‘Yes, I was telling Eleanora how you couldn’t wish for a better neighbour.’ Eleanora looked at Clara and smiled.
‘Well, that’s great to hear.’ Clara considered how she might have misunderstood Julie all this time. Had she really said that?
‘And why didn’t you tell me Eleanora was thinking of joining the Women’s Institute? You know I’m a member, right?’
‘Um, no. I wasn’t aware.’
‘Yeah, Julie was telling me all about the things they do. They have guest speakers who give talks, they do quizzes and crafting events – all sorts of great things. It’s appealed to me for a while. Julie’s invited me to go along with her. I quite fancy checking it out,’ said Eleanora.
‘What can I say? That’s amazing. How fun for you both.’
Clara was astonished as she walked away, leaving both of them to make plans. She started to wonder if she’d put too many sprinkles on the sponge cake! Had the E-numbers gone to their heads?
What an emotional morning it had been. There had been tears and laughter, and unexpected friendships forged. Clara needed to escape to her office for a moment; she required a breather. She also had something important to tell Tom and she didn’t know where to start. She took the envelope out of her bag and braced herself as she went back to face everyone. Luckily, most people were too busy chatting about how wonderful it was that Clara was staying, to notice her looking for Tom. He gave her one of his beautiful warm smiles as he saw her approach.
‘Hey. Well done. You were great up there,’ he said, touching the nape of her neck.
‘Thanks, Tom. Listen, I’ve got something to tell you.’
‘Oh no. That sounds ominous.’
‘No, it’s okay. I promise. I received this in the post, just before I left home.’
Tom looked at the envelope in Clara’s hand. He recognised the writing, even now.
‘Is it from Josh?’
Clara had been checking the mail daily after posting him the letter. Even though she knew she hadn’t long sent it, she had been nervous for Tom each day the post arrived, up until this morning. She was shocked that he’d replied so soon. Even though she was hopeful, she had her doubts as to whether they would ever hear from him at all. She imagined at the very least he might need to take his time and to think about it. Clara had been yearning to open the letter since it arrived. She thought perhaps she should censor the response in case it was scathing, but she also felt Tom should know – whatever it was that Josh had to say. At least it would be closure for him. She didn’t want to give it to Tom in a public place, but she knew how safe he felt in church and that he might need solace.
Looking at the unopened envelope in his hands, she noticed how Tom was shaking.
‘I want us to open it together,’ said Clara.
‘Will you read it out for me?’
‘Of course I will, my love.’
She wondered how Tom would manage if it was not the news he hoped for. She had dealt with funerals and bad news at hospitals; she was an expert at consoling people, but this was one of the hardest things she had done. She prayed that Josh was willing to at least listen to what Tom had to say. He had responded quickly, but that could also mean he didn’t want any contact.
She put on her reading glasses and quickly scanned the letter before reading it aloud. Always a professional, she wanted to get the tone right for the occasion.
‘Right. Okay. Okay.’ Clara took a deep breath as she fumbled with the letter.
‘What? What does it say?’ Tom put his head in his hands, terrified of what she was about to read aloud.
‘Let me read it from the start.Dear Clara, Thank you for reaching out. Could you please pass this on for me? Cheers...Dear Dad.’
‘Oh, that’s a good start,’ interrupted Tom. ‘By the end he refused to call me that and would only say my name. Even then he practically spat it out.’
‘Okay, that’s a positive then. So, he says...Thank you for your letter. I don’t really know what to say. I’ll be honest, at first, I scrunched it up and threw it on the kitchen table. I was fuming that you’d dared contact me again but then my girlfriend, Anya, saw it lying there and asked me what it was. I told her it wasn’t important – just a letter from my dad and a do-gooder asking me to forgive him. She opened it up and read it. She’s nosy like that. I still don’t really know what to say but Anya has persuaded me to write back and send this straight away before I change my mind. She thinks you could have changed. I did think that she doesn’t know you like I do and maybe she is wrong. I’ve read your letter over and over with Anya, and she says you do seem genuinely remorseful. It is because of this and the fact that you’ve spent time in rehab that I’m willing to speak to you and hear what you’ve got to say. I’m not promising anything though – I want you to know that. You can thank Anya that I’m even replying at all!’
‘Oh! He’s given you his phone number!’
‘We can arrange a phone call first and take it from there. Like I say, I can’t promise you that I will ever forgive but I am willing to talk to you.’
‘Oh, thank God he’ll listen to me,’ said Tom, throwing his fist in the air. ‘That’s a good start, isn’t it?’
‘It’s a brilliant start.’
