Page 18 of The Old Gals’ Bucket List

‘It’s this weekend your son is moving to Cambridge, isn’t it?’ Patti asked as they caught the bus to go home.

‘Yes, he’s got a flat over there. Laila and the children are going to spend the weekend with him.’ Don had told her this when he’d dropped by yesterday and invited her over tonight for dinner.

To say goodbye.

Laila and the girls would still be here and Don would be coming home weekends, she reminded herself.

This would be the first weekend that she hadn’t spent with them since Brian died. She’d be alone. She’d buried her head in the sand a bit about Don’s transfer, caught up with learning to swim and spending time with Patti and their new swimming club friends. Now it was staring her in the face.

‘Fancy a day out on Sunday to celebrate you learning to swim and getting your ears pierced?’ Patti asked as if sensing her thoughts. ‘I was thinking of getting the train into Birmingham, taking a look around the shops and having lunch somewhere nice.’

‘I’d love to,’ Sandra replied. She hadn’t had a wander around Birmingham City Centre for ages. Since before Brian died.

She was hanging her swimming costume and towel on the line when Don came to pick her up.

‘You’re early,’ she said in surprise. She wasn’t expecting him until five thirty, his normal time.

‘I finished at lunchtime, Mum. It’s my last day. I’ve got tomorrow off so that I can pack and move into the Cambridge flat.’ He glanced at the swimming costume on the line. ‘You’ve been swimming again?’

‘Yes, and I actually swam a few strokes today. I can’t believe it!

’ She turned to him. ‘Your dad would have been so proud.’ Brian had always wanted her to learn to swim.

He’d have been there, cheering her on today.

And they’d have celebrated tonight with a nice bottle of Merlot, Brian’s favourite wine.

Don put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a hug. ‘He would. Well done, Mum.’

‘Thank you. Now, how are things with you? How was your last day at the office. I expect you had mixed feelings about that,’ she said sympathetically. And his last week with his family. He’d only be seeing them at the weekend now until the house was sold.

‘Yes, a bit, but I’m excited about this new job. Even though it will be hard being away from Laila and the children. And you.’

‘I know it will, dear, but you’ll be home weekends,’ she told him, although she had to admit that she was going to miss him dreadfully.

Kali and Rana were waiting eagerly for Sandra. ‘We saw you, Nan! We saw you swimming on your Insta,’ Kali said.

‘Did you?’ she asked, surprised.

Laila laughed. ‘They insist that we check your account every day to see what you’ve been up to. Congratulations, Sandra. It’s quite an achievement.’

‘It was. And I’ve had my ears pierced too.’ Sandra proudly showed them her new earrings.

‘You’re like us now, Nanny. Remember to keep them clean,’ Rana said. Both girls had their ears pierced a couple of years ago.

It was a lively but rather poignant meal, with everyone being extra cheerful.

Don was leaving tomorrow, when the girls had finished school.

Laila and the children were going with him for the weekend, then coming back on the train.

It was sad to think that the little family would be split up for a while.

Life goes on and it’s a great opportunity for Don, she reminded herself.

They’d just finished dessert when Don’s phone rang. ‘It’s the estate agent,’ he said.

He left the table to take the call, coming back a few minutes later looking a bit shocked.

‘We’ve got someone interested in our house. They’re coming around tomorrow morning for another look.’

‘The couple from earlier?’ Laila asked.

‘Yes. Their house has sold too, so if they go ahead, it will be a quick sale. Unfortunately the house we liked in Cambridge has sold now but we’ll soon find another one.’

Kali and Rana jumped up and down in excitement. ‘We’re moving! Hooray we’re moving! We’re going to have a bedroom each and a trampoline in the garden.’

‘We promised them that so they would look forward to moving. You know how anxious kids are about leaving their friends,’ Laila whispered.

Sandra nodded, her mind whirring. If these people made an offer, her precious family would be gone in a couple of months. Quicker than she’d thought. She’d be here alone. It really was happening. No Don, Laila and family nearby.

‘Look why don’t you come to Cambridge with us this weekend, Mum?’ Don suggested. ‘We can make room in the flat. There’s two single beds in the spare room. The kids can bunk up together and you can have the other bed.’

