Seventy-four
A few days after James left to begin his new life in Spain, there was a knock at Beth’s front door. Not just any old knock, a loud, boisterous knock. The kind of knock that used to send her scurrying behind the sofa.
She looked through the glass front door and saw a heavy built man standing on the doorstep. He was wearing jeans, a T-shirt and a kind of donkey jacket, and he was sporting a large beard.
As Beth opened the door, the man said, ‘I’ve come to price up the gardening job, you left a message with my apprentice, and I … Beth?’
‘Yes.’
The gardener gave a familiar grin. ‘Bloody hell!’
‘Hello, Charlie. How are you?’
‘Beth Campbell! I’m shocked, that’s how I am.’
‘I gave your apprentice a fake name. I wanted to surprise you. It seems I’ve succeeded.’
‘Yep. So, the gardening quote … it was all a wind up?’
‘No, of course not. Like I said on the phone, I need the whole thing landscaped. I’m not that mean as to make you think you had a job to quote on.’
‘Right you are.’ Charlie treated her to another cheeky grin.
‘I see you’ve been working on your bum fluff. That’s quite the beard you’ve got there. I nearly didn’t recognise you.’
Charlie scratched his chin, noisily. ‘Yeah, got there in the end.’
Stepping backwards, she invited him in. ‘Come through. I’ll show you the back garden.’
As they walked around, she allowed herself a few sneaky glances at him, whilst pointing out all the jobs that needed doing. ‘All those bushes could do with coming out, they’re full of prickles. And I’d rather this was decking.’
He was listening, but …
‘You’re not writing anything down.’
‘Pardon?’
‘How are you going to remember what needs doing, you wally?’
‘Right. Yes. OK.’ He reached into his top pocket and took out a little notepad and a stubby pencil.
Once they were back in the house, and Beth had made them both tea, she asked, ‘I hope you don’t mind me getting you here, like this? I wanted to see you; I Googled your name. I thought I might just find a Facebook account or something like that. When I realised you were a gardener, it seemed ideal, I desperately need all that sorted.’ She gestured towards the wilderness.
‘What made you want to see me now, after all this time?’
Because it was the last thing I promised my sister. ‘I don’t know, it just seemed like a nice idea.’ She changed the subject. ‘When did you become a gardener?’
Charlie gave it some thought. ‘Uh … I’ve been doing it for nearly five years now. I like it. There’s only so many times you can teach foreigners all the good English swear words before it becomes dull. Besides, I prefer being outdoors to being in a classroom.’
‘And I suppose it gives you lots of opportunity to meet lonely housewives.’ It was meant to be a joke, but somehow it just sounded sad.
‘Are you lonely?’ He seemed concerned.
‘No … I meant other housewives. You know the kind of thing? You always were a ladies’ man.’
He raised his eyebrows. ‘Well, I wasn’t a monk, if that’s what you mean.’
For want of anything else to say, Beth asked, ‘Biscuits?’
‘Yes, please.’
She fetched a packet of Digestives from the kitchen. Entering the room, she called out, ‘Suggestives! Remember?’
Charlie chuckled.
‘So,’ she reached into the pocket of his jacket and retrieved his notebook, ‘what do you think this lot is going to cost me?’ She examined his last page of notes. ‘Huh?’ It was all about a different job. He’d not written a thing about her garden.
‘I … um … I couldn’t concentrate.’ He snatched the notebook back. ‘Don’t laugh at me.’
‘I’m not. I’m just surprised, that’s all.’
‘I don’t know why, you know I always go a bit stupid around you. That’s what got me into trouble before.’
‘Before?’
‘Yeah. You remember? When I did that ridiculous front flip into the pool on your birthday.’
‘You were showing off.’
‘Showing off? Me? Never!’ He snorted. ‘Of course. I was trying to impress you. All I ever wanted was to impress you.’
‘To impress me?’
‘Yes. You told me to do it, so I did.’
Beth shook her head. ‘No, I didn’t.’
‘ “Why don’t you do a front flip into the pool at my party, tomorrow?” They were your exact words. Actually, there may have been a “you wally” in there too.’
‘I never would’ve told you to do that.’
‘You did. In fact, you went on to dare me. A double-dare, I do believe, and you knew I couldn’t resist those.’
Bewildered, Beth asked, ‘When? When did I double-dare you to front flip into the pool?’
‘Like I just said, the night before your party.’
‘That’s not possible.’
‘You came to find me. It was a hot evening. I was just putting my BMX away in the garage, remember?’
‘I was in bed with an ear infection.’
‘Yeah, you’d been in bed for like a week or so. That’s why you were all wobbly on your feet. You really don’t remember? I laughed at how you were walking, and you told me you were really ill. Your head was all stuffed up. You said you had cotton wool in your ears.’
‘I wasn’t allowed out of bed until the morning of my party.’
‘You must be remembering it wrong, Beth. It’s clear as day for me. Your memory is diabolical.’
‘And I told you to jump in the pool?’
‘Yeah. A front flip. I guess you thought it would prove how brave I was. I was worried in case I hurt myself, and you said something like … “If you do, my mum will come and save you”. You thought it would be fun, but I was nervous. That’s why I left it so late in the day to do it. I kept putting it off.’
‘Understandable.’
‘In the end, I panicked, and did the flip just as you were all heading inside for tea.’
‘I don’t think it was me ‒’
‘Of course it was you! Like I say, I wanted to impress you, and a double-dare is a double-dare, especially when you’re ten.’
