How Laura Lewis Met Richard Brown

Chapter Twenty

Laura was so happy when she saw Gertie sitting in the day room. As usual she was surrounded by a stack of books and a cup of what was presumably tea. She clutched the cup in her hand.

Laura stood quietly in the doorway, observing the older woman. She seemed happy, almost peaceful, immersed in the power of words. She hoped that Gertie wasn’t in any pain. She knew that the old lady was good at hiding her feelings, but the way she sat made Laura think she was comfortable. This tied in with the handover she’d just been given. She had just wanted to check for herself.

Knowing that she couldn’t stand in the doorway all day, Laura made her way over to Gertie and took a seat next to her.

Gertie looked up. A smile slowly spread across her face. She used a scrap piece of paper as a bookmark and closed the book. ‘Oh, it is so lovely to see you. I forgot you were working today.’

‘Did you now?’ Laura said, followed by a smirk. She knew only too well that Gertie hadn’t forgotten. ‘How are you feeling today?’

‘I feel much better than I did yesterday. I had a good rest, you see.’ Gertie paused before adding, ‘And I saw Richard and little Henry. That always cheers me up.’

‘He’s a lovely little boy and so kind,’ Laura said. ‘He told me he’d drawn you a picture.’

‘Oh, yes, he did,’ Gertie said, clapping her hands together. ‘I must show it to you later on.’

‘I’d like that.’ Laura smiled and stretched out her legs. Her feet were aching this morning.

‘Did Henry tell you about the picture when you bumped into them outside the village shop?’ Gertie asked.

Laura narrowed her eyes. How did Gertie know that?

‘I did bump into them outside the shop. They were on their way home from visiting you.’

‘He told me all about it. You two meeting quite by accident. Said he enjoyed your little chat.’ Gertie grinned at Laura, her green eyes twinkling.

Laura was acutely aware that Richard had said no such thing.

‘It was just a chat,’ Laura said, her voice rising an octave.

‘If you say so,’ Gertie said. ‘Anyway, I’d like to go and sit outside for a little while. I want to look at the sky. Not sure how long I have left. Got to make the most of this weather.’

Laura was about to protest, thinking that it was far too cold to be sitting outside, but then she thought what did it matter if they went and sat outside for a little while? The weather was dry. She’d just be sure to wrap Gertie in a blanket. What Laura didn’t like was all this talk about not having long left. It unsettled her. Did Gertie know that she was dying? She would try to talk to her about this once they were settled outside.

‘I’ll just go and grab our hats and coats and a couple of blankets. I’ll get Cerrie to make you a cup of tea.’

‘Thank you,’ Gertie said.

Laura wasn’t sure if her thanks were because of the promise of tea, the chance to sit out in the fresh air, or the fact that the two women would be alone.

* * *

Gertie accepted the cup of tea from Cerrie with a smile and a thanks.

‘Such a lovely young girl. I love her pink hair, but I do wish she wouldn’t tell me about all the boys she meets on her nights out on the town.’ Gertie tutted. ‘It wasn’t like that back in my day.’

All of this was said once Cerrie had stepped through the conservatory door.

Laura had taken Gertie onto the patio area which led out from the day room. Wooden benches and round patio tables had been placed around the edge of the garden, with the central space being home to a water fountain and fragrant flowers during the summer months.

None were to be seen in the depths of winter, although there was still a silent beauty and tranquillity to the space.

Laura had positioned herself next to Gertie on one of the benches. She watched as the old lady turned her face upwards towards the sky and closed her eyes. After a few seconds, Gertie lowered her gaze, opened her eyes and lifted the teacup to her lips.

Laura felt her guts twist. Something wasn’t right. She had the feeling that Gertie needed to tell her something. That she was trying to find the right words. So, she sat quietly and allowed Gertie to take the lead.

Gertie sipped her tea.

Laura watched the robin which had found its way into the garden.

No one spoke for several minutes.

It was Gertie who spoke first, having finished her cup of tea.

She cradled the empty cup.

‘You need to tell him about your past,’ she said, her eyes closed. ‘It will be good for you both.’

All Laura could do was stare. What was she on about now? Tell who exactly? ‘You mean I should tell Richard?’ Laura asked. Why on earth would she tell Richard about her past? She’d moved to Buttermarsh to start a new life. The last thing she wanted was to relive her past by talking about it. At the time she had felt a great catharsis when sharing her story with Gertie. It had felt as if a burden had been lifted from her. That perhaps everything would eventually work itself out. That she would come through the other side. That she could have a new life. That she was deserving of a new life. But now, hearing Gertie’s words, pleading with her to tell Richard, she was regretting her decision to share her past.

