’

‘Are you sure that’s enough?’ Lizzie replied.

‘Yes. at’s enough, Liz.’

‘Good, then we’l do it. And I don’t want us to have to discuss this again.

Mates help each other but it defeats the object if it affects the mateship. So we’l do this and then forget about it until you sort things out. I’l get Robbo to transfer you two mil ion in the morning, it’s pretty simple. We’ve got easily

that in gilts. And I insist that you do not ring to thank me. I do not want to discuss it again. We’l get through this together. As mates.’

Jimmy could not believe it. After months of ever-increasing despair everything was suddenly turning around. Two mil ion would de nitely see him through for a year, eighteen months probably. Lizzie was just amazing. She always had been. Impulsive. Instinctive. Organic. Like her biscuits. She fol owed her heart and it never let her down. She’d married Robson, for God’s sake! Only Lizzie could have guessed how good a marriage that would turn out to be. Everybody loved Robbo, of course, but surely no one in their right mind would marry him? But Lizzie had, thus ensuring herself a lifetime of domestic contentment to go along with her great business success.

‘I’l set up a new account tomorrow,’ Jimmy replied.

He did not need to explain further what he meant by that. Lizzie was easily a good enough businesswoman to understand that if Jimmy and Monica were borrowing from her then they must have exhausted al other forms of credit and that if Jim wasn’t careful any new windfal would simply get sucked into his ravenous overdrafts.

‘Just send Robbo the details,’ Lizzie said. ‘Now put Mon on. I want to hear how her nipples are bearing up.’

After Lizzie and Monica had discussed lactation for a while Monica hung up the phone. en Jimmy put Cressida down and Monica put Lil ie down and they al owed both toddler and baby to scream away to their hearts’ content as they embraced, holding each other close as the ful extent of the rescue package sank in. Jimmy almost cried with relief. Monica did cry, sobbing and sobbing with tiredness and happiness and surging emotions that she could scarcely contain.

‘So we won’t have to leave our house?’ she said nal y.

‘No. We can stay,’ Jimmy said.

‘Oh Jimmy,’ she said, her body shaking against his.

‘I know,’ Jimmy whispered, ‘I know. Shh!’ as her tears wetted his shoulders and her breast milk soaked his pen pocket.

ey were saved.

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