Chapter 11
11
DEE
Dee slept like a log and woke up feeling really refreshed. She glanced at the clock and was surprised to discover that it was only seven thirty. She got out of bed and pulled on the new kimono Babs had bought her, deciding to make a cup of tea and take it out into the garden, enjoy the fresh air and the quietness of the morning. She’d leave Babs for a while, it would do her good to rest. Dee could tell that this business with Geoff had really upset her. And she was a bit of a morning grouch Dee remembered. Easy-going, fun Babs didn’t surface until she’d had her second cup of tea.
Padding down the stairs into the kitchen, Dee saw the sunlight streaming in through the back window. They’d arrived home late last night after her birthday meal at the restaurant and gone straight to bed, not bothering to close the downstairs’ curtains. She filled the kettle and switched it on, then opened the French doors out into the garden. This was probably a fisherman’s cottage once, but it had been updated. She was pleased to see that the owners had kept the original beams though, and hadn’t gone too modern. The quaint French doors were made of small panes, like the rest of the windows in the cottage. She left them open to let in some fresh air, then went back to make a drink as the kettle was about to boil.
She’d just finished making her tea when she felt a furry body brush against her legs then heard a loud ‘miaow’. Glancing down in surprise she saw a little white cat sporting a red collar with a silver disc dangling from it. ‘Hello. Do you live here?’ she asked as the cat jumped onto the worktop, as if it did indeed live there, and sauntered over to the milk jug, miaowing again.
‘Do you want some milk?’ Dee looked around for a saucer, found one in the top cupboard and put it down on the tiled floor. The cat immediately jumped off the worktop, its tail arched in a question mark as it waited patiently for Dee to fill the saucer with milk, then started drinking.
‘Well, you’re a pretty little thing, aren’t you?’ Dee said, stroking the cat softly. It must live nearby and was obviously used to coming into the cottage, but surely it couldn’t belong to the owner. This was a holiday let. She guessed it must belong to one of the neighbours. Perhaps it befriended all the holidaymakers and they all fed it. Cats were a bit like that, they weren’t fussy who fed them and often had a few ‘owners’. She tried to check the identity disc on the cat’s collar but it stepped away from her.
She took her mug out into the garden and sat down on one of the chairs. The cat jumped onto the table and lay down in front of her. A male, she noticed, as it rolled over onto its back, then onto its side, gazing at her. And it had been neutered so obviously did belong to someone. She stroked its tummy and it purred. ‘You’re friendly, aren’t you? I wonder what your name is?’ she said softly. This time the cat allowed her to look at the disc. ‘Snowy. Primrose Cottage.’ She remembered that name, it was one of the cottages near the end of the block. As she had guessed – a neighbour’s cat.
She’d always wanted a pet, but Nigel was against it, telling her he was allergic. She was sure he wasn’t though, as she’d never seen him sneeze when a dog or cat was about. He also always pointed out that there would be no one to look after the pet when they were both out. She thought a cat would be perfectly happy to curl up in its basket and sleep on the odd occasion they were both out together. She loved dogs, she’d always made a fuss of Babs’ old dog, Bozo, but as well as being allergic, Nigel said they were too messy, and needed a lot of exercise. It was a shame, a pet would have been company for her when Nigel was away on all of his business trips. The house felt so quiet and empty now the children had grown up and left home. She kept busy doing a bit of volunteering and some paperwork for Nigel but she still had a lot of time on her hands.
The cat jumped onto her lap and settled himself there. Dee stroked him gently, her mind going over the last couple of days. She hadn’t heard from Nigel again and doubted that she would.
She looked around the pretty courtyard with its colourful plant pots. She could live in a place like this. It felt like home. She sipped her tea slowly, enjoying the peace and quiet.
* * *
‘Morning! Oh, what a cute little cat!’ Babs, dressed in a bright floral dressing gown, stepped out through the open French doors a little while later.
‘Isn’t he just? He’s from a cottage a couple of doors down. He wandered into the kitchen for some milk as soon as I opened the doors,’ Dee told her. ‘I did think about bringing you a drink up, but decided to leave you to wake naturally.’ She tilted her head to one side and studied Babs. ‘How did you sleep? You look a bit tired.’
‘Not too good.’ Babs pulled out a chair and sat down. ‘I kept thinking about Geoff. I can’t believe this has happened. I was looking forward to us both retiring, doing things together. I thought it would bring us closer but instead it’s driven us apart.’
‘It’s just a hiccup. I’m sure you’ll sort it out. You two are so good together.’ Dee had often envied their close relationship. Although they bickered sometimes, they adored each other and she was sure they would sort things out soon. Meanwhile, it was lovely to have Babs’ company for a while.
‘I hope so,’ Babs said. Then her eyes rested on the kimono Dee was wearing. ‘I knew that would suit you.’
‘It’s perfect,’ Dee replied with a smile. ‘The postman has been too and Annabel’s cards have arrived. I’ve put them on the unit.’ She’d picked up the letters when she’d gone inside to make another cup of tea.
‘That’s great. I wish the post came that early back at home.’ Babs gazed up at the blue sky. ‘What a gorgeous day. How do you fancy a walk along the harbour once we’ve had breakfast? We could pop into that café, too.’
The cat jumped off Dee’s lap and she brushed the white hairs off her kimono. ‘That sounds good. I think I’ll go and have a shower now.’
‘Go ahead. I’m going to make myself a cuppa and enjoy the view for a few minutes.’
Dee could see that her friend was upset but decided it was best to leave her to her thoughts. As she went up to the shower, she mused over what she would do if Nigel suggested moving to Spain. Or Portugal. He did go there a lot to play golf. Would she agree? The thought would fill her with dread, she realised. To move away from her friends and their children and everything she knew. Sometimes the days seemed long when Nigel was away, as he was now, but she had lots to keep herself busy and often met up with Babs and other friends, or went over to visit Annabel and Hallie. She’d miss Babs, she was like the sister Dee had never had. It would be just Dee and Nigel, and he would probably be off playing golf every day. She guessed she could go with him, but the game bored her, and Nigel had never suggested she accompany him. It was as if she was excluded from this part of his life.
They hadn’t actually got much in common. Nothing but the children – who were now grown up and had gone their own ways – to hold them together. The thought hit her with a jolt. She’d never really considered whether she was happy with Nigel before. She’d simply accepted her lot and done her best to keep the family together. It was the only family she had. Her parents had died years ago and she’d been an only child. She sat down on the edge of the bed as a sudden realisation hit her. She was sixty. She’d spent thirty-five years doing what Nigel wanted, and trying to be a good mother to Annabel and Hugh. Did she want to do that for the rest of her life? Wasn’t it time to do what she wanted?