be about as much that evening either. He decided to keep his set of keys quiet for the moment, not wanting Keisha to dissuade him from his adventure to the allotment. He also didn’t want her to know he’d had a bigger glimpse into her world than he should have had.
He waited all of ten minutes after Keisha had left before setting off. He wanted to do as much of the trip in daylight as possible.
The walk to the east side of the city was a fair trek, passing along some dual carriageways that demonstrated how big the city of Southampton was. Fortunately they were roads that, despite their vastness and rumbling rush-hour traffic, still provided room for pedestrians and cyclists so he wasn’t putting himself in any jeopardy as he journeyed along the couple of miles. The views consisted mainly of grey concrete, with many of the houses hidden, set back away from the road. It didn’t make for the most picturesque tour ever, but he’d opted for the quickest route. The bad views ended when he reached the River Itchen. It was one of those spots where it was possible to see every part of the city: the new and the old. Warehouses that had seen better days next to flashy, new-build apartment blocks. Church spires and riverside pubs were all within his sightline. It seemed the bridge itself must be at least half a mile long and Clive decided to pause and get a drink and a snack from his bag before crossing the river.
It was nice to feel the spring breeze against his skin, the weather much kinder than it had been in recent days. The storms had cleared the way for these brighter, fresher evenings.
It was a good spot to indulge in the doughnut he’d purchased for the occasion to keep up his energy. He was sure that was what all the young runners were doing these days: eating high-energy snacks to keep them going. Those probably weren’t as sugary, but he was an old man recovering from a heart condition. If this was the treat that ended him, he’d take it as somewhat of a triumph.
The river water was murky and the boats bobbing about were dappled in sunshine as the evening drew in, the clouds scattered across the sky. It was going to be one of the nicest Aprils for some time, according to the weather reports. However nice it was to be having an evening stroll, he reminded himself it would be more of a hike by the end. Especially as he would have to do the return journey.
Leaving half the doughnut for later, Clive pressed on. The next part of the journey would be the hardest with a hill to tackle. Out of breath and a sweaty mess, Clive reached the road he needed to turn into and took a moment with his handkerchief to compose himself. By the time he’d get there it would be past the normal opening hours, but thankfully Clive had long been a holder of one of the keys for the main gate. It was one of the possessions he’d had on him when he’d been admitted to hospital. He’d get a reputation as a key collector if he wasn’t careful.
There was still a fractional amount of light in the sky and the street lamps were yet to come on. As he got closer, Clive summoned his last ounces of energy. He wanted to be in his allotment – his place of sanctuary – as soon as he could. If it was possible for a heart to belong somewhere, his definitely belonged amongst the peas and the carrots and his heart pumped a little harder the nearer he got. He almost broke into a jog when it was in sight. He needed to be there. He needed the answers he hoped it would give.
There was no one about and he managed to unlock the front gate with ease. He opted to lock it again once he was on the other side, not wanting any opportune thieves to come along and take advantage.
Clive’s patch was the first on the right so he was there in an instant. Glancing out over his plot in the half light, he searched for some kind of memory. Perhaps the bit of ground where he fell? But there was no disturbed soil giving an indication in amongst the untended onions and asparagus. Instead it was as it had been, only more overgrown,