BooksBarbecue
Back Reluctantly Home Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  55. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ted patted his stomach sheepishly. ‘Not sure I had this last time I saw you,’ he said. ‘But it’s all bought and paid for. You look great, Evie. Absolutely tip-top. Now, how long’s it been? I was trying to do the maths but it seemed like a ridiculously long time, so I gave up.’

‘I think it must be about thirty-five years,’ said Evelyn.

‘Unbelievable,’ said Ted. ‘And that must be Miss Pip Appleby,’ he added, looking over at Pip.

‘Hi,’ replied Pip. ‘What can I get you both?’

‘Tea,’ they chorused. ‘And biscuits.’

They spent the first hour or so catching up. Ted’s life was much the same as it had ever been. He was still living with his mother, still wheeling and dealing like he always had done. Evelyn couldn’t imagine him ever retiring. He seemed so full of life. His smile dropped, though, when she told him how she had spent the time.

‘Oh, Evie,’ he kept saying. ‘I feel so bad. If I’d only known. I’d have been there like a shot. I assumed you’d got married or some such. I never thought of you all alone in that big old house.’

‘Don’t you blame yourself,’ she said. ‘Not for a moment. I brought it all on myself. But I’m out now, and raring to go.’

‘Good job you found her then, Pip Appleby,’ said Ted. ‘Sounds like you pulled her out of the doldrums.’

Evelyn turned to give her a grateful smile, but Pip was shaking her head.

‘Actually, Ted,’ she said. ‘I think it was the other way around.’

Ted looked from one of them to the other. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I don’t suppose it matters who did what. The main thing is that you’re both here now.’

And Evelyn had to agree with him.

51

51

Friday 21st June 2019

Midsummer’s Day. Not quite the first of January, but halfway through the year seems like an appropriate place to start, with half the months finished and half still to come.

I found this diary on the bargain shelf in the stationer’s. I hadn’t really been looking for one – it hadn’t crossed my mind to start writing a diary again – but it spoke to me. It’s not quite the same as all the others, a little taller and thinner, but I decided that didn’t matter. In many ways it’s a good thing. The shape of the diary reflects a change in me and my life and when I look at them, all lined up on the shelf in my now not-that-messy study, I will know at a glance where the old life ended and the new one began.