‘Don’t you believe it! He’s gutted.’ That was from Dulcie.
‘Only because he’ll have to make his own cups of tea from now on.’
Dulcie was looking at her oddly. ‘I thought you two were getting on better.’
Beth had thought so, too. She had been wrong. Now that her services were no longer required, the cease-fire was over.
It was gloves off once more.
Beth sat on the sofa in her new living room, a mug of cocoa on the table next to her, the TV remote in her hand as she flicked through the channels. She was tired, but she was also restless. This would be her first night in her new house, and she guessed it might take her a while to get used to the place. And to being on her own. It was strange how quickly she had become used to someone else’s presence.
Or maybe not. After all, Maisie hadn’t left home too long ago. But then again, when she had lived there, Maisie hadn’t been in much. Always out gallivanting, that one. Gallivanting… Her own mum, the kids’ grandmother, used to accuse her of doing the same thing. Beth had always had somewhere to go, and someone to go there with. Those were the days when she had been young, free and single. The only one of those things she could lay claim to now, was the single bit. Her youth had disappeared under the weight of being a wife and a mother, and the decades in between. She had been single after the kids’ father had passed away, but it hadn’t bothered her then because she had been too busy getting through the days.
It bothered her now, though. The month she had spent with Walter had made her realise that her loneliness hadn’t gone away; it was still there, despite having three of her four children on her doorstep. The house had been full when they had helped her unpack, but they couldn’t stay forever. They had returned to their own lives, their own homes, and their own loves, leaving her alone and lonely once more.
Turning the telly off in irritation, she wondered what Walter was doing now. Revelling in having his house all to himself? Or wishing she had been there to warm up the casserole she had left him for his supper?
The first, probably.
And with that she finished her cocoa and took herself off to bed.
‘How are you coping, Dad?’
‘Fine.’ Walter was glad that this was a phone call and Otto couldn’t see him roll his eyes.
‘Is there anything you need?’
‘I could do with some milk and bread.’
‘I’ll drop them in on the way home from the restaurant this evening, if you’re still up.’
‘I’ll be up.’
‘Or I could pop in tomorrow?’
‘Whatever suits you best, Otto.’ Walter didn’t mind either way; he would be pleased to see him regardless.
Amos and Lena had called in yesterday and they’d had a nice chat, but in the three days since Beth had left, time had dragged. It would be better when he was able to get out and about, he told himself. At the moment he couldn’t walk far because he wasn’t able to put much weight on his bad leg and he was still reliant on crutches, and neither could he drive yet. So he was stuck in the house.
Amos had kindly offered to have Peg for a couple of hours, so although Amos hadn’t been taking her for an actual walk, she had been able to potter around the stables with Petra’s dog Queenie. Walter felt quite envious. It came to something when his dog had more of a social life than he did.
Maybe he should go to Half Board tomorrow? Get out of the house for a bit. He could have a taxi there and back. Beth would probably be there, and the thought of seeing her made his heart leap. How was she getting on in her new house, he wondered. He had offhandedly asked Otto, who had told him that he’d helped her move in, along with Dulcie, Maisie and Adam, and they’d all had a glass of bubbly afterwards to toast her new home.
Walter felt quite put out that he hadn’t been invited, despite knowing that he would only have been in the way and would have been as much use as a chocolate teapot.
Remembering her offer to take him to Half Board, he reached for his phone, but chickened out before he made the call. She had probably only offered out of a sense of obligation, considering she had taken him the other times he’d gone. He bet she didn’t expect him to take her up on it.
His hand dropped to his side and he let out a despondent sigh. Having his house back wasn’t living up to expectations. He had assumed he would enjoy the peace and quiet.
How wrong he had been.
The peace was like a heavy blanket, slowly suffocating him in loneliness, and the quiet was like a precursor to the grave. He was rattling around in the house, each room emptier than the last. It didn’t help that he kept expecting Beth to walk through the door, or see her pottering in the kitchen, and he had lost count of the number of times he’d thought he’d heard her tread on the stairs, or smelt her perfume, only to find that his senses had deceived him.
A knock on the door made his heart surge with hope, and although he was pleased to see Amos, who had brought Peg back, a part of him had hoped it might have been Beth. A stupid part, because why would Beth want to visithim?
‘Are you okay?’ Amos was studying him.
‘I’m fine.’ Walter bent to ruffle Peg’s ears. She licked him on the hand and dashed inside. A second later she was back, her tail down. She looked forlorn. ‘I think she’s missing Beth.’
