‘What for?’
‘For those memories. Maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on myself.’
‘You shouldn’t,’ she said kindly. ‘He’s busy as all twenty-one-year-olds are. I barely get a look in myself these days.’ She smiled. ‘Which is how it should be. But I know he is thrilled at the thought of you being around a bit more.’
‘Do you think?’
‘I know so,’ she assured him. ‘Oh, and I want you to know that there is a spare room at my place,’ she offered. ‘Should you need it.’
‘Thanks, sis,’ he said gratefully.
When they said their goodbyes, Mark felt a mixture of optimism for the future and regret for the past. Never again would he waste a second of his time being estranged from his loved ones. Losing Diane should have taught him that.
As he headed home he thought about Alice’s wise words. She had often talked about communication, and how love could conquer all. Her words had seemed a little idealistic when he thought about it, yet he did feel a kind of peace at his dying mother’s bedside. He was glad he went.
He would miss Alice when she was no longer here, which was something he did not like to think about. In the meantime, he would drive her to Sefton Park some time to take that trip she had often talked of doing.
FIFTY-THREE
JESS
‘Mum!’ exclaimed Jess when she glanced at the customer approaching her till on Monday morning. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Thought I would surprise you.’ Her mum smiled as she placed her basket down at the end of the conveyor belt.
‘Well. You have certainly done that,’ said a delighted Jess.
‘I thought I would make you and Maisie my spaghetti bolognese tonight. I know how much you like it,’ she said. ‘What time is your lunch break?’
‘Literally in fifteen minutes,’ said Jess as she scanned the items in her mum’s basket.
‘Great. Meet me in the Costa over the road,’ said Carol as she unfolded a tote bag from her handbag and packed some mince, spaghetti and garlic bread into it. She knew Jess had a cupboard full of herbs and tins at home.
Jess thought her mum looked a little red eyed and wondered whether she had been crying. She didn’t have time to think too much about it, though, as a steady queue was building at the checkout.
When she got to Costa, Jess squeezed her mum in a hug before taking a seat opposite her in the café with the red walls.
‘So when did you get here?’ asked Jess as she took a seat opposite her mum.
‘About an hour ago,’ said Carol. ‘I parked the car outside your apartment. I got the train in, as I hate driving in town,’ she said as she dropped a sachet of sugar into her flat white coffee.
‘Will you be going back to the Lakes?’ asked Jess as she took a sip of the cappuccino her mum had ordered for her.
‘No,’ said Carol, shaking her head. ‘It’s over between me and Pete. I am going to look for something to rent, and you and Maisie can come with me, if need be.’
‘Oh, Mum.’ Jess reached over and squeezed her mum’s hand. ‘And are you okay?’ she asked her gently.
‘Oh, I’m fine.’ Carol gave her a brave smile. ‘Actually, I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders,’ she admitted. ‘More than anything, I just feel like a fool.’ She sighed.
‘Don’t be silly,’ said Jess.
‘And guilty,’ said Carol as she sipped her coffee. ‘Running off like that and leaving you and Maisie.’ She shook her head.
‘Oh, Mum, don’t do that to yourself. You are entitled to a life of your own,’ said Jess. ‘We did miss you, though,’ she added quietly.
‘And I missed you both too,’ Carol said, her voice cracking with emotion.
‘So what did Pete have to say?’ asked Jess.
