Page 9 of Forgive Not Forget
“We’d all look after each other’s kids. Then you all grew up and left, and we all stayed and grew old. It’s nice that some of you have come back, though I’m not sure this village is built for youngsters like that.” Gloria nodded down the road. “It’s a shame my Mandy hasn’t come back. I’ve lost track of how old my grandkids are now. Haven’t seen them since they were bubs. All I get is an email with some photos every few months.”
“Australia is a long way away.”
Gloria thought for a moment and then stood up. “Anyway, I can’t sit around here gassing all day. I’ve got work to do.”
Anna did her best to contain a grin. “Bye, Gloria.”
It saddened her that Gloria had little contact with her only child, Mandy. Mandy was two years older than Anna, and she could remember playing with her when she was little. They had sat together on the bus to school until Mandy became more interested in boys and joined them at the back. Anna was grateful to never have had that debilitating problem.
She continued down the road, sneaking a look at their old house across the road as she passed it. It looked quite fine kitted out with a new front door and windows. The small area to the front had been tidied up and gravel put down for the bins to stand on. It was quite transformed. Her thoughts drifted to the inside and how it had been ripped apart during its renovation. It irked her that the council hadn’t taken the bother to do it whilst her dad was living there. She stopped her thoughts from going any further. The house may have been run-down, but it was home, and she preferred to think of it as it had been.
Because she spent most of her time at the top of the village, she rarely needed to go to the bottom end anymore. The main road through the village exited at the top end, beside Abbey House, as well as the bottom. She hadn’t been down this end for months; it was like a trip down memory lane. She passed the surgery where she had met Katherine and the library where she used to walk with her dad until Katherine took over that responsibility. The church lay beyond, set far back from the road, and then there was the patch of land where the village hall once stood. A playground sat to one side of a large, grassy area that had once been the hall’s car park. It was nothing more than a wasteland now. The playground was very much neglected, with one broken swing, a roundabout, a small metal slide, and a lone spring rider in the shape of a horse, poised to throw any loose-handed passenger from its back.
Anna stopped outside what had been Laura’s mum’s house and unlatched the gate. It was one of the oldest properties in the village and one of the last before the main road swept you out and along the valley. The house was set back from the main road, and as soon as she proceeded up the path to the front door, she heard a voice shouting from inside.
“Mum, Anna’s here!”
Abigail’s face appeared at one of the upstairs windows. She waved enthusiastically at Anna.
Anna waved back. She was starting to think she had the beginnings of a fan club.
Laura opened the door as Abigail thundered down the stairs behind her.
“Come on in.”
“Anna!” Abigail cheered. “Can I show you my room?”
“Later, love. Let Anna have a cup of tea first.”
Anna winked at her. “Can’t wait.”
Abigail beamed and raced back up the stairs.
“Come through to the kitchen.”
Laura led Anna through the hallway to the back of the house. It was much changed from how she remembered it. What had once been drab, brown and orange seventies interiors were now bright and modern blues and greens. As they arrived in the kitchen, it was obvious the house had been fully renovated. The small kitchen at the back was now an open-plan kitchen diner with sliding doors onto a patio. It was a similar style to that at Abbey House, on a much less grand scale.
“Take a seat. Tea?”
“Please. Milk, no sugar.” Anna pulled out a chair at what looked like an IKEA dining table. “Have you renovated? I don’t recall it being like this.”
“Yes, before we moved in. Can you imagine living in it how it was?” Laura chuckled as she moved around the kitchen.
“No, not really.”
“It was like something out of a horror movie.”
Anna didn’t think it had been quite that bad but understood where she was coming from. “You were renting it out, weren’t you?”
“Yes, we didn’t see the point in selling it when Mum died. It made more sense to have the rental income; we always planned to move back here when we were older.” Her tone softened as she continued. “Steve always dreamt of having an acre of land in the countryside. I don’t know what he planned to do with it; I don’t think he did either.”
Anna waited patiently as Laura stirred the tea, drifting off into her thoughts. A bang from upstairs roused her.
“Sorry. What was I saying? Yes, so I ended up moving back a little earlier than planned and without him.”
“How did he die, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Laura brought two mugs over from the counter and sat opposite Anna. “He was stabbed during a terrorist attack whilst on duty. He was in the Metropolitan Police. They say he died a hero. Like that’s supposed to make it okay.”
