Page 29 of Suddenly Beck

I glance around in interest. When I think of a farmer’s market, my mind immediately defaults to fruit and veg, maybe some eggs or flowers, but the market is like a kaleidoscope of rich scents and colours. We wander between the stalls, checking out the local produce and fish as Melanie requested, but then we move on. There are delicate pastries, freshly baked bread, and a chilled meat van. Jams, handmade soaps, and local honey. There’s even one filled with dream catchers.

Beck was right when he said there were other vendors I’d be interested in. I end up at one for a local company who make cold pressed oils, and I end up with a whole crate of various cooking oils to take back to the restaurant, from super-hot Carolina Reape chilli oil to liquid Chorizo. After dropping our samples and purchases back to the car, we find ourselves wandering around the outer edge of the market close to the beach when I spy a large building not too far away with a bright blue roof.

‘What’s that?’ I point it out to Beck.

‘Oh, that.’ He replies with a shrug. ‘That’s just the blue reef aquarium.’

‘An aquarium?’ I murmur absently as I stare at the bright blue pitched roof. ‘I’ve never been to an aquarium.’ I turn to continue walking, but after a few moments, I realise Beck has stopped, and as I glance behind me, I see him watching me with a strange look on his face. ‘What?’ I ask curiously.

‘How can you never have been to an aquarium? That’s like a standard school trip for any junior school and even if not, why did your parents never take you? Next thing you’ll be telling me you’ve never been to a zoo.’

I stare at him contemplatively.

‘You’ve never been to a zoo?’ He frowns as if this is somehow incomprehensible to him.

I shrug. ‘Too low brow for my parents I guess,’ I admit a little ruefully. ‘It’s not like they never took us anywhere, but somewhere like a zoo or an aquarium would have been roughly equated with the thirteen circles of hell for my father.’

‘Where did they take you then?’ he asks in curiosity.

‘They took me and Sophia to Prague to see the Babylonian clock tower for my eighth birthday.’ I try to cast my mind back.

‘A Babylonian clocktower?’ Beck repeats slowly.

‘Yeah.’ I nod still thinking and missing the expression on his face. ‘Uh, where else?’ I blow out a breath. ‘We did Paris, I don’t know how many times. We saw the Vasa at Stockholm. It’s a perfectly preserved Swedish warship from the 17thcentury. We also visited Reykjavik and saw the Northern lights. St Petersburg in Russia. Vienna… fantastic Weiner schnitzel. Oh, we also went to Budapest, they had a really pretty Japanese garden there. Also, Rome and Venice. I loved Italy, probably because that’s where my mother was from. Carmella used to talk about it all the time when Sophia and I were younger.’

‘Carmella?’ Beck replied.

‘She was our cook, actually she was the one who started my love affair with cooking. One of the first things I learned to cook was her Manicotti. It was an old family recipe she learned from her grandparents.’ I nod oblivious to the look in his eyes as he studies me. ‘I remember visiting my grandparents once, who lived in Sorento, which is along the Amalfi coast. I vaguely remember their home being painted a bright blue with a yellow front door, and it smelled of… red sauce, wine, and herbs. My grandmother was always cooking something. She was a tiny woman, but I remember she had a really big smile,’ I say a little wistfully. ‘I don’t know.’ I shake my head. ‘I was very young. We never saw them again after that.’

‘What at all?’ Beck tilts his head as he watches me. ‘Did they pass away?’

‘Oh, no,’ I reply. ‘My dad just didn’t…’ I let out a breath. ‘I don’t really know what the reason is, but my dad wasn’t overly fond of them. I think he considered his in-laws a bit beneath him, too provincial.’

Beck blinks slowly as he watches me, almost as if he’s absorbing everything I’ve just blurted out. I can feel the hotness flushing my cheeks, and suddenly, I’m embarrassed as if the way I’ve been brought up is so foreign to him, and he needs a moment to absorb it. I turn away sharply and start walking.

‘Nat.’ He jogs to catch up with me. ‘Nat…’ He grasps my arm gently to stop me, drawing me around to face him. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing.’ I look down, feeling my face burning.

‘Nat,’ he rumbles quietly, the deep timbre of his voice wrapping around me comfortingly.

‘I didn’t have a bad childhood,’ I say defensively.

‘I know that,’ Beck replies. ‘There’s nothing wrong with the way you were brought up. You’ve had the opportunity to see some incredible things.’

I sigh quietly. ‘‘Is it bad that I wish, just once, we could have done something normal? I’m not ungrateful, but sometimes, I wish we could’ve done something normal kids do.’

‘Hey.’ He tugs on my arm playfully. ‘That’s easily fixed.’

‘What?’ I stare at him in confusion.

‘Come on.’ He grins, pulling me toward the aquarium.

‘Beck.’ I frown. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’

‘Why?’ he asks easily.

‘Uh… because I’m not a child anymore.’ I shake my head as if it should be obvious.