Page 74 of Right Place, Right Time
‘It’s only another tree again!’ he says. ‘Perhaps a bit fainter than we’ve seen before, but it’s definitely there, carved into the wood.’
‘Yes, I can see it too,’ I say. ‘It looks like half a tree, though, this time, and there’s another carving at the side. What is that? It looks like an arrow. Is it pointing at something?’
Freddy stands up and comes over to inspect the carving with us. He leans down by supporting his weight on his cane so he can peer more closely at the door. ‘I’d say that’s the Greek sign for male you’ve got there,’ he says, pointing with his cane again. ‘You see there – the arrow looks like it’s coming out of the side of the circle. This side would have been the front of the door when it was first used. There are still marks where the original hinges would have been. Can you see?’
Adam and I both look closely, and I can just make out some marks at the side of the door, which are partly covered by newer, much smaller hinges.
‘This would have been part of a pair of small doors originally, and this door was the right one.’
Freddy returns to his seat.
‘I don’t suppose you have the other one to make up the pair, do you?’ he asks while Adam and I still look at the door. ‘Did you see anything else like this at your grandfather’s house, Adam?’
‘No,’ Adam says honestly, looking at me now. ‘Ididn’t see one at all. But Eve has a door that looksextremelylike this one, don’t you, Eve?’
Adam returns to my house to collect the door while I see Freddy off, promising to keep him updated on our progress. Then, while I wait for Adam to return, in between customers, I sit and think about everything that has happened so far.
‘You OK, my lovely?’ Luca asks a few minutes later, making me jump as he pauses in the doorway of the shop. ‘You looked away with the … how you say, er … the fairies, just now.’
‘Hi, Luca, yeah, I’m fine. Just got a lot going on right now, you know?’
‘You should never have so much going on that it puts a frown on your pretty face!’
I smile at him. ‘Thanks.’
‘Where is Adam? I thought he was opening up his shop today?’
‘He’s postponed it for a few days.’
‘How so?’
‘He’s got some stuff going on, too.’
Luca narrows his eyes. ‘The same stuff as you, by any chance?’
I can’t help smiling. Suddenly I want to share my exciting news with someone else, and who better than one of my best friends. ‘Perhaps …’ I grin.
‘I knew it! Tell! Tell!’ Luca rushes into the shop and hops up on the counter.
‘There isn’t really that much to tell. Things sort of escalated last night when he came back to mine for some food.’
Luca nods approvingly. ‘And?’
‘And … I’m not going into details, Luca.’
‘Once. Twice?’
‘Three times, actually,’ I say quietly, a tad embarrassed.
‘Really? My goodness, we’ve got ourselves a stallion!’
‘I hardly think I’d call Adam a stallion!’
‘I don’t know,’ Adam says, grinning in the shop doorway. ‘I think it kind of suits me.’
‘A strong stallion too!’ Luca says, glancing admiringly at Adam’s biceps bulging under his shirt as he comes into the shop carrying the oak door. ‘You lucky, lucky girl.’
I turn my back to Adam and pull a face at Luca. ‘Was there something you wanted, Luca?’ I ask, my cheeks burning bright red.
