Page 13 of Autumn at the Willow River Guesthouse
‘Things didn’t work out,’ she said. ‘He turned out to be a scumbag.’
‘Ah, you’ll find someone else. You’re still young.’
‘I’m not looking.’
Mary gave another easy smile. ‘Neither was I. Was planning to open a little business or something, but it all fell into my lap, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.’
Her old friend’s blissful happiness made Lily feel a little strange. Not only was there the nostalgia to deal with, but also the feeling that the divergence in their lives had been permanent. They had chosen different paths, and while they might still fondly wave at each other from a distance, or occasionally meet up to reminisce, there was no going back. They would never be the friends they had been. Part of Lily wished she had never left, while another part wished she had never come back.
She declined the offer of another coffee, claiming some undefined list of chores her mother had given her. They embraced by the door, both promising to meet up sometime soon, a meeting Lily expected would never happen. As she went out, hearing the little ping of the door bell as the door closed behind her, she felt like she had closed another chapter of her life, without opening up any doors to another. She felt a strange urge to cry.
‘What am I doing?’ she wondered aloud. ‘Why did I leave, and why did I come back?’
8
Work Experience
‘Why don’t you come for a jog?’ Sarah said, stretching her arms out to the side as though to catch Lily’s attention. ‘Get rid of all that negative energy. You’ve been pulsing with it all afternoon.’
Lily propped her chin up on her hand and tried to sit up straight. ‘I walked around the village today. That’s a start, isn’t it?’
‘And now it’s time to run around the village.’
Lily grimaced. ‘Maybe tomorrow.’
‘Come on….’
The front door opened and a cheerful whistle announced Pete’s return from work. Lily smiled as her dad came in, shrugged his coat off his shoulders, gave Sarah a peck on the cheek, then slipped into a chair with the grace of a stage actor, propping one foot over the other and then lifting an eyebrow.
‘How was your day, dear?’
Lily scowled. ‘Frustrating. I felt like I was bouncing back and forth between wishing I’d never left and wishing I’d never come back. All the people from school still around have moved on. We don’t have anything in common anymore. And all the new stuff … it makes me feel like I’ve missed out. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going.’
‘Ah, that’s to be expected,’ Pete said. ‘You know what I think?’
‘She needs more exercise,’ Sarah said.
‘That’s one possibility. However, it’s not just that.’
‘What, Dad?’
Pete smiled. ‘You tell me, sweetheart.’
Lily frowned. ‘I need … I need to … I need to find some kind of … purpose.’
Pete clicked his fingers together. ‘Tomorrow is Saturday. I take the van to Sycamore Park in Brentwell on a Saturday, and it looks like the weather is going to brighten up.’ He put on his most needy face. ‘I could really do with some help….’
‘You want me to flip burgers?’
‘And brew cheap coffee, open packets of disposable cups, scoop chips out of the portable freezer.’ Pete spread his arms. ‘A whole manner of things.’
‘I haven’t done anything like that since I worked for a summer behind the bar in The Crown,’ Lily said.
‘So, now’s your chance. Time to see how us paupers live.’
‘You’re not a pauper, Dad.’
‘I’ll accept yeoman farmer. After all, the potatoes went great this year.’