Sandra saw that look cross Laila’s face again, before she scooped up some dirty plates and took them into the kitchen.

Clearly Laila wanted to spend the weekend just with Don and the children, as a family.

Which was only natural. Besides, she had plans herself, didn’t she? She was going out with Patti.

She chose her words carefully, knowing that Don was fully expecting her to fall into his plan. ‘That’s a lovely idea and normally I would love to, but not this weekend, dear. I’ve made plans to go out.’

His eyebrows raised and his jaw slackened. ‘Surely you can cancel them?’

‘I can but I’m not going to. I think you need to spend some time looking around as a family this weekend. I’ll come another time, I promise.’

He looked disappointed. ‘You really should come, Mum. Once you get familiar with the place you’ll want to move there. Cambridge is beautiful. And there’s lots to do, shops, entertainment, some lovely walks.’

‘I’m sure it is, but I don’t think this weekend is the right time. Don, you’re moving away. You’ll only see your wife and children every weekend from now on, until your house sells. You need to spend this weekend with just them. Stop worrying about me and concentrate on your family.’

‘You’re my family too, Mum. And I want you to live by us.

You’ve got time to get an estate agent around before we go.

They could value the house and get it on the market in a couple of days.

You can move when we do, rent a little flat or stay with us for a while until your house sells.

If you leave your keys with the estate agent, they’ll show people around. ’

Goodness, he just wouldn’t listen to her.

‘I told you I’ve made plans for this weekend. And I need a bit longer to think about the move, love. Now stop worrying about me and concentrate on you, Laila and the children.’

Back at home, she walked around the house, going from room to room, savouring the memories.

Becky’s former bedroom was the first room.

This was the one Kali slept in when she and Rana stayed over.

She and Brian had redecorated it when Kali was born, using a pale grey and pink scheme, so that it would still be suitable when Kali was older.

There were pictures of animals all over the walls; Kali was mad about animals.

The same colour scheme was used for the bed, the desk that doubled as a dressing table, the bookshelves and the wardrobes.

Kali loved it. The next room was Don’s old room.

This was similarly decorated but in grey and blue, with stars and planet pictures over the walls because Rana was fascinated by the night sky.

If she moved to a bungalow in Cambridge, she would probably only have two bedrooms so the children wouldn’t be able to have one each.

They’re getting older, they probably won’t even want to stay over in a few years’ time, she realised.

The next room was now a study but this had once been Martin’s room.

Dear Martin. She walked over to the tall cupboard in the corner and opened it.

Shelf upon shelf of Martin’s things. His school books, his first roller skates, his skateboard.

He had been such a daredevil, never showed any fear.

She glanced over at the framed quote on the wall over the desk, white words on a background of grey cobbled stones.

The inner fire is the most important thing mankind possesses.

— EDITH S?DERGRAN

Martin’s favourite quote. He had that inner fire, that urge to do, explore, test his boundaries, right from an early age.

He lived – and died – by it. What would he tell her to do?

He’d probably tell her it was time she boxed up his things, she thought ruefully, remembering the big storage boxes she’d bought to do just that.

Not yet though, she needed a little longer.

She walked all around the house, the memories comforting her.

The king-size bed in her bedroom that, until that awful day last year, she and Brian had slept in side by side.

The wardrobe that still contained his clothes.

Then down into the kitchen where they had sat opposite each other, eating breakfast, her chatting away and Brian head deep in the daily newspaper, nodding and grunting occasionally.

Sometimes that had irritated her, but now she would give anything to have him sitting there, reading the paper.

Then the lounge where they sat watching TV.

Brian loved documentaries, she loved dramas and watching the soaps, so they took it in turns to choose what programme to watch, the other one reading.

It didn’t matter, they had still been together.

She walked out into the garden, the neatly mowed lawn – Don had arranged for a gardener to come in and do that now, although Sandra still tended to the flower beds, she found it relaxing – the shed where Brian kept all his gardening tools.

Some men had a ‘man shed’ where they retreated for some peace and quiet but not Brian, he used the study for that.

Could she walk away from all this?

She sat down on the bench, her thoughts whirring around in her head.

It seemed like she had to choose between having her memories around her or having her family nearby.