more weeds than his friendly allotment neighbours would have been able to keep at bay. His flask of tea and the gorgeous lunch Tess had provided him with should see him through an hour or two of physical work. The rest of the time he planned to firm up his decisions in his notepad and if the mood took him, he’d head back to the flat and cogitate some more, like he’d hoped to before he was interrupted.
As he approached, the view of the allotments was clear from the road, only a wire mesh fence separating them from the world. He liked that system. It kept people out, but it didn’t stop them from seeing in or Clive being able to look out. He liked the frequent conversations he had with passers-by as they went about their day. He had prime position for chatting to the public, being the first slot. Perhaps he’d catch a few familiar faces today. Heading in, the first thing everyone passed was Clive’s composting section that he’d built next to his shed. He added everything to it from tea bags to potato skins. There was some quality compost waiting for him at the bottom and he’d need it this year if he was going to grow some gladioli again. Wandering round to his shed, he was going to be pleased to get started: the beginning of a new season.
He spotted two thistles that had worked their way onto his patch and were set on taking up residence. Certain weeds were more stubborn than others, so they were his first challenge for the day. Clive opened his shed and popped his things away, deciding that once the first thistle was out of the ground it would be tea-break time.
There was a great pleasure to be had when he trod on the fork and the prongs glided into the earth. It was even better when he was able to get his gardening gloves dirty as he finished the battle and pulled the root from the ground. Thistles never liked to come out easily and it was always satisfying to be rid of them. Not that he’d usually let them advance this far.
When the second root was out, he stopped for lunch. Tess had packed it and told him it was a surprise. Clive half expected glitter to fall out as soon as he opened the Tupperware. There was parcel upon parcel in there. He unwrapped two home-made Scotch eggs, a small tub of home-made coleslaw, another one that contained cheese and crackers, a salad and crusty freshly baked bread. It was a feast fit for a king and for this quiet portion of time he was going to enjoy being that king. Everything he needed was packed in there: cutlery, butter, a sachet of salt and pepper. It struck Clive that this was another way to bring in some income for the café. Packed picnics for the weekends. He knew some fishermen and other allotment holders that would delight in a lunch like this. The small jar of piccalilli relish confirmed that it would be perfect because Tess always thought of everything.
Thinking about Tess, Keisha and George made Clive’s stomach churn. Would these new parts of his life, and these wonderful people, still be there when he moved away from them? He really hoped so, but he’d lived through enough cycles of life to know that nothing ever stayed the same. If only he could remember all the cycles he’d been through.
Clive found himself raising two fingers towards his neck. It didn’t take him long to locate the pulse he’d been feeling for. Was it odd that it made him feel connected to Keisha? It was strange… Now they weren’t working together every day, he found he was beginning to miss her. That her odd habits had become endearing. That after a while he’d come to recognise the changes in her heart rate as well as she did.
Right now, he’d love to know if her heart was bounding along at its average of fifty-nine beats per minute. He wondered if it ever pattered differently when she was in George’s presence or was he completely off the mark about that match? He’d love to know what was happening there, but hadn’t wanted to pry any further.
Clive’s pulse was thready and not as solid as he would have imagined. Taking another bite to finish his Scotch egg, he then checked his watch to take an official recording. Some beats