Page 61 of Eden's Comfort Kitchen
‘Very funny.’ Eden frowned at him. She moved back from the doorway to let her volunteers in. ‘It’s good of you to charge down here, but we would have managed.’
‘We’re here now,’ Bilbo said cheerily. ‘Might as well make use of us.’
Eden began to assign tasks, though she was aware that they probably knew what needed to be done better than she did.
Bilbo sidled up to Cam as she was explaining to Liam where the spare chairs were kept. Eden was distracted by their conversation, doing her best to stay with Liam but unable to stop herself from eavesdropping.
‘I found this…’
Eden glanced at them to see Bilbo hand Cam a photograph.
‘Thought you might like to see it,’ he continued.
Cam took the photo and broke into a broad smile. ‘That’s you! And is that…?’
‘Razor, yes, your great-uncle. That’s us onboard theVanguardoff the coast of Gibraltar. I can’t exactly remember what year, but it must have been about 1953. I was only a runt of a boy. There’s Tommo…he was your uncle’s best friend.’
‘I think he might have mentioned him once, but it’s so long ago I can’t recall,’ Cam said. ‘This is brilliant! Can I take a copy to show my parents?’
‘Well…’ Bilbo looked doubtful. ‘It’s the only one I have, so I wouldn’t like to let it out of my sight…’
‘I’ll just scan it with my phone; I won’t have to take it anywhere.’
‘Oh, in that case, of course! I’m glad you like it.’
‘I do,’ Cam said, gazing at the black-and-white snap. ‘Thanks so much for digging it out.’
‘Thank you for reminding me about old Razor. Was good to me, he was, always looked out for me. I was right fond of him.’ Bilbo looked up at Cam through old eyes and smiled fondly. ‘When I look at you, I can see something of him.’
‘Ah, I think he was a much better man than I am.’
‘Different times make different people, but it doesn’t change the heart,’ Bilbo said.
‘I don’t know about that.’ Cam put the photo on the table and got out his phone. ‘But I appreciate the sentiment.’ He snapped a copy and then handed the original back to Bilbo, who put it carefully into an envelope and went over to Mavis, who put it in her handbag.
By this time, Liam had gone off to find the extra chairs and Eden wandered over to Cam. She didn’t want to give him the impression she was interested in him, but she was mad with curiosity over the photo. ‘Let’s see,’ she said, trying to get a glimpse as he looked at his phone.
He held it out. ‘There’s my uncle,’ he said, pointing to a man who was far taller than Bilbo, suntanned and slim in a naval uniform. It was hard to make out his features, but from what Eden could see, there was some family resemblance. Her eyes went along the row of men on the deck of the ship. It was easy to pick out Bilbo, and she smiled at the sight of him as a youth. This day must have felt like a lifetime ago to the old man standing in her kitchen today. In the background were the rocks that must have been Gibraltar, a moment of a day that would never be that exact moment on that exact day again, captured and frozen in a grainy, dog-eared photograph. Eden was suddenly struck by how transient life was, how moments and events blew through it like leaves in the wind, and her smile faded. It was so short and so fleeting – she knew that only too well.
She turned away, afraid she might start to cry if she gave it any more thought.
‘That’s lovely,’ she said. ‘But I’d better get on.’
Taking a second to collect herself, she went to the sink and pretended to wash her hands. When she turned back, Cam was watching her with a strange expression on his face.
‘I’ll make a cup of tea, shall I?’ Mavis announced, and Eden had never been so glad of a distraction before.
‘Who’s up for a drink after we finish here?’ Cam called as the team started to clear down. Eden had just seen off the last diners. It had been another successful and cheery affair, and while she was happy that people seemed to love their dinners, that fact was bittersweet. Wouldn’t it be typical that she’d finally got something wonderful going, something that people wanted and needed, something she could be proud of, only to have it snatched away? Perhaps it was a bit spoiled to see it that way, but Eden had grown up spoiled, and even though she recognisedit, she cut herself some slack. She couldn’t change who she was overnight, but at least she was trying.
‘At the Dolphin?’ Mavis asked.
‘I thought so,’ Cam replied. ‘Unless you know a better pub nearby?’
‘Nowhere better than the Dolphin,’ Bilbo said.
‘I don’t think I will…’ Liam came in from the main room, presumably having heard the conversation from in there.
‘I don’t suppose you want to be supping with us oldies, eh?’ Bilbo said to him.
