‘Is Dad here?’ Michael Knowles stands with one foot on the threshold ready to walk in.

Anthony blocks the doorway, making no attempt to stand aside. ‘He is’ he says curtly ‘But I don’t want him any more upset than he is. It’s hard enough for him to be leaving here’

‘I don’t want to upset him…just to see him’ Michael steps back, his head slightly bowed ‘I don’t know who to apologise to first. I wanted to return this’ He holds out the envelope that Anthony had left for him ‘and to talk to him…if he’ll see me…. I’d like to talk to you too. Together…apart…I don’t mind which. I’m hoping it’s not too late to try and say sorry…to both of you. I was being pig-headed and a right arsehole. I know that’

‘You wouldn’t be a Knowles if you weren’t’

Michael looks up, surprised at the lack of hostility in his voice. A hesitant smile hovers at the corners of his mouth. His eyes drop to the hand that Anthony holds out to him.

‘Hello bruv…I’m Anthony’

Michael clasps his hand and as Anthony’s other arm circles his shoulder to pat him heartily on the back, he swallows hard.

‘Who is it?’ Ernie shuffles from the kitchen. He stops at the end of the hallway and as Anthony stands to one side, he stares at Michael in disbelief. ‘You come?’

‘I came’

8 Crispin Walk, Leytonmore

Chapter Six

Rose Cottage, Albans Lane

‘These are the proof copies’ Sandra explains to Jessie as they leaf through the books on the coffee table between them. ‘they look quite different when they’re printed up don’t they?’

‘They look wonderful……..and there’s Mildred’ Jessie giggles as she points a finger at a page. ‘Oh, don’t I look good? I think I look better than real life….apart from the wart’

‘The gloss seems to give them another dimension somehow’

‘It does!’ Jessie sits back in her chair and picks up her cup from the nest of tables at her side. She sips her tea. ‘So…all sorted and in the shops before too long then…’ she says with a small grimace. ‘Gawd, I think I’m a bit nervous!’

Sandra smiles ‘They’re really nagging me about getting you on board, you know’

‘On board? You make it sound like a cruise!’

‘Fully involved…promotion, that sort of thing’ Sandra looks at Jessie over the rim of her own cup

‘They don’t need me…’ Jessie waves the idea away with the back of her hand. ‘I’ve told you I don’t mind what they do. I’m not sure I could be bothered with it all. They’re not going to come nagging me are they?’ she asks with a worried frown as the thought occurs.

Sandra shakes her head, her lips tightly pressed together as she swallows the tea in her mouth before answering. ‘No…I’ve never said who you are or where you live or anything…. although I don’t suppose it would be hard for them to find out’ she adds with a rueful shrug.

‘Hmm…. they’ve only got to ask round here haven’t they? Loads of people know and here would be the first place they’d start looking I suppose…what with it being where you live’

Sandra sets her cup down and closes the book, returning it to her bag at her feet. ‘They can do the promotion without you…of course they can…and they are…. but it would be something else to have the real live Mildred at a couple of book signings. Won’t you think about it again?’ she urges.

Jessie hesitates for a second. ‘I’ll ask my Tom, see what he thinks’ she decides with a nod.

‘Your Tom?’

‘He always knows what to do for the best’

‘Yes’ Sandra says carefully.

‘Oh, Sandra, your face!’ Jessie giggles ‘No, I haven’t lost it completely. I do talk to my Tom and sometimes I fancy that he talks back to me…although deep down I realise it’s only another bit of me mind that’s filling in the gaps and coming up with the answers’ Her cup rattles on its saucer as she places it on the coffee table. ‘I’d like to say yes…really I would…but I don’t need a lot of hassle…and I don’t need the money’ She sighs regretfully. ‘It’s not as though I’ve got anyone to pass it on to….not really. By the time my nieces and nephews have divvied up this place, there won’t be much more than enough to buy a couple of drinks apiece…and it wouldn’t be fair to choose just one of them…or even two to leave it all to, so I’d have the same problem if I made anything out of Mildred’

‘There’s always charity’ Sandra suggests ‘a cause that would be happy to have anything you made. You must have a favourite one’

‘That never even occurred to me’ Jessie says with surprise in her voice. ‘I will have another little think…promise’

‘I suppose Tim or me would be in the same boat’ Sandra says sadly ‘We’ve left everything to each other…but there’s no provision been made for if we should both go together…and no-one for either of us to leave anything to. There’s no-one else, just me and him’

‘But you are planning to have a family aren’t you?’

