and hands a daisy chain to me and she’s stressed and teary. ‘Can we go?’
‘Sure,’ I say and we walk off with Gloria and Daisy.
I can feel the sun on my shoulders and I am leaving him behind.
I wonder if he can see us.
I wonder if he’s proud that both of us are holding Charlotte’s hands.
And, if he is proud, then I want to make him even prouder.
‘I was wondering,’ I say it ever so casually. ‘If you wanted to come and have a coffee sometime, at the cottage…’
There’s a bit of a pause.
‘I’d like that,’ Gloria says. ‘Let me know when it’s the school holidays and I’ll bring Daisy for a play.’
‘I meant,’ I don’t know if I should say it. ‘I meant, just us.’
I shouldn’t have spoiled things; I shouldn’t have said anything, because she doesn’t answer me. In fairness that’s because Daisy has gone crazy, she’s bouncing around in Gloria’s arms and for the first time I hear Gloria a little bit stern.
‘Daisy!’ She warns and then looks at me. ‘I think I must have put sugar on her cornflakes this morning, she’s crazy today.’ She carries on walking and then she says it. ‘I’d like that.’
I keep on walking too. ‘So would I.’
We hit the car park in silence and it’s Gloria who ends it. ‘Actually,’ Gloria says, ‘I hope you don’t think I’m being insensitive, I don’t know if you’ve got plans…’ I frown and look over to her. ‘It’s Daisy’s birthday so we’re having a little ice cream cake tonight. I wondered if I could bring along Charlotte.’
I don’t have a sudden compulsion to dive in a freezer at Tesco’s and come up with a Cornetto in my mouth, I’m just thrilled for the smile on Charlotte’s face and then I remember… I mean, how could I forget – It’s Daisy’s birthday!
‘I forgot!’ I’m so, so embarrassed. ‘God, Gloria, I’m sorry. I just completely forgot that it’s her birthday,’
But of course it is!
I’ll never forget that day and yet, I forgot her birthday.
‘I’ll go to the shops at the weekend.’
Gloria waves away my apologies. ‘It’s a strange old day,’ she tells me. ‘Eleanor’s really struggling, she wants to keep the two days apart, she’s coming to the cemetery at the weekend, she just wants to keep today for Daisy.’
I get that.
‘Have some time with him,’ Gloria nods in the direction of his grave. ‘I’ll get these girls back to mine and we’ll have a little party.’
‘Thanks.’ I really appreciate it - it will be nice to have some time on my own, but first I kiss Charlotte goodbye and tell her I’ll pick her up about seven and then I hear a car behind me. I turn around and it’s Luke and I try not to blush as he comes out and walks over but I can feel Gloria’s eyes on me. I sort of know that she knows that I like him.
How could a woman not though?
How could I ever have thought him boring?
‘Hi Gloria,’ he kisses her on the cheek and then he turns to me and I don’t get a kiss, I get a nod and a jiggle of keys. ‘Lucy.’
I give him a nod back. ‘Luke.’
‘Well,’ he says and he makes us both smile. ‘Is it just me, or is this awkward?’
‘Just you, Luke.’ Gloria grins.
He says goodbye and walks off towards his grave and I give Charlotte another kiss.
‘Say goodbye to Luke from me,’ Gloria says.
‘Luke?’
‘I thought you were going back to the grave?’
‘Oh, yes…’ I nod. ‘I’ll just wait till he’s done.’
No I won’t, I’m thinking. The second she’s gone I’m legging it to my car.
She turns to go and then I see her look over to his grave and so do I. I see Luke’s shoulders heaving because he loved him too and then Gloria speaks. ‘I’m happy to have Charlotte stay the night.’
‘It’s a school night,’ I say.
‘I can wash out her uniform and take her to school tomorrow, it really is no problem.’
A night to myself is usually too good to pass up but I’m not sure I want to be alone on tonight, of all nights but Charlotte is all excited and so I nod.
‘Thanks, Gloria.’
I get her school bag from the car and I say goodnight now to Charlotte and I say thank you to Gloria and then I go to kiss Daisy because, well, it’s impossible to not.
I feel her hair beneath my fingers and I see her lovely smile. ‘She’s so