Tom and I spent a wondrous afternoon here. We stopped at this bench, ate too much ice cream and fed the gulls with wafers and bread. I look over at the bar in the distance where he is still drinking with his friends, masking his feelings and sacrificing true love for a life on the road that he knows will never truly fulfil him. I feel sorry for him now. I feel sad to finally let him go.

‘Goodnight, Bouncer,’ I say to the dog. ‘You’ve given me a lot to think about this evening, Peggy. I’m going to try and get some sleep.’

She strokes the dog’s head and looks up at me with eyes that have seen the world and all it has to offer.

‘Don’t beat yourself up about coming here to see your old friend again,’ she says to me. ‘Nothing, or no one, ever goes away from us until they’ve taught us all they were meant to. You’ve learned enough now to make your decision, haven’t you?’

Her words fill me up. I feel so much better already.

‘I have, thank you,’ I tell her. ‘Thank you, Peggy.’

The old lady bids me farewell and I walk towards a bed and breakfast in the near distance, which thankfully has a sign advertising vacancies. It has been a long, draining day and I know that I’ll be asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

Tomorrow Tom will leave for London, having asked me once more to join him on his flight at 12.15. The note still lies in my handbag, not wanting for some reason for me to let it go, but I’m delirious from exhaustion and I’m emotionally drained. I check in to the bed and breakfast, climb the two sets of stairs with my legs dragging like lead beneath me and I fall into a much needed slumber.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow and all it will bring.

I awaken to a message from Jack with an update on his trip, sent to me a few hours ago while I was out for the count. His news makes me jump out of bed and I take the opportunity to spill out all my thoughts to him in return.