by Kim Nash
I filled in Shivani over lunch, telling her about catching Callum on the phone and him confessing to finding out from Shivani’s older brother that I’d come into some money.
‘I’ll bloody kill Nassir for letting the cat out of the bag.’
‘Don’t worry, it’s all for the best. Apparently he only said it because he was sticking up for me, so it was all done with the best of intentions. Calm down, Shivani. Honestly it’s all fine.
‘I’m going to tell Callum that he can take over the house, I don’t want to be there any more. There’s nowhere for Norman and walking in the park with a million other dogs isn’t great for him. He’s like a different dog up here. He’s starting to lunge at other male dogs that come near us, and he tries to shag every female dog he comes into contact with.’ Shivani’s mouth twitched at this. ‘And he needs to run free on the beach. And for that matter, so do I. So, I’ve made my decision and I’m going to go and live in Muddleford.’
She gasped and held her hand to her chest.
‘I know Jack doesn’t want to be with me, in that way, but if he and Natalia are getting married then at least he won’t be living next door and I’ll get over it. I’ve got a beautiful house there, the beach hut, although it seems a bit surplus to requirements if I’ve already got a house that overlooks the sea. I can make a new life down there.’
‘Your face lights up when you talk about “down there”!’ Shivani laughed. ‘I’ll miss you, you daft cow.’ A tear rolled down her cheek.
‘I’ll miss you too, but it’s literally two-and-a-half hours away and instead of snatching lunches and quick drinks after work here, perhaps you’ll be able to come and stay for weekends and we can have some proper quality time together. And do you know what? If after six months I’m not loving it, then I can come back. Thanks to Aunty Lil, I now have the funds and the freedom to do what I want. What do you think, Shivani? Am I being irrational?’
‘I think it’s a really good decision, babe. And you just try and stop me from coming to stay. You’d just better hope I don’t bump into Jack or I’ll be offering him a piece of my mind and telling him how stupid he is to not be in love with you. You’re a catch, babe. If I was a bloke, I’d bag you.’
I laughed. If a boyfriend tried as hard to please you as your best friend did, then relationships would be a whole lot easier. There was something very special about a best-friend relationship. You lift each other. You work together. Another of Aunty Lil’s sayings popped into my head: ‘A rising tide lifts all boats.’
Shivani had inherited some wonderful qualities from her mum, who was a very special lady who helped others all of the time and never put herself first. She felt that by helping others first, you in turn would be helped, if and when you needed it. In turn everyone would benefit. I knew that Shivani and I wouldn’t let a little thing like a couple of hundred miles come between us.
Shivani grabbed my hand across the table and squeezed it. ‘I really will miss you, though. We all will. I don’t want to get too soppy but I think we have a ‘once in a lifetime’ friendship that some people don’t ever have. We’re so lucky that we found each other.’ She wiped her eyes. ‘Mum will love your decision. She said right from the start that you should live down there. She might be coming to visit with me.’
‘Now that I can definitely cope with. I’ll miss you too, but we wouldn’t see each other in the week here anyway now we’re not working together. Now you have your new job you’ll be busy all the time and we’ll make diary dates to get together. We’ll make it happen. Just because I’m not round the corner, you’re not getting rid of me that easily. You’re stuck with me.’
‘I think you’ve made a wonderful decision, hon. I really do.’
It had taken me a couple of days of constant phone calls to put everything in place. We spoke to the bank and Dom had been an absolute star, getting everything moving really quickly from a legal point of view. We transferred everything in Staffordshire across to Callum’s name with immediate effect. He had decided that he’d still like to live in the house, rather than move somewhere else, and agreed to take over the rental agreement and bills. Because I wasn’t desperate for money we agreed a nominal amount that I would get for the furniture as I’d bought the majority of it. I wasn’t bothered about getting anything, but Dom advised me that just because I’d come into money, it didn’t mean that I could throw it away willy-nilly and still deserved to get my share of what I’d put into the house.
