Page 11 of A Midlife Gamble

‘Of course.’ Caro nodded.

‘Your turn, Helen,’ Kay urged. They had to keep moving; if they didn’t want to get swallowed up by all that life had become, they had to keep moving past number one, forward to sunnier climes.

‘Umm.’ Helen shuffled to the edge of her seat and put her cup down. ‘It’s hard, isn’t it.’

‘Sleep under the stars?’ Caro offered. ‘Not me, you. You always wanted to sleep under the stars.’

‘I did!’ Helen laughed. ‘I still do! You’re right, that’s my first.’

And watching them, sitting close together, Kay felt a sense of peace. Back in August, this was something she was sure she would never experience again. The three of them, comfortable in each other’s company.

‘Mine is do something spontaneous,’ Caro said seriously.

Both Helen and Kay laughed.

‘I mean it!’ Caro smiled. ‘Do something that I hadn’t expected to do.’

‘Or planned?’ Helen said.

‘Or planned, yes.’

‘I have a number two,’ Helen said excitedly. ‘I want to throw another dinner party!’

‘I thought you never wanted to do that again!’ Kay said.

‘I know, but it feels different now. And wouldn’t it be fun? One last time before the house is sold?’

‘Is it definitely happening?’ Caro asked.

‘Lawrence is dragging his feet, but he is repaying the money he took for Everest and when it’s back, yes, the intention is to put the house on the market.’

‘Good, Helen.’ Caro nodded. ‘That’s good.’

‘What about Libby?’ Kay asked.

‘Well, it’s not going to happen tomorrow, and I hope by the time it does happen, Libby will be ready. I mean, she’s going to need to stand on her own two feet… I can’t… I can’tnotlive my life, can I?’ Helen said, every word sounding less assured than the word before.

‘No.’ Kay sighed.

Helen looked at her. ‘So what’s your number two?’

She winced. ‘This is where it gets hard,’ she said and turned to Caro. ‘What’s yours?’

Again, Caro frowned.

‘Go backpacking?’ Helen joked.

‘Stay in a Premier Inn?’ Kay said.

‘God forbid!’ Caro laughed. She folded her hands together and rested her chin on them. ‘Grow my own tomatoes.’

‘What!’ Helen fell forward, her hand over her mouth to cover the fountain of coffee that had exploded.

‘Tomatoes!’ Kay too was laughing, so hard that a tear escaped from each eye. She wiped them away.

‘Why not?’ Caro said looking from one to the other, as she waited for them to recover themselves. ‘I’ve never had the time before.’

Helen picked up a napkin and stretched out the neck of her jumper, blotting coffee. ‘You haven’t changed your mind about quitting then?’

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