Page 89 of Loving Netta Wilde

‘Explain? That’ll be a first.’

‘Yeah well, I’m unboxing.’

‘I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.’ Her voice softened. That was a good sign.

‘It’ll make sense, I promise. Have you tried the sweetcorn yet?’

‘I barbecued some for our campers on Saturday. It would have been better with your special marinade, but they loved it as it was.’

‘Yeah? That’s good.’

‘I’m gonna go now. Unless there’s anything else you want to say?’

He had loads of things he wanted to say, but not here on the other end of a line. Not in this alien city. He wanted to sit down on an empty beach with her, watching waves crashing on white sands. He wanted to look up at vast blue skies and talk until his voice was hoarse and the heavy load of unspoken words had lifted. ‘No. I just wanted to…’Say it. Say you just wanted to hear her voice.

‘Okay. Let me know when you’re done down there. Don’t take too long.’

‘I miss you, Gracie.’ Fuck. She’d gone.

He was aware of being watched. Ursula was on the pathway. She was wearing that bright blue dress that looked so good on her.

‘I hope you don’t mind me taking a seat. Priscilla wanted some time alone,’ he said.

‘Not at all. Is she all right?’

‘I think so. She’d like to speak to you.’

‘I see. I suppose it’s about time. I have a little stove inside if you’d like to brew up some tea. We may as well make it civilised.’ She handed him the key to her shed then went off towards the hedge.

Doogie left it a while before making the tea, to give them time to talk. Clyde turned up as the kettle was boiling. ‘Got enough water in there for one more?’

‘Don’t know if there’s enough cups.’

Clyde opened up a cabinet at the back of the shed. ‘Ursula keeps extra in here. Everybody comes to her for tea and sympathy. I don’t know who we’ll go to when she leaves us.’

They carried the tea through the hedge, along with a tub of biscuits that Clyde had supplied. Priscilla and Ursula were sitting talking. Priscilla was in the old wicker chair. When they saw Doogie and Clyde, they stopped.

Doogie handed Priscilla a china mug that he’d found in the cabinet. Geraldine had told him tea tasted better in a china cup. He couldn’t tell the difference himself, but he thought Priscilla would appreciate it. ‘We can go away again,’ he said.

The old woman eyed the cup and frowned. ‘Stay.’

He held the tub out to her. ‘Tek a biscuit.’

She arched one eyebrow. ‘That’s a terrible accent. Didn’t your father teach you nothing?’

Doogie grinned. ‘Not really, no. I can do a better Scottish accent though. Do you wanna hear it?’

‘No, I do not. Fool.’ She was smiling now.

Clyde laughed. ‘I knew you’d like him.’

She turned to Clyde. ‘Oh did you? I thought you’d just sent him to vex me.’

50

LOVE THE BONES OF YOU

When they finished the tea, Priscilla asked them to wait for her by the hedge. Clyde and Ursula went through it and stood on the other side, but Doogie kept her within his sight, worried that the uneven path might be too much for her.

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