How Laura Lewis Met Richard Brown

Chapter Nine

Gertie pulled the colourful crocheted blanket up towards her chin and adjusted the reading lamp. Her cup of tea was sitting on top of her pile of books — the perfect height for her to lean across and pick it up with ease. These things were important as you got older.

She had planned an early night in bed, sipping tea and reading her book, but her eyes were heavy and her heart sad.

Richard hadn’t called in to see her. He hadn’t even left a message with reception. She knew he had a staff meeting and that it would finish late, but she’d hoped he might pop in. She wanted the opportunity to say sorry to him. The words were no longer stuck in her throat.

Gertie closed her eyes, rested her head back on the soft pillow that was covered with images of tiny birds and flowers. A Mother’s Day gift from Richard last year. He was probably still angry with her, wanting to teach the silly old woman a lesson.

But no. Gertie shook her head. He wasn’t like that. He didn’t have a bad bone in his body. It was the pain that was tainting everything. Casting an unwanted shadow over her thoughts and words.

Gertie shifted position under the covers, pushing herself back up against the pillow. She winced at the sudden stabbing pain in her lower back.

She was able to hide her discomfort during the day. Nobody paid her much attention and she was pretty much left to her own devices. It was only Hazel who tried to make her socialise. To engage with others. To get her out of her room. Gertie liked her room. It was where her memories lived. But the pain was worse at night. At least there was no one to see her wince or groan as she tossed and turned in bed, unable to get comfy.

The nights were long. Only a quick check at midnight to see if she needed anything. Other than that, the staff would pop their heads in every couple of hours, but she knew most nights they left her alone.

Gertie knew she should tell Hazel about the pain, even though she didn’t trust the woman as far as she could throw her. Hazel could arrange a doctor’s appointment. But what was the point in that? All that would lead to was blood tests, and prodding and probing and a conversation that Gertie didn’t want to have. She didn’t need a doctor to tell her what was wrong. She already knew.

The loss of appetite, the gradual weight loss and the pain in her stomach that made her bend over. Took her breath away. The Big C. That’s what it was. There was nothing they could do. She was eighty years of age. When the time came, when the pain was too much, then she’d be able to get pain relief. If she needed it. Here, in the place she now called home. There was no way she was going to end her days trapped in a hospital bed. She’d seen enough hospitals to last her a lifetime.

She wasn’t worried about herself. She wasn’t afraid of dying. She worried about Richard. He had watched his wife suffer for months near the end. There was no such thing as dignity in death. Gertie couldn’t put him through that again. She wouldn’t put him through it again.

When the end came, she wanted it to be quick. It was best for everyone.

Gertie needed to put her plan in motion. She couldn’t leave things as they were. She couldn’t leave this world knowing that Richard was all alone.

Gertie needed to know more about Laura. Her past. She was the key.

* * *

It took Laura a few moments to get her bearings after she’d left the pub. She’d forgotten there were no streetlights in the village and the darkness of the January night caught her by surprise, in its direct contrast to the brightly lit pub.

Clutching her torch for dear life, she began to make her way back home along the narrow lane.

Her steps were quick, cheeks puffed out as she picked up her pace. After a few minutes she no longer felt the cold.

The evening hadn’t been as restful as she’d intended. She had drunk her coffee too quickly and had found it hard to concentrate on her book. The pub had been lively, music playing on a jukebox, which had taken her by surprise. She had wrongly assumed that she would be surrounded by muffled conversations and old men drinking pints.

Laura had caught bits of conversation from those sitting around her, particularly Richard and his friend. She hadn’t caught his name. From what she had heard, Richard was feeling sorry for the way he had behaved towards Gertie and planned to visit her tomorrow. Laura hoped to see him at the home, as she had been put on the rota for the upper floor and she was working a double shift. She would keep an eye on Gertie. She hoped that the two would reconcile their differences.

Laura’s thoughts returned to the haunted look on Richard’s face. The hunched shoulders. She felt so sorry for this man she had never spoken to, never properly met. A single father whose wife had died too young. From what Gertie had told her, and the snippets of conversation she had overheard in the pub, it was abundantly clear that Richard was a good man. A kind man. A devoted dad who still loved his wife. Was that such a bad thing? To have loved someone so much, so deeply, that you could never let them go? Never stop loving them? Laura felt a lump rising in her throat. A heavy feeling formed a knot in her chest. She had never experienced that type of love with Mark. Not even in those heady early days. Of course, she’d loved him, even when everything had turned sour and her whole world had changed. But the love she felt for Mark would fade over time. It was not a love that would be forever cherished. Not like the love Richard still had for his dead wife. Laura shuddered and quickened her pace. Perhaps it was morbid to think that way.

In the distance, Laura heard the dull throb of a car engine as it gradually grew louder. She stopped and pressed her back into the hedge. She would let the car pass before continuing on her way. But in doing so, she stumbled on the uneven road and dropped her handbag, scattering its contents everywhere. Muttering a curse, she swung the torch, illuminating where her bag had landed, and crouched down to scoop up her belongings.

Laura heard the car slow down. At first she thought this was because the driver was being careful, but when the car crawled to a stop, just inches from where she crouched in the road, she felt an uneasy feeling grow in the pit of her stomach. She plucked up her keys, then her purse.

‘Hello, do you need some help?’ the man shouted from the car. ‘I’m Richard Brown, Gertie’s grandson.’

Laura shifted her gaze towards the car that had pulled up beside her and the dark-haired man she’d seen in the pub — Richard. Not a threat at all. She smiled. ‘Hello, nice to meet you. Sorry, I dropped my bag.’

Richard opened the door, climbed out. ’Here, let me help you,’ he said.

‘Hello,’ Richard said again, crouching down beside her. He handed her her book, and then a small box of tampons.

Laura felt her cheeks heat as she shoved them in her bag. ‘Thank you.’

‘Think that’s everything,’ Richard said, before adding, ‘Are you Laura? I don’t think we’ve met?’

‘Yes, I’m Laura Lewis. I look after your gran,’ Laura said, standing up, trying her best to regain her composure. For some reason, this man flustered her. ‘In fact, you nearly bumped into me on your way out yesterday.’ Laura could have sworn she saw Richard blush, but it was too dark to tell.

Richard lowered his head. ‘Yeah, sorry about that. Yesterday wasn’t a good day.’

‘No harm done,’ she said, followed by a shrug.

‘Anyway, do you need a lift?’ Richard asked. He inclined his head towards the car, the engine still running. ‘I’m with my brother-in-law.’

Laura shook her head. She knew that he was perfectly safe, but there was no need for a lift. ‘I live just up there.’ Laura gestured a few metres up the road.

‘Ah, yes, I’d forgotten — you’re the new tenant in Church View Cottage.’

‘That’s me,’ Laura said.

‘I have no idea why they called it Church View,’ Richard said after a beat.

Laura laughed. ‘Because there isn’t one? I thought exactly the same.’ She shifted the bag on her shoulder as she looked down the lane towards the cottage.

Richard cleared his throat. Took a step back. ‘Well, I’ll let you get home, then.’ Another step towards the car. He opened the door, slowly lowering his long body in. After shutting the door, the engine revved to life. But before the car indicated and pulled away from the side of the road, the window slowly wound down and Richard’s head popped out.

‘Take care then. I’ll probably see you at the home.’

‘Yes, you will,’ Laura said, followed by a wave.

A quick beep of the horn and the car slowly drove away.

Laura stood for a few moments before fixing the torch on the road ahead. She looked forward to seeing Richard again, and although she wasn’t entirely sure why, she hoped it was soon.