Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
It was a busy day for Clara as the students she had watched flourish packed up the last of their things and left Oxford.
Many were now asking her for references.
Clara liked being asked; it made her feel valuable knowing what a difference a glowing reference could make to a student’s future.
She loved playing a part in their success.
Today, Nico, a gifted law student who had already headed back to Italy, asked her for a personal reference for an institute she hadn’t heard of.
Meanwhile, Lara, a history student, who was on track for a first in her degree, requested a reference for an MA course.
Clara enjoyed seeing what the students intended to do when they left their first-class education at Oxford.
Having seen students fulfil their potential while she played it safe, she sometimes wondered if there was more out there for her.
Then she would quickly remind herself that she didn’t need anything more.
She was happy where she was. Who needed excitement?
She wouldn’t even go on the dodgems when St Giles’ Fair was in town and heavens forbid someone attempt to persuade her to try the new raisin fudge her favourite stall was now selling.
No, it was always the clotted cream fudge for Clara.
Why change the habit of a lifetime when it worked for you?
Nothing good had ever come of a change in routine since she became the reverend; at least not until Tom’s arrival, and she couldn’t wait to see him again.
Clara busied herself around St Peter’s, picking up the hymnals and organising them in stacks. She did almost anything as an excuse to hang around.
John, who was the self-appointed choir director, was the first to arrive and said good evening to Clara before the others poured in.
She waved over to some of the regulars but noticed that Tom was nowhere to be seen.
With no further excuses to hang around, she was about to leave the choir to enjoy their practice when she heard John chatting to the other choristers.
‘Has anyone seen Tom?’
They shrugged their shoulders and all agreed they hadn’t heard a dickybird from him. Clara listened carefully as they discussed his mysterious whereabouts, but nobody seemed to know where he was.
The choir didn’t wait a moment longer as it was clear Tom wasn’t coming and so they started their first song: ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’.
The timing and blending were perfect and, for an amateur choir, she couldn’t help be moved by their music.
She had always loved ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’, ever since she was a little girl, but tonight the music around her felt more poignant than ever as she thought of all the wonderful things she had seen with Tom.
She was starting to worry about him. He never missed a choir practice.
Come rain or shine it was the one place she would always find him.
She was concerned that his migraine could have been the start of something more.
Was he okay? With it being time to leave work for the day, she wondered if she should drop by Tom’s maisonette on the way home.
As Clara removed her bicycle from the bike rack, she debated pointing the handlebar in the direction of Tom’s.
Although she hadn’t ever been to his home, she knew the address well since it was a place she had always walked past on her way to school as a child.
However, she decided that she should perhaps head home and try calling from there instead.
There was nothing worse than having to get out of a bed with a terrible migraine and trying to stumble down the stairs.
And, she decided, he probably wouldn’t want her showing up when he wasn’t feeling his best and had his hair sticking up everywhere.
She knew what it was like to have unexpected guests and not have brushed her hair or hoovered.
Still, Clara was concerned for him. In fact, she realised how worried she was about him when she stopped to buy a packet of fruit gums on the way home.
She had always comfort-eaten her way through a packet of sweets when she worried about someone.
She tried not to fret but she couldn’t help it.
It was ingrained in her personality and stemmed from seeing her mother sick when she was 14 and having to feed her soup when her dad was at church.
Even though her parents had long passed, that feeling hadn’t left her.
Whenever anyone was poorly, she would pray for them and fret about them until they were better.
Clara told herself off. Tom had only missed one choir practice, surely it didn’t mean she should be concerned.
She was being silly. People missed things for a million different reasons.
When she arrived home, the first thing she did was check her phone for messages from Tom, but, as she suspected, there was nothing.
The only messages were from Lawrence asking if she had seen Ginger, the stray cat who liked to lurk around outside the church who everyone fed.
She quickly replied that he was there when she left and then thought how at least she knew the whereabouts of the feral cat, unlike her boyfriend, Tom.
His absence unnerved her. No matter how many times she tried to convince herself that it was just one rehearsal, she had a bad feeling in her gut.
Eleanora had always said that women had an intuition when it came to men but so far Clara hadn’t had much experience of this, having never been around anyone long enough.
She realised that this must be what Eleanora meant and sent Tom a message.
Hey. Are you okay? John was asking where you were at choir practice tonight. x
Clara placed the phone down on the coffee table and popped the telly on to try and ease her mind.
By 8.30 p.m., when there was still no response, she had to pour herself a glass of wine.
She was almost finishing the last of it when her phone bleeped.
Please let it not be Lawrence, or anyone else.
Please let it be Tom, she said to herself. It was Lowri.
Hey, they released the link for the job this morning. Haven’t had a chance to send this earlier but here you go. Send your CV here!
Clara had been tinkering with her CV since Lowri had first informed her of the position as a precaution in case she decided to apply. Besides, there wasn’t much to amend when she had been in the same position for most of her adult life.
Curiously, she clicked on the link. Clara wasn’t sure if it was because she was bored as she waited for Tom to respond to her messages, the wine had provided a splash of bravado, or she genuinely wanted a new challenge in her life.
Whatever the reason, she clicked on the paperclip on the online form and before she had time to think clearly about what she was doing, had attached her CV and pressed the submit button.
She drained the last of her drink as she sat back in shock.
She had applied for the job in Cambridge!
What had she done? In a slight panic, Clara went to text Eleanora to let her know that she had applied.
She knew she could trust her not to breathe a word but as she was about to text Eleanora, a message finally arrived from Tom.
When she saw his name flash up on the screen, her heart skipped a beat. Her fingers wouldn’t move fast enough as she desperately tried to open the message.
So sorry. Got caught up with something. I’ll be at choir practice next week for sure. Hope you’ve had a great day xx
Clara typed quickly, getting her letters jumbled up in the rush.
Yes, great day. I think they missed you at choir. It’s not the same without you there. x
You’re so sweet. I’ll see you at your tea, yeah? Just in the middle of something, sorry!
As Tom typed, he was grateful she couldn’t see him. There was no need to worry her.
Oh, of course. Speak tomorrow. Night night. x
Night night, my dear Clara xx
She held the phone to her chest. What a lovely bedtime message.
Women’s intuition. Pah! There was nothing to worry about when it came to Tom.
He was different. He was lovely and she couldn’t wait to tell the world that they were together.
She would shout it from the rooftops. She began counting down the days until her relationship would be public knowledge and she could introduce him as her boyfriend.
‘This is Tom. My boyfriend,’ she practised, glancing at herself as she passed her mirror with another glass of wine in her hand. Then she snuggled down on the sofa, full of hope for the future, and flicked over the TV channel.
Life was being so good to her and she thanked her lucky stars.