In the graveyard at St. Matthew’s church in Milliwick, Jessie Shepherd sits back on her haunches and wipes the glaze of perspiration from her forehead with the back of a grubby hand.
‘There we are, Tom, all done. You’ll look beautiful come Spring.’
She tucks the bulb planter back into the plastic carrier bag she has brought with her and brushes her hands of soil.
‘I still miss you, you know. Won’t be long though, eh?’ she says wistfully, her voice little more than a whisper, sounding as though she is talking to herself but her words are directed at the small plot in front of her.
She leans forward to press the small circles of turf more firmly into place, combs the grass straight with her hand and then wags a finger at the headstone.
‘But I want to hang about for a little bit longer. No good you getting any ideas about a quick roll on that cloud of yours just yet awhile. Besides, where would you put your harp?’ She chuckles softly and wipes her cheek of the tear that has crept from beneath her glasses. ‘What am I going to do, Tom? I get so lonely without you sometimes.’ she murmurs. ‘But…’ She forces herself to smile brightly. ‘I know you never liked me being miserable, so I shall stop it now before you get cross and get the big man to send down a thunderbolt or something. I’m keeping busy and there’s always people dropping by. That teapot never has time to get cold! It’s not like having you there with me though.’ Jessie sighs. ‘Not to worry!' Her voice rises in volume along with her determination to be cheerful. 'Right, now then, I’m going to put the rest of these bulbs in a pot by the back door. That’ll look nice, I reckon, don’t you?’
‘Very nice.’
Jessie jumps at the voice behind her and her head swivels round. Her eyes travel swiftly upwards past the grey cargo pants and the black sweatshirt to the face looking down at her.
‘Gawd, Nathan, you frightened me to death. I thought you was my Tom!’ Jessie beats her chest several times with a fisted hand. ‘Keep going keep going! I was just saying to him I didn’t want to go yet awhile and you very nearly sent me anyway!’ She puffs several short breaths.
‘Sorry’ Nathan Samms apologises. ‘Didn’t mean to startle you. I was over there.’ He nods over his shoulder to the far side of the churchyard. ‘Thought I’d say hello before I went.’
‘You went? Blimey, it was nearly me that went. Mind you, you could’ve just opened that up and dropped me in there with Tom, no fuss, no bother.’ She smiles and lifts one arm towards him. ‘Help me up, there’s a good boy.’
Nathan stoops to offer Jessie his arm and curls his hand under her elbow, gripping it firmly through the multi-coloured stripes of her hand knitted cardigan.
Clutching the sleeve of his sweatshirt with one hand and pushing down on her thigh with the other, Jessie hauls herself to her feet. ‘Flippin’ eck, I’m getting old’ she puffs and grins up at him. ‘Thank you. What you doing here? ‘ She asks as she looks around. ‘They haven’t decided to mechanicalise the digging of planting holes have they?’ she says with comically widened eyes
Nathan shakes his head. ‘No not yet but it’d be a damned sight easier with a JCB. Reckon the Rev. would be up for that? I’ll have to put it to him next time I see him down the pub.’ He holds out a hand. ‘Hankie!’ he demands with a sigh and a dimpled smile.
Jessie scowls at him. ‘Don’t you dare!’ she says as, without question, she obediently rummages in the stretched pocket at the front of her cardigan to produce a handkerchief, neatly folded and startlingly white against her hand. ‘You’ll have George after you. That’d be his beer money you’d be taking away. I swear he goes round bumping people off if funds are getting a bit low. Wouldn’t put it past him anyway’ she snorts. ‘I think he’s getting a bit long in the tooth for digging dirty great holes but he won’t have any of it.’
Nathan interrupts by holding the handkerchief in front of her mouth. ‘Spit!’ he commands as he places his hand on top of her head to hold it still.
Jessie giggles. ‘Is this you getting your own back?’ she asks as she dutifully moistens the cloth.
‘Too right!’ He grins and scrubs at her forehead and cheek.
‘One of these days they’ll find him at the bottom of one of them and all we’ll have to do is cover him up!’ she continues, letting her head be tilted and inspected for more muddy smudges. Nathan hands back the handkerchief with a satisfied nod. ‘We were having a laugh earlier about when he went to sleep in one.’
Nathan grins. ‘I heard about that.’
‘You were telling me what you’re doing here?’ Jessie tucks the handkerchief back into her pocket and gazes up at him enquiringly. Nathan drops his eyes and turns his head away. She rests her hand against his chest, leaning sideways trying to catch the expression on his face. ‘Nathan?’
‘Sorry.’ Nathan turns back with a tight smile, scuffing the grass with his feet and looking anywhere but at Jessie. ‘Dad. Anniversary today’ he says at last, his voice catching.
‘Oh, of course.’ Jessie says quietly. ‘I’m so sorry, I should have thought.’ Her hand pats consolingly and drops to her side.
‘Nooo.’ He looks at her directly, his smile softer. ‘Why should you? It’s been a long time.’
‘A lovely man, your father, such a pity he was taken so young.’
Nathan nods agreement and blinks. ‘Yeah’
‘But it’s rather lovely all the same that you should still miss him. I won’t have anybody much to mourn me.’ she adds sadly.
‘Don’t you believe it!’ Nathan bends to gather up her bag, a flush of emotion still high on his cheekbones. ‘I’d miss you for starters.’
‘Oh, that’s nice.’ Jessie smiles and glances down to her husband’s grave. ‘You hear that, Tom? I’ve got a young man here that’s going to miss me if I come, so I think I’ll leave it a while and see what happens. You never know, I might get lucky!’ She bats her eyelashes at Nathan. ‘Isn’t that what you young folk say these days?
Nathan chuckles quietly. ‘You’re terrible. That’s what I’d miss!’ He crooks his arm. ‘You fit?’
‘Depends what you’ve got in mind.’ Jessie gives a little skip to the side as she slides her arm through his. ‘I’m not as young as I used to be, so we might have to have a few breathers but I’ll do my best to keep up.’
Nathan’s chuckle turns into a laugh. ‘You’re just what I needed. Come on you. Can I give you a lift back?’
‘That would be nice. We can have a cup of tea. I’ve got milk’
