My first short story: part 2/3

I am very happy to present today, part 2 of my first short story! This segment is a little different to the first (and will be different still from the last), and things get slightly more deep and romantic, oooh! I had a more difficult time writing this part than the first, and came into a few issues which I had anticipated as well as a few I hadn't, so it was a bit of a learning curve but I am still happy with the outcome (although there are almost certainly a few punctuation and spelling mistakes still). I hope you enjoy it.

This week I visited the Mayfield lavender farm

2

It was uncharacteristically hot for a mid-May morning in Cambridge, and even though there was a light breeze making it tolerable, Diamond had to put down her trowel, pull off her gardening gloves, and wipe the sweat from her forehead with the embroidered handkerchief she kept in the pocket on the front of her blouse. Kneeling, she rocked back to sit on her heels and survey her morning’s work. She had completely cleared the weeds from the ground in front of her sweet pea trellises, creating a space she was was currently undecided on how to fill. To her right stood her bay fronted, end terrace, period house; the house she’d shared with her husband for almost 30 years. To her left were flower beds cutting into well-tended grass, woven with a cobbled pathway leading to the end of the garden; the vegetable patch in the shade of the proud apple tree, now covered with a generous helping of blossoms. She had planted the tree with her daughter who was 5 at the time, now 25 years ago. Dutiful hollyhocks swayed in the wind, white cabbage butterflies fluttered around the pink spray carnations they seemed to love, and the scent of Diamond’s favourite sweet peas was delicate but very present.

The garden was Diamond’s stand-in for her husband, necessary now he was spending so much time volunteering at the community centre teaching creative workshops. 5 years her junior, Sidney had always been passionate about photography and she was pleased that he finally had the chance to dedicate some proper time to it, and that (in his words) he had ‘found a purpose in retirement’. It wasn’t that Diamond felt incomplete without her husband, although over their 35 year marriage they had inevitably grown so close that this would be understandable, but it was more that when they were apart she worried about him - he had to take the A603, and his eyesight had been deteriorating for some time now. She didn’t know what she would do without him, although she knew that she’d lived the first 35 years of her life before she met him and gotten along perfectly fine, but then of course she’d changed a lot since. She thought back to how dramatic the beginning of their relationship had been, how her parents had acted as if it were a personal assault on them that their only daughter had jilted a well-to-do investment banker from a prominent family at the alter to run away with a young creative. The investment banker, although hopelessly uninteresting, did not deserve the scandal Diamond had caused him, but she held firm the belief that they would have both been better off for it. She was pleased (and perhaps a little relieved) to hear a year later that he had fallen in love with another investment banker, Mark, and that they were moving to the Bahamas together. Diamond smiled on the day of her and Sidney’s 35th wedding anniversary to think of her mother’s assertions that it will never last, and that it wouldn’t be long until you’re back here, in your poor mother’s house, a sad and lonely old woman! She pushed her hands on her knees to stand, and followed the little path to the house to put the kettle on.

It was while she was reaching for her favourite teapot that she spotted the clock on the kitchen wall, it was almost 1pm. Surprised she'd remained so immersed in her gardening so late in the day, Diamond realised that this was because she had not been interrupted as she usually was by the little three legged tabby’s meowing as she rolled around on the grass in the shade of the apple tree. Diamond delighted over the tinkling sound Lucy’s bell made as she otherwise silently flopped side to side and flicked her tail, waiting impatiently for mid-morning tea when she would be let into the house for a small saucer of milk followed by some quality time on Diamonds lap while she enjoyed her Earl Grey. Diamond made up a tray of the teapot, a cup and saucer, the little milk jug, sugar bowl, and 2 hobnobs, and went to sit unaccompanied in her living room.

Although it was sunny outside, it was cold indoors, and Diamond pulled a crochet blanket over her lap while she sipped her tea. She missed Sidney, and now she was missing Lucy. She thought about the piece of paper on the pin board by the telephone at the front door with the phone number of Lucy’s owner written on it. The last time her daughter had visited, knowing that Diamond would never be able to read the tiny engraved ID tag, she’d copied the number off of Lucy’s collar in case calling it was ever necessary.

No no, I have far too much to do this afternoon to be worrying about it, she is probably fine. I have to sort out Sidney’s washing, organise the recycling boxes to go out tomorrow morning, and dust in the sitting room. Once she’d finished with her tea and cleaned up in the kitchen, Diamond went to begin with the laundry to find that she’d forgotten she had ironed and packed it all away the previous day. She returned downstairs to find the recycling already organised, and being a strong believer in omens she skipped even checking if the dusting was done and headed straight for her handbag at the front door to retrieve her mobile phone and dial the number from the pin board.

