‘Good morning, Helen, you’re looking very rosy today. Someone upset you or have you got a man behind there?’ Jessie smiles brightly, leaning on the wooden counter of the library reception area.

‘Neither’ Helen retorts crisply.

Jessie’s smile fades. ‘Oh…okay…sorry I asked. You’ve got a book I ordered? I got a little card in the post.’ She takes the card from her pocket and lays it on top of the small pile of books Helen is checking on the computer.

‘Yes…yes we have.’ Helen’s face crumples. ‘I’m sorry…excuse me. Marie, would you take over for a minute?’ Clutching an already damp tissue retrieved from her sleeve, Helen strides past the young assistant and through the door to the staff rest room, her head held high but her eyes streaming tears.

Jessie looks forlorn. ‘Did I upset her?’

‘No, I’m sure you didn’t, Mrs. Shepherd.’ Marie looks over her shoulder to the door and back at Jessie, leaning forward to whisper confidentially. ‘I think she’s got a bit of man trouble.’

‘Miss Marchant?’ Jessie puts her hand over her mouth as the incredulous question comes out louder than she intended. ‘Sorry’ she whispers.

‘I reckon so. She was all puffy eyed when she came in this morning, late as well. She’s never late.’ Marie stamps the book and passes it over the counter.

‘Oh dear, the poor girl. I didn’t even know she was seeing anyone.’

‘Nor did I.’

‘I don’t usually miss anything like that. I must be slipping. But I shouldn’t joke should I? It’s not nice. I was surprised, that’s all. I didn’t think she had emotions.’ Jessie drops the book into a plastic carrier bag taken from her handbag. ‘That wasn’t nice either, was it?’

Marie sighs a smile, ‘It’s alright…I know what you mean. I don’t know whether to go in there or not. I don’t want to get me head bitten off but… there again….’ She looks over her shoulder once more. ‘She must feel awful lonely at times like this.’

‘Mmmmm.’ Jessie nods sadly.

The Village Library

The Allotments

‘Fancy a pint after?’

‘After what? We ain’t done nothing yet.’ George Harris chuckles, handing Ernie Knowles another mug of tea from his flask.

They sit in the warmth of George’s greenhouse on green striped garden chairs, sipping tea, dunking the biscuits that Ernie has brought with him and gazing out at the allotments.

‘We looked at them Brussels.’ Ernie protests. ‘Checked the parsnips. Don’t want to overdo it’

‘True’ George agrees. ‘Hope we’s going to get a few frosts in afore Christmas. Parsnips allus tastes better after they’ve had a frost on ‘em.’

‘I do like a nice parsnip.’ Ernie dunks another digestive and swears as it disintegrates beneath the surface of the thick almost orange liquid. ‘Put your application in for the Marathon yet?’

‘You taking the piss?’

‘Nah…honest’ He attempts to fish out the remains of the biscuit with a finger. ‘I’m impressed if you want the truth.’

‘Tell you what.’ George leans back with a satisfied smile. ‘Me blood pressure’s gone down. I ain’t lost no weight but the doc’s right pleased.’

‘Probably cos you nips in the pub after…the weight thing.’

‘Aye, maybe right.’

‘Missus keeps on at me to take more exercise. Blimey, I’m on the go all the time!’

‘Ah…but you have to get a sweat on for it to do any good.’ George replies knowledgeably.

Ernie rolls his eyes. ‘I ain’t got a sweat on for ages’ he grumbles.

‘Not surprising wi’er’ George grimaces. ‘Sorry’

‘Nah, you’re right, boy.’ Ernie sighs. ‘Many’s a night what the spirit’s been willing but the flesh gets weak at the sight of ‘er in ‘er flannelette. Flannelette and that look she gi’es me. I just roll over and go to sleep.’ 

‘Tha’s a bugger.’

‘Aye’

‘I miss my old gal’ George says wistfully.

‘Don’t you mean gals?’

‘Still a few knocking about but there ain’t no effort if they’s already there…waiting for yer.’

‘It’s a bloody effort when they is sometimes!’ Ernie puffs his cheeks and twitches his head to add weight to his words.

‘Didn’t she ever catch on…you know…about…’

‘Nah. Too caught up in ‘erself to bother about where I was half the time, as long as I were bringing the money in, she didn’t care none’ he growls a response.

They sit in silence for a few moments. ‘She was a good ‘un, that gal.’ Ernie says quietly. ‘Never asked me fer nothing, never expected owt. Not once were she on at me t’leave Evelyn.’

‘Bet you miss ‘er’ George sympathises.

‘I do, boy, and that’s a fact. Hardest thing I’ve ever had to do was not t’show how upset I was when she went. Thirty eight years is a long time’

‘Mmm. Didn’t you never think about getting divorced?’

‘What and let that bugger get ‘er hands on what I’d got salted away? No fear! She could spend it faster than I could earn it as it was. Then there were the kiddies. I couldn’t leave them. Blimey! They might a turned out just like ‘er wi’out me there.’

‘Couldn’t you…you know…find yerself another lady?’

‘You think I’d want one after…’

‘No, p’raps not.’ George sighs understandingly.

‘Any rate, you getting on alright with the boy, then?’ Ernie brightens and slaps George on the knee, grinning.

‘Young Kester, you mean?’ George breaks another biscuit in half and sits munching.

‘Yep. Your pers’nal trainer.’

‘Cor, he’s a bit of a lad I can tell yer. We ‘as a right laugh as we go round. Not that I got much breath fer talking but running don’t effect me ears none. ‘E’s got them old girls pegged and that’s for sure.’

‘Evelyn were right disgusted at you, you know.’

George chuckles, spitting crumbs. ‘’Er more’n most. We allus pulls our shorts up a bit higher iffin we sees ‘er coming. It was the lad what started that. I couldn’t hardly run fer laughing the first time. Course it’s getting a bit nippy now, so I keeps me trousers on.’

‘They’re the bottom half of your jamas!’

‘And why not?’ George straightens indignantly. ‘They looks the same as them what the boy has on when he turns up. I ain’t wasting good money. Besides, he’s there at crack of cockcrow some mornings. I ain’t allus got time to get dressed.’

Chapter Two