Rachel’s silver horse, and how Mary taught her to ride bareback. Picnics in the fields with family, and how Mary and Robert, Rachel’s grandfather, would get all the young kids in the village to come over to play rounders on the front garden with them. He had so many scout games for them that they never got bored indoors or out.
Ash checked her speedo—90 mph. Trees and fields flew past her. She had given up trying to listen to the radio and moved into the left-hand lane, slowing the car down to 50 mph to let down her roof, then off she went racing back up to 70, 80 then 90 mph where she stayed for most of the way. Thoughts of Dave kept popping into her head; she thought about stopping at the next service station to phone him, but carried on, not wanting to waste any time. Hearing her mobile ring she hoped it would be him but as she glanced over at the name on the screen she saw ‘Lee’ flashing across her phone.
‘Oh bugger off,’ she shouted, letting it ring. Not now she thought. Of all the times to start messing with her head, now was not one of them. Her feelings for Lee hadn’t completely subsided and he still tugged at her heartstrings. She knew in time he would be a distant memory but for now he was a painful hangover.
At least two hours had passed. She found herself stuck behind a tractor on a small twisty country lane, her head pounding with stress after the motorway drive. She reached inside her bag to find her cigarette case whilst she sat in another queue of slow-moving traffic. At least the surroundings were more calming this time. There was no point in rushing as she wouldn’t be any use to Rachel if she arrived stressed, she told herself.
The rest of the journey was relatively easy, the sun was beating down on her shoulders and face, soothing her emotions a little; the pain was still raw and she still wished Mary was alive, but tried to remind herself of all the good times they had had. She got close to Downton where Rachel’s grandparents lived and decided to stop in a small pub for a drink first.
Sitting on the grass in the pub garden with a glass of orange juice, she looked around; there were horses in the adjacent field grazing on the grass. She tried to clear her mind again, taking a long deep breath in. She wondered what Dave was doing now and pulled out her phone. She tried to call but it went to his voicemail. Deciding not to leave a message, Ash put her phone away. She lay back on the grass, closing her eyes and listening to the birds and the sounds of the countryside which she hadn’t heard for so long, before she resumed the rest of her journey.
Ash arrived at Rachel’s grandparents an hour later. She took a deep breath as she drove up the long shingled bendy driveway to the house. She noticed they still had the wooden swinging chair she loved as a child situated in the same place, motionless on the front lawn.
She parked and walked around the outside of the house to the rear. The garden and garden furniture had changed from the last time she had been there; she stood looking over a new patio with sun chairs and a dark wooden table set. There was a water feature beside her, a fountain trickling into some kind of odd-shaped cylinder, then back out the top, to start the cycle again. She remembered Rachel telling her that Robert and Mary redecorated the house when the kids in the neighbourhood had stopped coming round so much. Ash stood looking out over the garden down to the far end; she could still see the horse stables with Tarquini grazing in his field. Turning, she noticed fresh drinks on the table so she wandered inside to find everyone.
Stepping into the back dining room through the French doors she looked around at the newly painted walls; even though it had changed it still felt the same old house. There was the same grand piano in the corner, and the armchairs may have been new but placed back in the same place as the old ones stood, same brick fireplace, new mirror above
Ash checked her speedo—90 mph. Trees and fields flew past her. She had given up trying to listen to the radio and moved into the left-hand lane, slowing the car down to 50 mph to let down her roof, then off she went racing back up to 70, 80 then 90 mph where she stayed for most of the way. Thoughts of Dave kept popping into her head; she thought about stopping at the next service station to phone him, but carried on, not wanting to waste any time. Hearing her mobile ring she hoped it would be him but as she glanced over at the name on the screen she saw ‘Lee’ flashing across her phone.
‘Oh bugger off,’ she shouted, letting it ring. Not now she thought. Of all the times to start messing with her head, now was not one of them. Her feelings for Lee hadn’t completely subsided and he still tugged at her heartstrings. She knew in time he would be a distant memory but for now he was a painful hangover.
At least two hours had passed. She found herself stuck behind a tractor on a small twisty country lane, her head pounding with stress after the motorway drive. She reached inside her bag to find her cigarette case whilst she sat in another queue of slow-moving traffic. At least the surroundings were more calming this time. There was no point in rushing as she wouldn’t be any use to Rachel if she arrived stressed, she told herself.
The rest of the journey was relatively easy, the sun was beating down on her shoulders and face, soothing her emotions a little; the pain was still raw and she still wished Mary was alive, but tried to remind herself of all the good times they had had. She got close to Downton where Rachel’s grandparents lived and decided to stop in a small pub for a drink first.
Sitting on the grass in the pub garden with a glass of orange juice, she looked around; there were horses in the adjacent field grazing on the grass. She tried to clear her mind again, taking a long deep breath in. She wondered what Dave was doing now and pulled out her phone. She tried to call but it went to his voicemail. Deciding not to leave a message, Ash put her phone away. She lay back on the grass, closing her eyes and listening to the birds and the sounds of the countryside which she hadn’t heard for so long, before she resumed the rest of her journey.
Ash arrived at Rachel’s grandparents an hour later. She took a deep breath as she drove up the long shingled bendy driveway to the house. She noticed they still had the wooden swinging chair she loved as a child situated in the same place, motionless on the front lawn.
She parked and walked around the outside of the house to the rear. The garden and garden furniture had changed from the last time she had been there; she stood looking over a new patio with sun chairs and a dark wooden table set. There was a water feature beside her, a fountain trickling into some kind of odd-shaped cylinder, then back out the top, to start the cycle again. She remembered Rachel telling her that Robert and Mary redecorated the house when the kids in the neighbourhood had stopped coming round so much. Ash stood looking out over the garden down to the far end; she could still see the horse stables with Tarquini grazing in his field. Turning, she noticed fresh drinks on the table so she wandered inside to find everyone.
Stepping into the back dining room through the French doors she looked around at the newly painted walls; even though it had changed it still felt the same old house. There was the same grand piano in the corner, and the armchairs may have been new but placed back in the same place as the old ones stood, same brick fireplace, new mirror above
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