Page 57 of The Winter We Met
‘There’s the support we’ve given each other with our aches and pains… be it laughter or a jolly brisk word or just a hug – all those things have been our free forms of medicine…’
Murmurs of agreement spread from chair to chair.
‘And the staff…’ Pan looked at Lynn. ‘They’ve become genuine friends. Family. Our own mini taskforce who’ve treated us like their own. But now it’s all being broken up. Time will forget the good times at Willow Court and it’s like… it’s like we’ll be forgotten too.’
Buddy wandered over and settled at her feet.
She sniffed. ‘B… B… Barry, dear chap, I should mention you too. Best friend to everyone – a real top dog Willow Court wouldn’t have been the same without.’
Nik joined her and faced everyone. ‘It’s only something small but I had an idea during Wednesday’s forest walk when I climbed up to Pebble Rock. Most of you have seen it or know what it is?’
Widespread nods.
‘How about I collect thirty or so stones and wash them. You’ve all made me so welcome I’m happy to buy a selection of acrylic pens for rock painting. All of you can do your own – and I’m sure Jess and Oliver, along with myself, will lend a hand for anyone who can’t quite manage the fiddly bits. You can paint on anything you want – a symbol of your time here… your name next to a friend’s… something that represents you – and then, under calligrapher Alf’s supervision of course, I can write on the back of all of them,Willow Court.We can do it during one of the crafting sessions.’
‘You’d put them all up at Pebble Rock, together?’ asked Pan and she wiped her face.
‘Sure would. I think I’m right in saying no pebble has ever been removed. You’ll all be there together and when people visit and see the stones, they’ll remember this place.’
‘A stonking good idea!’ said Fred.
‘I love it,’ said Nancy. ‘That way our little community will stay as one, forever.’
Pan didn’t speak for a moment. ‘Yes. Yes, our pebbles together – that will show people that… that whatever stage of life you are at there are always friendships to be made; that there’s always love. We could leave no better legacy.’
Nancy’s eyes glistened. Fred blew his nose. Gran stared into her lap at a handkerchief. Everyone started to chat about what they’d paint until, eventually, people began to disperse. Medication needed taking and the oldest residents wanted their beds.
‘See you at around seven tomorrow, Jess?’ said Nik and looked at his watch. ‘I’m just popping along to see Glenda before I leave. I’ll offer to go through Lynn’s new list with her, if she wants – she hasn’t got anyone else to help her.’ Nik hugged me.
I held him just a little bit longer than necessary, I couldn’t help it.
He headed out of the lounge, stopping to pick up Betty’s doll. She’d dropped it without realising. Carefully he placed it into her bag, appearing to make it comfortable. Betty held onto his coat for a moment. He stood patiently, smiling and quietly talking, until her hand fell and she turned away, staring into the distance.
Alf wrote one last thing down in his notebook before saluting Oliver. He bowed to me and left. In silence I collected up any remaining cups. I went behind the hatch, as the rain outside started to fall in torrents, and gave them to Oliver at the sink. He dropped them into the soapy water and caught sight of my charm bracelet.
‘That’s unusual.’
‘A… friend made it for me. The charms represent the important things in my life – the lotus flower is my Buddhism. The book represents Gran. The dog is Buddy.’
‘Did Nancy’s little great-granddaughter make it? I heard her saying she’d just got into beading.’
‘No – but this friend is researching craft packs for children.’
Oliver let go of the washing up sponge. ‘Nik made it? He’s been around for all of two minutes and considers himself an expert on your life? What’s the heart all about?’
‘What do you think?’
‘You and him? Look… I think you need to hear something, Jess.’
‘I thought we’d moved past all this? Honestly – I’ve got enough on my mind what with work and the party, with visiting Darkthorn house with Gran and now hearing how Pan’s been upset, and how finding a new care home may be even more challenging than I thought. Nik is a real tonic foreveryone.It’s as if he’s been sent by fate. Why are you doing your best to ruin that?’
‘I searched online for information about the robbery you told me about. There is no reference whatsoever to that crime. You said it happened a couple of years ago. Nik was a hero. And wasn’t the robber the son of an Olympian? Because of that, the story would have definitely appeared in the local newspaper and probably the nationals. I Googled Nik Talvi and zero came up, just like when I searched for his supposed toy manufacturing business.’
‘Didn’t it ever occur to you that he might have asked to have his name left out of it, to keep his privacy? He insisted that Glenda and I don’t mention it to anyone else.’
‘Isn’t it at least possible that he’s using you, Jess – either for some sort of romantic liaison, so that he can stay in Britain or to get close to the well-off residents?’ His voice was steady and calm. ‘Just look at Glenda. He’s focused on her and has already found a way of looking at her private financial details. He’s won her trust with his schmoozing and now she even trusts him with her room key. Glenda’s probably the most well-off resident in Willow Court – don’t tell me that’s a coincidence.’ Oliver gazed at me intently. ‘Is it really so illogical to think that this isn’t normal – not when we’ve only known about him for a matter of weeks?’
‘Have you seen how much more cheerful she is these days?’ I said quietly. ‘Nik’s brought a sparkle into her life. This is a difficult time for her – for all the residents.’
