Page 18 of Loving Netta Wilde

‘Here’s Ursula.’ Clyde waved to a tall, slender woman with long grey hair and a golden tan who was picking through the roughly hewn path. In a loose bright blue dress, she looked out of place, unless you looked downwards and saw the sturdy walking boots on her feet.

‘You’re just in time for tea and cake,’ said Arthur.

‘Oh I can’t stop, I just popped over to tell you there’s someone at the gate asking for you, Arthur. Frank?’

Arthur jumped up. ‘Ah yes. I’ll be right back.’

Colin watched Arthur and the woman, Ursula, shoot off through the hedge. What was Frank doing here? It seemed he couldn’t get away from the man.

‘You’re getting the hang of the digging now. Getting into your rhythm,’ said Clyde.

‘I guess I was out of practice.’

‘It used to belong to a friend, this patch. Samuel Sweeting. He was a good man. Much loved. Much loved. Died right on this spot.’ He pointed to Colin’s feet.

‘What, this spot here, where I’m sitting?’ Colin shifted his chair further back.

‘That’s right. It was very peaceful. He was sitting right there, listening to the cricket on the radio, and he just nodded off. Shame he didn’t stick around to the end. West Indies hammered the English. He’d have been happy about that. He loved his cricket and his allotment. He died in the place he loved best. Doing the things he loved best. Yer can’t say fairer than that.’

‘Didn’t he have any family?’

‘Yes. Ah, here’s Frank. Right, I’m done for the day. I’m going home for a decent cup of tea and a shower, then I’m away to my club. It’s dominoes night tonight. Come on, Colonel.’

The big dog hauled himself up and took his place at the old man’s side. It was hard to believe this was the father of little Maud’s pups, although the evidence couldn’t be denied.

Frank sat down in Clyde’s vacant seat. ‘Colin.’

‘Frank.’

‘There’s been a development. Will’s home.’

‘I thought he wasn’t due back until next week.’ Colin’s insides took a giant leap. This could be his chance to talk to Will. Maybe they’d be able to find some common ground. But then reality hit and he remembered the condition of his stay. When Will got home, he was out the door. Crap. He was homeless again.

‘He surprised us and came back early.’

He didn’t like the way Frank included himself in the surprise, as if Will was his family. ‘Can I see him?’

‘No, he’s gone to his girlfriend’s for the night. The thing is, Colin, you’re going to have to move out of Netta’s. You can move into mine. For now. But there are conditions.’

Colin screwed up his eyes. Of course there were conditions. Weren’t there always conditions? What was it with these people and their fucking conditions? ‘What conditions?’

‘You can’t go over to Netta’s, and you mustn’t try to interact with Will. He doesn’t want to engage with you. I’m sorry.’

But was he though? Was Frank genuinely sorry, or was he enjoying Colin’s humiliation as much as the rest of them? ‘I’m not sure I like those conditions.’

‘I’m not sure I like having you in my house, to be honest, but we are where we are. If I were you, I’d take the offer before I change my mind. The alternative is either a hotel, your own family, or Geraldine and Arthur’s.’

Geraldine and Arthur’s? Colin shuddered. Somehow, living with his parents or his sanctimonious sister didn’t have a ring to it either. And hotels were expensive, unless you went to one of those really seedy ones. He might have given up accountancy long ago but he still knew a poor financial decision when he saw one.

‘Or you could try to get back into your own house,’ said Frank.

Colin gritted his teeth. ‘I’m not ready for that yet. I accept your offer.’

‘And you’ll stick to the conditions?’

‘Yes, I’ll stick to the conditions,’ he said, much as he wanted to tell Frank O’Hare where to shove his bastard conditions.

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