We agreed that a new start would be good for us both. This time as we parted company on the doorstep of our house, we were very adult and gave each other a brief hug and wished each other well for the future.
Even though he’d hurt me, I felt like the experience had made me grow and learn. I suppose that’s all you can ask from each phase of your life.
Yet another of Aunty Lil’s expressions – ‘You are the author of your own life. You can make it anything you want it to be’ – came to me. I’d never felt closer to her than I had just lately. I believed she was helping to guide me in the right direction. The next chapter of my life held a lot of uncertainty, but for the first time in a very long time I was excited and looking forward to a new adventure, whatever it brought. And, after all, I wasn’t alone. I had Norman.
And that’s how just a couple of days later, Norman and I drove off, for what would very probably be the last time, from that house in that town and just under three hours later we arrived back in the pretty little village of Muddleford. As we passed the ‘Welcome to Muddleford’ sign my shoulders relaxed and I breathed a sigh of relief. The late-afternoon sun was still beating down on the windscreen and when I opened the window, the fishy, tangy smell of the sea air hit my nostrils. As I registered the familiar sound of squawking seagulls it was as if all my senses had once again sprung to life. The sound of Norman’s tail thumping like mad against the leather back seat as he recognised the sight of his own street was a joy. Pulling up on the drive at Aunty Lil’s house, which I really needed to start calling ‘my house’, felt more right than anything else had ever felt in my life. I let out the biggest sigh.
‘Come on Norman. We’re home.’
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Waking up back in Muddleford felt great. The sunlight burst through the curtains and when I flung them open the sight of the cerulean-blue sky put me immediately into a feel-good mood. I’d dropped a text to Val the night before, to say I was back and not to worry if she noticed someone in the house. She had texted back to say welcome home and that she’d see me soon for a coffee and a catch-up. I didn’t realise how much I’d missed her and was really looking forward to seeing her.
I jumped out of bed, headed downstairs and popped the coffee machine on, something else I’d missed, and went and sat in the back garden where the salty sea air mixed with the aroma of freshly ground coffee. I wished I could bottle the smell of a Muddleford morning and sell it. I’d make a fortune.
It felt so good to be back but it was something more than good. It felt right. I felt with every essence of my being, that this was where I was meant to be. Whatever happened, hopefully Jack and I could come out of this situation being friends at least. I wished him happiness in his life, and if I couldn’t have him, then I wished he was happy with the girl who was lucky enough to have him in her life. And that girl, Natalia, I would also make an effort with and try to be her friend. We’d never be besties, but perhaps we’d be acquaintances. She needed to know that I caused her no harm and was no threat to her and Jack. I would make the effort to find her and tell her that. I was pretty sure that if I did, we could all move on.
Norman danced around my feet, urging me to drink up. I pulled on clean undies, a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, slipped my trainers on at the door and we headed to the beach. Halfway down the steps, I spotted another painted rock. Peace was the word that shimmered in silver paint. Every time I saw one, the thought that someone, probably Aunty Lil, had painted these for other people to lift them each time they wer
e spotted made me smile.
The morning sun shone down upon us, I could feel the heat warming my skin. I had to remember to put on suntan lotion when I came out. The heat on this beach had caught me by surprise in the past. A game of throw and fetch left Norman and me both feeling invigorated and after about half an hour, I opened up the beach hut as I needed the loo. The sun hadn’t had chance to warm it up just yet but hanging up on a hook on the back of the loo door was another old cardigan. Aunty Lil must have been a bit of a cardigan queen. The thought made me laugh because that’s what Callum used to call me. I draped it around my shoulders, then opened a deck chair and sat overlooking the sea while Norman curled up on the rug and had a snooze. Something hard was digging into my side and I dug deep into the pocket of the cardy. Another card was tucked into the bottom corner. I retrieved it and read the message: ‘Everything that we do and everyone that we meet is put in our path for a purpose.’ Marla Gibbs.
