Never Too Late by Jay Howard Read Free Book Online

especially Chloe.
    When the children were older, Iain had pointed out innumerable barriers to her trying to start a career, even when both James and Chloe were at university. It would have been so nice to get some support and encouragement from him.
    He was right, of course, Maggie told herself. She had no skills to offer and would never be a match for the bright young things she saw all around in the City, on the TV, in the papers. They all seemed so energetic, intelligent and just brimming with confidence.
    As for the more mature women, the women of her own generation whom she saw on the news, they were so powerful they frightened her. How did they manage to look so cool when they had so many employees to care for and such huge budgets to manage? How had they dared to stand against the male competition they were bound to have met along the way to their exalted positions?
    Maggie imagined her CV, or résumé as her brother would call it. She knew of the importance of a CV from the time and effort that Chloe had repeatedly spent on hers, ensuring each version hit just the right note for that particular job application. Chloe had agonised over the placement of every word, the nuances of what she said and, just as importantly, what she did not.
    First comes the name and address – no problem there. Then the ‘mission statement’ – would ‘I want to find out what it’s like to work’ be sufficient? Hardly! Then comes the tricky part. Employment history and experience.
     
    1978 - present
    Self-employed   Housewife
     
    Mmmm. Wouldn’t really interest a potential employer would it. A wee bit bare. How about if, instead of ‘housewife’ I put private tutor, counsellor, nurse, chambermaid, kitchen porter, chef, cleaner, taxi driver, gardener, seamstress, laundress, Blue Peter ‘here’s one I made earlier’ guru… All true, but not really the point. How would Chloe phrase it? Extensively skilled and flexible in multidisciplinary environments? Proficient multitasker? Excellent time management skills?
    She admitted to herself she didn’t have a hope in hell of even getting invited to an interview, let alone landing a job. What employer in his right mind would prefer her to someone with real experience?
    When she turned forty she had felt a degree of excitement. It had seemed that this would be a turning point in her life, the start of something new. But neither her birthday not the new millennium had been significant after all. Now she saw 43 approaching and she had achieved nothing in the intervening years. She hadn’t even succeeded in pinning Iain down as to whether he would be at home to celebrate it with her. Or were he and the children planning a surprise party for her?
    Oh, wouldn’t that be lovely – but unlikely , she had to admit ruefully. To be fair, Iain made as little fuss about his own birthdays as he did over hers, but just once to be really cosseted and made much of.
    Just to have his undivided attention again, just for the one day, well that in itself would be the most wonderful gift he could give me.
    Iain’s business had gone from strength to strength since the early days, the demand for new houses and offices keeping the contracts coming in a steady stream even at the lowest points of recession. For the last 20 years or so the company had been split into two divisions. One was the commercial side, and housing at the lower end of the market. Then there was his own special baby, the very expensive, very individual houses he created for a very select clientele. He seemed to find delegation of responsibility difficult, though. Despite having a very capable team of loyal and highly skilled staff, he still kept a close personal eye on all the sites, no matter where in the country. Which, of course, meant more nights in hotel bedrooms than in his own bed, with her.
    It was frightening to find it becoming a disturbance to her sleep on the few occasions they now shared the marital bed. She used to long