She should have kept her mouth shut.

Laura turned to face Gertie, but the old lady refused to turn to meet her gaze. She remained still, her face turned upwards, eyes closed.

‘Gertie,’ Laura said pleadingly. She needed Gertie to look at her, so that she could tell her face to face that she had no intention of telling her grandson anything about her past.

But Gertie continued to ignore her. Instead, she squeezed her eyes shut even tighter. She gripped the teacup tighter, her knuckles turning white.

Laura began to feel more uneasy by the second. How was she going to say no to this woman without offending her?

‘He needs to know,’ Gertie said, her words barely audible in the quiet of the garden. She shifted on her seat and angled her body so that she could look at Laura.

‘That decision is mine to make. Not yours,’ Laura said. She could feel a pulse throbbing in her temple. She clenched her jaw.

‘You need to tell him, love,’ Gertie said. She reached over to place her hand on Laura’s.

Laura felt some of the tension ebb away at her touch, but she still felt uncomfortable. She didn’t know Richard. She would not share her past with him. She let out a long-held breath. ‘Why does he need to know?’ she asked eventually.

To Laura’s great surprise, Gertie clamped her mouth shut.

She needed to take a moment to think how best to answer this question. The last thing she wanted to do was to frighten the young woman, but if she didn’t act soon then it would be far too late and all her hard work would have been for nothing.

She had to tell her. She just needed to be careful with her words.

‘Laura,’ Gertie said. ‘Do you trust me?’

Laura’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Of course I trust you,’ she said.

‘Then you know that I would never lie to you.’ It was a statement. Not a question.

Laura nodded, her face echoing the same solemn look. ‘Yes, I know you would never lie to me.’

‘Then you have to believe me when I tell you that Richard needs to know about your past.’ Gertie paused to catch her breath. ‘If you hide your past about what happened to your husband, then it will destroy your relationship.’ She emphasised the last three words.

‘What relationship?’ Laura asked, her face a mask of confusion.

‘Your relationship with Richard.’

‘What? My relationship with Richard? We’re not in a relationship.’

‘But you will be,’ Gertie said. ‘Not so far into the future you will be. I’ve told you I can see into the future and you two belong together. That’s my prophecy. If he finds out the truth, that you lied to him, it will hurt you both, and I can’t have that on my conscience.’

Laura opened her mouth, then closed it again.

Several minutes passed.

‘So, let me get this straight then,’ Laura said, having regained her composure. ‘I need to tell Richard what happened to Mark, because if I don’t, when we begin a relationship it will end badly. Have I got that right?’

Gertie cursed her bluntness. She had gone about this all wrong. Laura didn’t believe her. ‘You said that you believed me, that I would never lie to you.’

‘I did,’ Laura said. ‘But this is on a whole other level. I want to believe you, I really do, but even you have to admit that you can’t really predict the future. You may have feelings, or what you believe to be premonitions, but none of us know what the future holds. Not really.’

Gertie shook her head. That’s where this young woman was completely wrong. ‘The future can change, I’ll admit that, but I know that you and Richard will be together and I can’t stand the thought of either of you being hurt just because you kept your past hidden, and for what? I know my grandson. He wouldn’t pass judgement. He would understand.’

‘I barely know him, Gertie. I can’t just blurt out to him that my husband killed himself.’

‘I know that,’ Gertie said impatiently. ‘That’s why you need to get to know him. Then you’ll see. You can tell him anything. He’ll make you happy.’

Laura sucked in a deep breath and counted to ten. This was getting ridiculous. Did Gertie actually believe in happy ever afters? This wasn’t some romantic movie she was living in. Laura felt as if she’d been transported back a century. She did not need Richard Brown to make her happy. She did not need any man.

‘Things happen in their own good time, Gertie. You can’t rush these things,’ Laura said eventually. ‘We need to get to know each other.’

Laura was rewarded with a smug smile plastered on the old woman’s face.

‘I’m not even sure if Richard likes me,’ Laura added.

‘Oh, he likes you. He’s just cautious because of what happened to Sally. You two are so alike.’

Laura sighed, wondering if Gertie had meant that she was like Sally, or Richard. ‘I am not making any promises, Gertie. We’ll have to see how things go. Give it time.’