I’d never heard of Marla Gibbs but she sounded like a wise lady. I would look her up when I got home later. Aunty Lil had a noticeboard up on the wall next to the door with criss-cross elastic to hold things in place. It would be the perfect place for this card. I decided to put the other one there too. I felt that this hut was going to be a place that might bring me some inspiration for how to move my life forward.
I was trying to summon up some enthusiasm and ideas about getting rid of Aunty Lil’s clothes, when a voice interrupted my thoughts.
‘Morning, dear, you must be Nell.’ A tall, dark-haired, attractive lady walked towards me smiling. She must have been in her sixties. ‘You’re a dead ringer for her, you know, when she was younger. Such a beauty she was. And she never even realised.’ I smiled. ‘I’m Joan, m’dear.’ She leaned towards me and shook my hand. ‘We were in the Women’s Institute together. We all miss her dreadfully. She was a bright ray of sunshine and a joy to have around. Sadly I wasn’t able to make her funeral because my husband was having a hip operation.’
‘Aw thank you, Joan. I hope the hip is mending well. Would you like to join me for a coffee?’
‘Oh I won’t keep you, m’dear. I’m sure you’ve got enough to be getting on with rather than chatting with a silly old thing like me.’
‘I’d love you to join me. It’s been wonderful to meet Aunty Lil’s friends. I learnt lots about her at the get-together after the funeral, and it would be lovely to hear about her WI adventures too. I hear that you ladies at the WI are a force to be reckoned with.’
‘Oh we are. It’s not all jam and Jerusalem you know. And only if you are sure. It would be lovely to stop for a break. I’ve been trying to get my steps in this morning and I’ve already done just over 8k today. I’m bloody knackered.’
I tittered as I got up and invited her to take my seat, while I pulled another deckchair down from the hook on the wall and flicked on the kettle before joining her. Norman raised his head to see what the commotion was about and then flopped down again.
‘You know, you should come along and meet the others. I know not everyone was able to get to the Cock.’ I tried not to smirk. ‘It would be lovely for you to meet everyone. Unless you are too busy, of course. We have a meeting this week in fact. On Thursday morning. Oh please say you’ll come.’
‘I’d really love that. I’m really not that busy. In fact I’m not busy at all and it would be lovely to come along and meet everyone.’
Joan smiled. ‘So, if you don’t mind me asking, what are your plans? Do you know? Will you stay here in Muddleford?’
‘Definitely for the time being.’ If felt really good to say that.
‘Obviously you’re quite an independent and wealthy young lady now. I hope you don’t mind me saying, but we had a lady come to the WI to talk to us about making a will, and Lilian told everyone she was leaving everything to you. Do you even need to work?’ She clutched her hand to her chest. ‘Oh goodness, I’m sorry. Do forgive me. My husband is always saying I’m a nosy old biddy. It’s nothing to do with me.’
‘I don’t mind at all, Joan. I’ve nothing to hide. To be honest, I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself. All I really have to do is clean the house, shop and walk Norman, so I’ll definitely need to find something else to do with my time.’
‘Why don’t you join us at the WI? You can take over Lilian’s membership. She’d love that. She’d be cheering us on from up above.’ She looked up at the sky and smiled. ‘Just come along on Thursday and meet everyone. Find out all about the charity initiatives we get involved in. We have all sorts of trips out and people coming in to talk to us. We sometimes have a fashion show too. In fact, we have one coming up very soon. And I’d like to point out that you won’t be the youngest member there either. Our group range from Lauren, who is just eighteen and comes along with her Mum, up to Val our vice president, who is seventy-seven. Lilian was our oldest member.’ She smiled sadly. ‘Of course, you know Val, she’s your neighbour.’
‘Oh brilliant, I’ll come along with her then. She’ll have all the details, will she?’
