Page 19 of Autumn at the Cornish Garden Café

‘And here we are.’ Christopher paused in front of the café gardens and Bobby sat down and gazed up at his owner. ‘Just … catch my breath a moment.’ His hand moved to sit over his ribs and Rosa tried not to stare as he breathed slowly in and out, his lips tight with the strain. She’d thought it might be too much for him, but he had insisted and she didn’t feel she had any right to tell him what he should or shouldn’t do. He was a proud man and there was a certain amount of defiance in how he’d walked up here without so much as a cane, so he deserved to be admired and not patronised.

‘Of course.’ Rosa stood next to him and watched Vinnie, who’d decided to try out his disco moves.

‘I can do this one,’ Vinnie said as he threw one arm in the air and the other behind him, then sang in a high voice that she suspected was meant to imitate the Bee Gees. He swapped arms a few times, then wiggled his hips and pouted at them and Rosa and Christopher giggled.

‘Oh my goodness, Vinnie, you’re mad!’ Rosa said.

‘Actually, I think he’s got it perfectly.’ Christopher smiled. ‘I thought he was John Travolta there for a minute.’

‘I’ll take that!’ Vinnie gave a small bow, then opened the gate to the café gardens. ‘After you.’

Rosa and Christopher walked through the gate, and Bobby and Vinnie followed. The gardens were busy, and she scanned the people, searching for familiar faces. Music played from speakers and the sound of people talking and laughing greeted them along with aromas of roasting meat and vegetables.

‘Let’s find a seat, then we can get some drinks,’ she said.

They wandered through the gardens and found a spare circle of hay bales with a brazier in the middle. She helped Christopher to sit down on one, then handed him the rug from the side of it to put over his knees. ‘Just in case you get cold after the exertion of the walk,’ she said. Bobby jumped up next to Christopher and looked around him.

‘Thank you, Rosa. I’m very cosy now,’ he said.

‘No problem. I’ll get us a drink. Do you want anything to eat?’

‘Not yet, dear, as I’m still full from earlier, but maybe later.’

She turned to Vinnie. ‘What do you want?’

‘Whatever you have,’ he said.

‘Stay with Christopher and Bobby then and I won’t be long.’

She walked towards the café, but shouting and cheering from the gardens to the side of the building caught her attention, so she went in that direction to see what was going on.

On the grass were two large bowls and people were kneeling in front of the bowls with their hands laced behind their backs. Around them, people shouted and cheered words of encouragement.

As she watched, the person closest to her raised his head and turned to drop an apple into another bowl. They were bobbing for apples! She hadn’t played this game in years.

When the man ducked his head again, then emerged with another apple, she realised it was Henry and next to him was another teacher from the school.

Henry dropped another apple in the bowl and then a whistle sounded and Pearl waved her hands in the air. ‘Time’s up! Well done to both teams. Now, while Ellie changes the water and gets more apples for the next round, I’ll count the apples.’

Henry waited, wiping his face with a towel while Pearl counted the apples in his bowl and then the other man’s. She made a note on a pad, then went to Henry and took his hand before raising it above his head. ‘And our winner of Round 2 is Mr Clay!’

Applause filled the air and Henry grinned at everyone, then Johan Vandermeer appeared and high-fived Henry. ‘Well done, Sir! I knew you could do it!’

‘Thanks, Johan.’ Henry smiled. ‘Your turn next?’

‘Yes, sir!’ Johan rolled his shoulders and flexed his hands as he prepared for his turn.

Henry turned then and looked directly at Rosa. She felt like she’d been snooping and glanced away, but when she looked back at him, he was smiling.

‘Hello.’ He joined her at the periphery of the crowd.

‘Hi.’ She smiled. ‘You looked like you enjoyed that.’

‘It’s more fun than I remembered,’ he said. ‘Even if I got wet.’ He was still holding the towel, and he rubbed it over his face and neck.

‘Would you like a drink?’ she asked. ‘I was just going to get one for myself, Christopher and Vinnie.’ She gestured behind her and Henry looked over that way.

‘Uhm … I wouldn’t mind something warm.’

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