For the first time in ages, Beth was angry at Lisa. No wonder she was fascinated! She would like to tell her sister how dangerous it had been to dare poor little Charlie. I wasn’t having fever dreams, it was Lisa, practising how to get out. But then, Beth remembered what her sister had ultimately done for her, and her anger immediately subsided. ‘Charlie, I’m sorry. That was wrong of me.’
‘Are you kidding? We were just children. Don’t get upset. I’m fine. Like I told you in Australia, I lived, didn’t I? You don’t need to feel guilty about something that happened twenty-seven years ago.’
‘But it was my fault.’
‘No, it wasn’t. I could have ignored you. I could have just done a front flip and landed fine. Maybe if I’d done it when your dad was watching, he’d have just picked me up. You weren’t to know I’d get a load of water up my nose and nearly drown.’
‘I can’t help it. I always blame myself for everything.’
‘That’s just daft.’ Charlie rose to his feet and began looking around the lounge. ‘This is a nice house, by the way. You’ve done well for yourself.’
‘It was my nanna’s.’
‘Of course it was. I didn’t recognise the address. It used to be very … um … patterned.’
‘Yes, it did.’ Beth smiled. ‘It’s all mine now. She left it to me. She died years ago.’
‘Yeah, I remember.’
‘You remember?’
‘I’m sorry. She was fun. I’m no stranger to loss either.’
‘You’re not?
‘My mum. She died a couple of years ago. She had dementia for far too long. It was really tough.’
Beth could still picture the look of anguish on his mum’s face when his parents had arrived at her house to go to the hospital with him. Being a parent herself now, she understood that anguish. ‘It must have been awful losing her that way.’
‘You get through it.’
She wanted to hold him, to comfort him somehow. But she couldn’t be sure how he’d react. What about the petite woman in Sainsbury’s? Whilst she contemplated her next move, Charlie stared at the floor and mumbled, ‘Can I ask you something?’
‘Of course, go ahead.’
‘Well, it’s clear you’re not with your husband any more …’ Beth wondered if it was just her bare left hand that gave it away, or if she somehow had the look of a divorcee.
He continued, ‘But is there anyone else? In your life, I mean. Anyone special?’ He looked up, focusing on her face.
‘No. I … it’s just easier this way, I guess.’ Perhaps I actually am the lonely housewife I was referring to.
‘Yeah, I know what you mean.’ Taking a swig of tea, Charlie headed over to the fireplace. He purposely glossed over the photograph of Beth and James with lemon smiles, which, even now, she felt the need to display, telling herself it made Megan laugh, if nothing else.
Charlie’s eyes moved straight to the photo of himself with Beth, waiting for their buses. It had been the first thing she’d dug out of storage, and proudly put on the mantelpiece, once she’d no longer been governed by James and his jealousy.
Charlie said, ‘Would you look at these two loons.’ Then, he whispered, ‘My gorgeous Beth.’
‘Hah, hardly gorgeous!’ She blushed.
‘You were … you are.’
‘Thank you.’
‘There was always something special about you, you were … different.’
You don’t know the half of it! Fishing for compliments, she asked, ‘What is it you like about me?’
‘Well … um … you’re gentle and kind and … sensitive.’
‘You make me sound like washing powder.’
‘Yes, I do, a bit,’ Charlie snorted. ‘I don’t know how to put it into words. You know what I’m like; I’m more Shrek than Shakespeare. You were just fun. We had a great time at the Reef, didn’t we?’
What if he just liked Lisa, all along? ‘Yes, I suppose we did. Do any other times spring to mind?’ She knew she was pressing him, but she really wanted an example that actually included her.
‘Loads. My whole life is littered with times when you made me happy.’
That was better. Beth was pleased with his answer.
Out of the blue, he said, ‘But … we missed out on so many years. I never understood why you didn’t come back.’
She was shocked at his sudden change of tone. ‘I wanted to see you. I was going to come to your flat, but … there was this bus, and I was in the way and …’ She paused. ‘Anyway, I found out I was expecting …’ She gestured to a photo of her daughter on the coffee table. Megan was jumping on a trampoline; her hair was crazy and there was pure happiness on her face.
‘She’s yours?’
‘Yes, my daughter, Megan.’
‘She’s beautiful. Like you.’
‘Thank you. I agree, she does take after me. She took little from her father.’
Staring closer at the photograph, Charlie frowned. ‘How old is she?’
‘Just turned eleven. That was taken on her birthday. She had a party at Jump Central. It was her idea. A bit different from our parties, hey?’
‘Eleven!’ Charlie seemed deep in thought. ‘So, she was born in … 2006?’
‘Yes. Eighth November 2006. She’ll be at senior school next year.’ Beth smiled.
‘Are you serious? That’s all you’ve got to say?’ His jovial manner had now totally vanished.
‘What? What’s the matter?’
‘It’s like you’ve forgotten that you came to see me. I remember it like it was yesterday, and you’re acting like it never happened.’ There was pain and disappointment in his face. ‘February 2006. You told me your nanna had died the year before. How can you be so blasé?’
‘I came to see you?’
‘Beth, this is really unlike you. Did you not think I deserved a chance?’
‘I did think about you, after I got your letter to say you were back in England. I told you I did. I thought of you often. But then I found out I was pregnant, and it seemed only right to stay with James. I’m sorry …’
‘You’re sorry?’
‘Yes.’
‘That’s it? You’re sorry!’
‘I just said so, didn’t I?’
‘You’re sorry that you stayed with James. Even though he wasn’t the father?’