Page 47 of Waiting for a Bright New Future

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, “about Mum having to be with us today. And she’s started putting me down whenever possible. You know I wouldn’t hurt the tortoise. I was just interested.”

Stuart squeezed her hand in return. “It’s a common habit in older people with nothing else to think about. I got it from Dad. And Veronica talked about it before I started working with William. Whatever Lillian says about you, it’s water off a duck’s back to me.”

Jayne leaned forward and kissed him. It was longer and held more passion than the kisses they’d shared before. Their adult relationship was developing differently to when they’d been hormone-engorged teenagers. Jayne was bringing the baggage of a long but ultimately unhappy marriage plus a mother she couldn’t abandon. He was bringing naivety about the workings of adult romantic relationships and years of sitting on the side-lines watching life go by without him. Together they could make this work. The basis of their second-time-around partnership was becoming firm, concrete compared to the fickle feathers of their teenage years. Stuart savoured the unspoken mutual feelings behind this kiss.

When their lips separated, their hands remained joined and it took Stuart a couple of seconds to reorientate himself.

“Tell me about the retreat,” he said. “How did you get on?”

“It was like stepping into a bubble of relaxation for twenty-four hours. Fruit and veg smoothies instead of the endless cups of tea that Mum wants. A choice of classes and guided meditations. Healthy meals and proper conversation at the dining table.” She gazed into the middle-distance. “If I’m perfectly honest, I wanted to stay there forever. And then as soon as I got home, the weight of Mum and all the related issues landed back on my shoulders. I love her but I don’t know whether I can cope with what is to come.”

Stuart squeezed her hand. “I’ll help you work it out.”

Lillian had finished reading the plaques and was watching them with a smile on her lips.

“You two were always meant for each other. I tried to tell Jayne to wait for you when you went off to university. But, as usual, she wouldn’t listen. All her friends were getting engaged and married and she wanted to do the same.”

“Mum!”

Stuart squeezed her hand again. “We’ve talked about that, Lillian, and I understand what happened back then.”

Lillian grunted and then led the way around the lake in her slow, steady pace. Stuart and Jayne followed, still holding hands.

The next step would be to take Jayne to bed. His heart missed a beat. How could he tell if Jayne wanted that as much as he did? As a teenager she’d had no inhibition about pointedly telling him she was on the pill. But that was in an atmosphere of curiosity, of not wanting to get left behind, of not wanting to be the only one who hadn’t ‘done it’. The only barrier back then had been finding a suitable place.

In the end he’d been able to take advantage of his father’s regular Rotary nights and had taken Jayne back to his own bedroom. His dad had soon worked out what was going on but had diplomatically said nothing. He’d simply left a packet of condoms on Stuart’s bed with a note telling him to pin that same note to his bedroom door when more supplies were needed. Jayne’s pill confession meant Stuart didn’t have to go through that embarrassment and he screwed the note up and threw it away. They’d both been virgins and, initially, teenage lust and excitement had been the driver for him. But gradually the physicality had come to mean something on an emotional level and he’d believed they were joined for the long term.

“Cup of tea?” Lillian was standing outside the park café. “My treat.”

They sat at a table next to the window, overlooking the lake.

“What do you think happens to ducks when they get old?” Lillian said. “Do you think they need care? Or do they just drop dead and sink to the bottom? I’ve never seen a dead duck.”

There was a silence as the burden of ageing, care and death hung in the air around them.

“I guess nature finds a way.” Stuart reached across the table and patted Lillian’s arm. “But you’re not to worry. Jayne and I are here for you.”

Jayne flashed him a grateful smile. He couldn’t stop a grin spreading across his face.

“If you two are going to get married, do it sooner rather than later. I want to walk my daughter down the aisle!”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Fortuitously, Lillian’s weekly session at the day centre coincided with Jayne’s birthday. Stuart found another of Veronica’s carers who was willing to stand in for his lunchtime shift with William and he persuaded Jayne to take the day off work, instructing her to wear leggings or something similar plus trainers. She arrived on his doorstep buzzing with excitement.

“I can’t wait to know what this is all about,” she said as he led her into the kitchen and made coffee for them both. “Are we going walking?”

“No.” He handed her an envelope.

“Curiouser and curiouser!” Instead of a traditional birthday card, Stuart had made a large cardboard ticket entitling the bearer to aMystery Trip with Lunch included.

Twenty minutes later he opened the garage door and gestured inside. Mavis’s bike was polished and ready with a gift-wrapped parcel balanced on the saddle. He thought he saw the beginning of a frown on his girlfriend’s forehead but it disappeared before he could be sure. His heart sank a little. Jayne unwrapped the present to reveal a bright pink bike helmet. Then she looked at him hesitantly.

“Put it on. I’ll adjust the strap for you.” He fitted Jayne’s helmet correctly, put on his own and shut the garage door behind them. “Ready?”

“No. Wait. This is lovely and everything.” She paused and Stuart felt more excitement seep away. “I can’t do this. I haven’t been on a bike since we were together before. Since I was eighteen.”

“You never forget.”

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