After several failed attempts with the mobile telephone her daughter had given her (surely the numbers on the buttons were just to small for anyone read? How was she expected to dial accurately?), she ultimately returned to the tried and tested landline, succeeding on the first go. The phone stopped ringing, but there was silence.

“Hello?” Typical, thought Diamond, there are even problems with the landline now! But then crying started on the other end.

“Oh my stars, are you alright?” but only more crying.

“Goodness, whatever is the matter!” rather nervous, Diamond had gotten so used to comfortable consistency that she was struck by this sudden burst of adversity.

“I-it’s my husband” came back, between sobs. Oh dear, thought Diamond, some other poor woman was living her own worst nightmare of something happening to their husband.

“Is he still breathing dear? Keep calm, where do you live, I’ll call an ambulance!”

“I despise him!” this took Diamond by surprise, before she realised it was a totally different kind of nightmare. Through a series of nose-blowing breaks, Diamond learned that the woman had recently come to discover that her husband had been having an affair with somebody at his work for the better part of a year. With no other plans for the afternoon, Diamond offered to come over to the woman’s house to provide moral support in the way she knew best; tea and a slice of the walnut cake she’d baked the day before.

***

Even weighed down by her teapot and cake tin, Diamond walked around to the house in under ten minutes. She enjoyed the brisk walk as it was her favourite time of year, but she had to resist the urge to stop to take cuttings from a sky blue hydrangea she had not noticed before when walking this way, in order to reach her new friend a little quicker. She had not even rung the doorbell before the door was opened by a lean woman around the same age as Diamond’s own daughter, dressed in black jeans and a pretty button down blouse, wearing a weak smile.

“Are you the lady from the phone?” She asked, and Diamond nodded. “Please do come in”, she stepped away from the door allowing Diamond to enter. Once inside, she followed the slight woman to the kitchen where she caught sight of herself in a large mirror on the wall and began incessantly apologising for her state as she tucked her blouse into her jeans and started fussing over her tousled blonde bob.

“Don’t be silly! You look wonderful - especially considering the circumstances!” The woman stopped straightening out her hair, and turned to face Diamond, looking defeated.

“I’m Sylvia Be-” she started, but interrupted herself and cast her eyes briefly downwards, presumably not wanting to use her husband’s surname, before she looked back at Diamond.  “it’s Sylvia.”

“And I’m Diamond” she smiled and raised the Waitrose bag for life, “where is the kettle then?”.

Sylvia showed Diamond where the kettle was, and started to fetch plates and forks before being sent to sit at the large wooden dining table to allow herself to be looked after.

A few minutes later, Diamond placed a small plate with a large slice of cake on it, a fork, and a mug (she had been a little disappointed at the lack of cup and saucers in the cupboards, tea to Diamond always tasted a little better in matching crockery), on the table in front of Sylvia.

“So, how are you feeling, petal?” asked Diamond. Sylvia sighed, and warmed her hands on the tea mug.

“I feel… like an idiot. I don’t understand how something like this could have taken me by surprise, it’s been going on for so long, and it's not like he - John - was always the perfect partner either. Nobody liked him when we first got together, not my friends, not my family, no one. They all told me that something like this would happen, but I was adamant that it wouldn’t, I was so sure, and I never listened. How could I be so stupid!” she turned to face the window, squeezing her eyes shut to avoid crying again.

“All I wanted was for him to be happy, for us to be happy, and now…”  She began to cry. “I gave everything, and he just… gave it all back.” Diamond shuffled her chair closer, put her arm around Sylvia and held her hand. Diamond felt the tension release from the small body as she shifted slightly to rest her head. “I am going to have to speak to my family about it, which will be awful, they will be so insincere and so sanctimonious”

“Oh dear me, you must know that isn’t true! More than anything I am certain your family just wants you to be happy and safe, they aren’t going to be unkind to you!” Diamond interrupted, and Sylvia was taken aback. “If your sister were in your position, how would you feel?”

“Well I’d want to make sure she was ok, but-”

“But what? Why should this be any different?”

“Ok, perhaps you’re right-”

“And as for your sorry excuse of a husband, it sounds to me like there is a big problem there!”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I think that people all love very differently,” she took a brief pause to choose her words, “and I think there are particular styles which are more problematic than others, and some combinations which are especially damaging”

“You think that’s what happened?”