‘But that’s one thing we don’t have,’ Gertie said, looking Laura directly in the eye.

Startled, Laura reached out and touched her arm. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Time. There’s not much time left. I have cancer.’

* * *

Richard stood by the open door and watched his class grab their coats and bags from the hooks in the cloakroom.

Bags and coats littered the floor, alongside PE kits which had been picked up by accident and then discarded on the floor. He really needed to chat with the children about this. Again. The lack of respect that they had for others’ belongings saddened and infuriated him in equal measure. But now was not the time. Half the class had already left the building and those who were still here would be too eager to leave school to listen to him.

He would talk to Year Six in the morning.

Once the last child had walked outside, Richard ventured into the cloakroom and picked up the various PE bags and discarded hats and scarves, and attempted to hang them onto the relevant pegs. Some of the items were missing names, so he took them into the classroom. The kids could pick them up tomorrow in class.

Richard sat down behind his desk and rubbed his eyes.

What a day.

The whole class had seemed restless and unable to concentrate. They had been hard to settle, even those children who were usually quiet and got down to their work. Richard wondered if something was in the air. Something he didn’t know about.

Then there was the issue with Gertie. She had been on his mind all day. He was still worried about her. Even though she’d seemed better yesterday, had appeared to sparkle when talking about Laura, he still had that unsettled feeling in his stomach. His grandmother wasn’t well, but she was putting on a good show of everything being well in the world.

Then there was the issue of Hazel. Why had she been snooping in Gertie’s room? What had she been looking for? If it wasn’t for the excellent care staff who worked there, and the fact that Gertie would refuse to go anywhere else, then he would be looking for another home right now. He didn’t like Hazel, and what was even worse was that he suspected that Hazel didn’t like his grandmother.

Richard pushed himself up from his chair and made his way around the room, picking up chairs and placing them on the tables ready for when the cleaner arrived in around an hour’s time. He didn’t need to do this, but he knew it saved Dave time. He had to clean every classroom and he only had a few hours to do so.

Richard had a stack of marking to do before tomorrow and although he could take them home to mark after Henry was in bed, he decided to get the work done before picking him up from Tracey’s. They’d arranged for Henry to have tea there, Richard too if he liked, but he still felt a little uncomfortable after that particular conversation.

He’d do his marking then go pick his son up, making a quick getaway. He knew that he was a coward, but he didn’t want to hear any more about Laura Lewis and how he should be asking her out.

Hearing it from Gertie was bad enough.

He had no intention of asking her out on a date.

He was a single father and far too busy for the dating world.

He wasn’t ready for a relationship with anyone. Perhaps they could be friends? But he would have to get to know her better. Find out exactly what she was hiding.

He picked up the exercise book from the top of the pile and found the page he was looking for. Located his stickers, and black and red pens.

This wouldn’t take too long.

The mobile phone began to buzz on his desk, slowly making its way across the surface.

Richard picked it up and read the text on the lock screen.

It was from Laura.

Gertie is in better form today. Sat out in the garden this morning. No new news.

Richard read the text. Then read it again.

Short and to the point.

He was surprised she’d sent him a text.

How should he reply?

A simple thanks, or should he ask how she was? Would that seem a little forward?

He pondered the problem for a few seconds before tapping out his reply.

Thanks for letting me know.

He would keep it short and simple too. Professional.

He hit send, not expecting a reply, which was why he jumped when his phone rang several minutes later.

Scooping it up from the desk, he felt a twinge of disappointment in seeing Megan’s name on the screen.

‘Hello, Richard,’ Megan said. ‘You good to talk?’

‘Just marking. You okay?’ he asked. Megan very rarely called him at this time of day.

‘I’m fine. I just thought I’d give you a call as I’m taking Laura out tonight to the pub. Do you want to join us? Thought I’d ask before I phone her.’

‘You haven’t asked her yet? Haven’t asked if she wants to go to the pub with you?’ Richard said. Had he got this completely wrong?

‘No, not yet,’ Megan said.

‘How do you know she’ll say yes?’

‘I just do,’ Megan said, not quite hiding her irritation.

‘Oh, so you’re psychic now then, too?’ Richard said.

‘Oh, don’t be like that. She could do with a friend and you could do with getting out more.’

Richard knew what was going on here. First Gertie. Then Tracey. And now Megan.

He took a deep breath. ‘I don’t want to go out tonight.’ He ended the call.