Taking a seat at the café, Alice felt the muscles in her legs ache, even though they had only been walking for around fifteen minutes. It was another reminder that Alice was old in years, butshe didn’t dwell on it. Every day was a gift, and today she was pleased to be in her favourite place with good company.
‘I can see why you love this park,’ said Mark as he tucked into a tub of vanilla ice cream. Alice opted for her ice cream in a cone.
‘I remember coming here with Di, but only once or twice as I recall,’ he told her. ‘I remember going for a bite to eat on Lark Lane. I believe it’s changed a bit now,’ he said as he scraped the last of his ice cream from the tub with a wooden spoon.
‘Oh, it has,’ said Alice. ‘Very fashionable these days. It was once the hang-out for artists and writers, with a much more Bohemian vibe.’
She had partied there once in an apartment above one of the shops and stayed until the dawn had broken the next morning.
After their ice creams, they slowly made their way to the Palm House.
The iron and glass architecture of the domed building took Alice’s breath away every time she saw it, its appearance always reminding her of a large white birdcage.
Today there were no events taking place, as they frequently did, so they were free to wander around and enjoy the lush vibrant plants with their scented foliage. It always felt to her like stepping into a tropical oasis in the heart of the city.
Alice had thoroughly enjoyed her time in the park but turned down Mark’s invitation for a bite to eat on Lark Lane as she felt a little worn out.
‘I hope you don’t mind, Mark,’ she said as they headed back towards the car park.
‘Of course I don’t,’ Mark told her. ‘Whatever you want, it’s your day today.’
‘Thank you, Mark. Although if you have no other plans, perhaps I can make us a sandwich and a cup of tea when we get home?’ she offered.
‘Of course, Alice, that would be lovely.’ He smiled.
It was yet another reminder of how fortunate she was to be back at Wisteria House.
SIXTY
MARK
Mark spotted the ‘sold’ sign one morning as he was leaving the apartment.
Carol had just returned from dropping Maisie at school when she ran into him.
‘Morning, Carol. So it looks like that’s it, then,’ he said, glancing at the ‘sold’ sign that must have appeared last night.
‘I guess we knew it was coming.’ Carol sighed. ‘Jess will be devastated. Hopefully I will have a place soon, though.’
‘So, have you moved back to the area?’
‘Yes. I’m staying here with Jess and Maisie, at least for the time being.’ She squinted in the autumn sunshine, wishing she had brought her sunglasses.
‘Oh right,’ said Mark in surprise. Her life in the Lake District had sounded idyllic when she described the surroundings at the BBQ evening. But then maybe she had missed her family.
‘Do you have time for a coffee?’ she found herself saying.
‘I have all the time in the world,’ said Mark. ‘Actually, I don’t suppose you fancy a walk as it is such a lovely morning? We could walk through Alexandra Park, then grab a drink from a café somewhere.’
‘Yeah, I’d like that,’ said Carol. ‘I don’t suppose we will have many more days like this, before the weather turns cold.’
She found herself wishing she had applied some make-up before she had headed out this morning. Still, she could at least put some lipstick on when she popped inside for a moment.
‘Just let me put this in the fridge first,’ she said, lifting the milk she had just purchased from the Co-op.
She quickly checked her hair in the hall mirror, before sliding some lipstick over her lips and grabbing a light cardigan.
Alexandra Park, a small park favoured by dog walkers, was quite busy this morning with the usual occupants of the neighbourhood. Park walks had become a bit of a thing for him after spending the day with Alice, he thought to himself.