“I think so, by the sounds of things he loves selfishly, he is the type of person who when flooded with love adores mostly the reflection of themselves being cherished.”

“That sounds like John…he loves himself more than anyone else. The rest of us are just the idiots who fall for it”

“Not at all, you strike me as someone who loves selflessly - one of the best sorts of people. The sort who would do anything for the one they love, often at a cost to themselves, just to see the other happy. People who collect the secrets of the one they care for to hold in their hearts like treasure, finding themselves utterly enchanted at the ordinarily mundane. It’s these people who really experience love in its best and most rewarding form.” Diamond, now getting on a bit of a roll looked to Sylvia for sign that she was still listening. Sylvia returned Diamonds gaze inquisitively and sipped her tea.

“Of course there is no problem being content in loving only yourself, but when someone such as yourself falls for a person like that it is unfortunate. The problem for those who love selflessly is that they make themselves vulnerable, but have no way determining the risk to themselves often until it is too late.” There was another brief pause while Diamond considered her conclusion.

“By my estimates, life is a series of actions requiring courage. Courage to put yourself in vulnerable positions in order to ensure that you live as fully and experience as much greatness in your time as you can. Wasted potential is the greatest tragedy. Your husband - was it John?”, Sylvia nodded. “It is his loss for not appreciating how lucky he was to have somehow earned a place in such a large heart as yours. People who love like you do hurt seriously when they hurt, but they get better too. Believe me when you find the right sort of love it will be worth all of the pain”, and almost finished, Diamond added “but your love - and you will love again - needs to be focused on yourself for the time being. You’ll get better, and you’ll be happier for it I’m sure.”

Sylvia pushed a small piece of cake around on her plate with her fork, her appetite diminished; she was no longer listening. Diamond wished she’d baked her chocolate fudge cake instead of the walnut the day before, that cake was irresistible and was known to bring back lost appetites before it was even out of the oven.

“Okay, well I for one think it’s time we make a start.” Sylvia looked puzzled.

“With what?”

Diamond usually disapproved of swearing having been brought up in a time when her mother would have prevented her from playing in the streets with her friends after school for a week if she heard so much as a damn, but today, she felt it was appropriate.

“Letting that lying, cheating, bastard know what’s what!”

For the first time since they’d met, Sylvia really smiled. “I know exactly what I want to do.”

***

Sylvia and Diamond hugged on the front lawn, beside the large oak table. Diamond placed her hands on either side of Sylvia’s face and looked into her eyes.

“You are going to be alright,” she said, and Sylvia nodded obediently.

“Will you call me if you need anything?”, Sylvia nodded again.

They hugged one more time, before Diamond set off down the pathway back to her own home. Diamond knew she had left her cake tin on the kitchen counter, but was sure she’d be back again to collect it soon. As she turned the corner at the top of the road a white land cruiser pulled in, driven by a young attractive woman she could tell was Sylvia’s sister - they had called her together not so long ago. It wasn’t until Diamond was almost home that she remembered that she hadn’t even thought to bring up Lucy.

***

Diamond increased her pace on her little front garden path, excited to have seen Sidney’s car parked in front of their home. Hit with the smell of her favourite meal; chicken and vegetable pie, as soon as she opened the door, she headed straight for the kitchen to find her husband setting their table, and she stopped in the doorway at the sight of him. He looked up at her and beamed that cat-like grin of his, which seemingly stretched from ear to ear.

“My love. I’m sorry I did not let you know where I was, I just cannot get the hang of the mobile phone!” apologised Diamond.

“That’s quite alright, I wouldn’t have been able to decipher your message anyway!”, they laughed, both enjoying the familiarity of the combined sounds.

“It’s nice to get the opportunity to surprise you with dinner anyway, every now and again.”

“It looks like my favourite, too!” she licked her lips and rubbed her belly playfully. Walking towards him she added “I’ve got quite the story for you about my day,”

“Oh now that does sound intriguing - come, this is almost ready, let's take a seat and you can tell me all about it.”

Sidney took his wife’s hand in his own, brought it up to his face, and kissed it gently. Diamond felt a surge of feelings welling up and washing over her, just as they had the first time she had seen him, in a park not fifteen minutes away from where they were currently. She had been sitting on the grass reading when a flash went off, and as her eyes slowly readjusted she saw him smiling at her, rather audaciously, from behind his camera.

lavender