‘We are…..yes…but it hasn’t happened yet and this clock they keep talking about is merrily ticking away’ Sandra gives a mirthless laugh.

‘You’re still young’ Jessie consoles ‘Goodness me! In my day, it was nothing for a woman to be having her first baby in her forties and seems everything’s gone full circle. There are a lot of women nowadays that purposely wait until they’re older’

‘But….is it ever likely to happen now? We’ve been married seven years already…’ Sandra’s shoulders slump dejectedly.

‘Perhaps you should have some tests done if you’ve been waiting all that long. Could be something as simple as your timing being off. It’s not as easy to get pregnant as some people make out. You have to sleep together at the right time, else it don’t work’

‘But we’ve slept together every night since we’ve been married!’

‘Crikey! No wonder you look tired. They say it’s the quiet ones you have to watch’ Jessie smirks.

‘Sorry?’

‘That’s some going after seven years!’

‘It’s unusual?’ Sandra blushes and puts her hands to her cheeks ‘Sorry…I don’t know much about these things…I’ve never really had anyone to ask. Should I move to another room?’

‘Another room?’ Jessie frowns, confused.

‘So….so we don’t sleep together every night’

‘Why would you want to move to another room?’

‘How would I not sleep with him otherwise?’

‘I didn’t say you’d got to stop sleeping with him….just that it was good going’

‘Isn’t it the same for everyone?’

‘For the first few weeks maybe…’ Jessie grins ‘But you sort of get a bit more used to each other after that and it eases off… in most cases anyway. I’d say you were very lucky. Friday night used to be Amami night when I was younger!’ Her eyebrows waggle.

‘You’ve lost me’ Sandra pulls at her ear lobe, her blush replaced by a puzzled expression.

‘Didn’t matter what else you did during the rest of the week, Friday night always seemed to be the night…you know…. when you did it for certain. Gawd, you’re making me blush now!’

‘Did it?’

‘Sleep together’

‘Ah….I see. So where did people sleep when they weren’t sleeping together?’

‘Now you’ve lost me!’ Jessie blows the heat from her face, the wisps of her fringe lifting. ‘They still slept together but they didn’t sleep together’

‘Jessie…I really don’t understand…I’m sorry’

‘Sandra…you don’t have to sleep with someone just because you share a bed!’

‘What else do you do?’

‘Sleep!’

‘But we doooo’ Sandra looks even more bewildered.

‘Afterwards. I’m suggesting that it’s more usual to go to sleep without having had any befores’ Jessie dips her head and widens her eyes at Sandra over her glasses. ‘Especially after seven years’

‘Befores?’

Jessie groans, embarrassed at not being understood. ‘Sleeping together….. Sleeping together every night for seven years is a bit unusual. Something you and Tim have every right to be proud of…but still unusual’

‘I am really confused now. Should I be sleeping with him or not?’

Jessie scratches her forehead then hesitates, her finger and thumb pulling at her bottom lip while she thinks. ‘You’ll need to if you want a baby’ she says at last.

‘Which is what we have been doing…but nothing is happening!’ comes the exasperated reply.

Jessie puffs her reddening cheeks as Sandra stares at her in the hope of another, more helpful, reply. ‘Sandra…. Forgive me for asking….’ She says hesitantly ‘and I know I’m going to embarrass you… Crikey, I’m embarrassing me! …But…. you are doing it aren’t you?’

‘I’ve just been telling you we have!’ Sandra throws her hands in the air and groans in frustration.

‘I think we’re talking at cross-purposes here’ Jessie gives her head a quick shake before continuing cautiously. ‘Sandra….when I say sleeping together…are you and Tim….are you….Flipping heck!’ She blushes even further. ‘….Are you…have you…..’ She finally blurts the question. ‘Do you actually have sex?’