‘She most certainly will. She’s not missed a meeting in thirty years. It’s funny that people think that the WI is for older people, but it really isn’t. I think the average age of our group is around forty, so while it’s a little older than you, it’s definitely not full of old wrinklies like me.’ Her giggly laugh was a pleasure to hear. ‘We have some wonderful ladies. It will give you the chance to meet them all and maybe make some new friends. And of course hear some more Lilian stories.’
I loved the sound of the WI. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity for what I needed in my life right then. I don’t think that you can ever meet enough people along the way. While Shivani would always be my best friend I really did think that meeting other people broadens your horizons and, let’s face it, down here in Muddleford, my horizons apart from the one in front of me right now, were pretty narrow.
‘There are lots of ladies who live alone and joined originally because they didn’t have many friends, and the friendships we’ve all made over the years, really have been wonderful. Oh look, here’s Val now. Her ears must have been burning.’
Val walked towards me with her arms outstretched and wrapped me in a warm heartfelt hug. I didn’t want her to let go. It had been a while since I’d been hugged like that. In fact, it was when I’d first arrived.
‘Welcome home, darling. I’m so glad you’re back.’ She turned to my visitor and beamed. ‘Hi, Joan, how are you? I was going to call you when I got back from my walk to say that the woman from the fashion show has cancelled.’
‘Oh bugger. That’s a real blow. I was really looking forward to that.’
My ears pricked up.
‘Fashion show, did you say?’
‘Yes, we had a fashion show planned in a couple of weeks’ time. It was a fashion show cum jumble sale, really. Lots of pre-owned stuff but only worn once or twice. We were all so looking forward to it.’
‘Aha. Well I might be able to help you out there.’ Marla Gibbs and her little bit of a kick up the bum seemed to be exactly the thing that was needed. ‘Grab a seat, Val, I’ll go and make another round of drinks. I’ve got an idea that might just help us all out of a situation.’
Chapter Twenty-Eight
By the time I packed the hut up for the day it was nearly 4 o’clock. Joan had been and fetched some snacks from the beach café and we’d drunk gallons between us. Val said it was good experience for the WI meetings because they drank lots of tea and ate a lot of cake. It was sounding more perfect for me by the minute and I was very happy to practise those life skills. I had written lists galore and had lots of jobs to go away and get stuck into. I couldn’t wait to get started.
It would do me the world of good to have a project to focus on. I loved where I was and I loved walking on the beach with Norman, and the day I’d spent with Joan and Val had been most enjoyable, but as someone who had got into the habit of getting up every day and going to work, and not had a day off sic
k in the last eight years, it all felt a bit weird and as if I was at a bit of a loose end. I needed a purpose.
Before I left I had put on a long, pale-lemon cashmere cardigan I’d noticed on one of the hooks on the hut wall and, as I walked back up the steps, I pulled another card from the right-hand pocket: Do not fear. Love will find a way.
It had been quiet around the house since I’d been back. I couldn’t lie and say that I hadn’t noticed that Jack’s missing presence was like a constant ache in my stomach. I hadn’t even seen his car for a few days and didn’t like to mention it to Val. I had dropped a couple of hints but she’d not picked up on them at all.
It was two days later, when Val and I walked through the doors of the village hall and I had the first of many hot drinks thrust into my hands and one by one I met the Muddleford chapter of the WI. What an absolute delight they were. Joan was president and welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced me to the group as their very special guest.
‘Now we have a little surprise for Nell,’ Joan announced.
Oh no! I wasn’t a big lover of surprises since I surprised Callum one night by dressing seductively in stockings and suspenders and not an awful lot else, which I knew he liked, and when I shouted surprise as he walked through the lounge door, I was the one who left the room red-faced as well as bare-arsed when most of the rugby team followed him in.
‘We’ve been doing a little bit of homework for you, Nell, and one by one, I’m going to ask each member to come to the front to tell me how they knew Lilian and what they remember the most about her.’