“My Gabe’s a good man.”

“I know.”

“He wasn’t after his break-up with his wife though. Set him back a while.” Rosie leaned forward. “You going to leave your husband, Natalie?”

Natalie’s breath caught in her throat. “No.” She looked away. “I don’t…”

Rosie sat back in her chair. “It’s a big decision. I had another fella once the kids had grown up, but we didn’t stay together. Too different in the end.”

Charlie’s music continued to thud behind them. Natalie stared up at the night sky where a million stars glittered back.

“Do you ever wonder what we’re doing here and why?” she said.

“That’s a pretty big question.”

“Before I came on this holiday I had a bit of a scare. They found a lump in my breast. Thankfully it turned out to be nothing to worry about, an anomaly, they called it. A woman who lives near me wasn’t so lucky.” Natalie couldn’t bring herself to mention Veronica’s name or how she’d found her in Milt’s arms. “It was a shock. You hear people say when they have a near-death experience their life passes before their eyes. Mine wasn’t that serious but it made me question my life. Shouldn’t I have done something more than be a wife and mother and teacher? I decided my AA life would be different.”

Rosie looked at her blankly.

“AA stands for After Anomaly. I don’t want things to go back to the way they were BA.”

There was a pause then they both spoke at once. “Before the anomaly.”

Natalie nodded.

“What would you want to do?” Rosie asked.

Natalie sighed. “That’s just it. I don’t know. I think I’m ready to give up teaching but if I did that what would I do? There’s always plenty to do on the property but we’re heading to retirement. Our daughter will take it on.”

“On her own?”

“Not to start with. I guess Milt will stay on and help but I don’t want us to be like his parents. They never really let go of the place and my father-in-law, Clem, literally dropped dead in his boots. Surely there’s more to life than working till you die.”

“What would you do if you weren’t working?”