‘Can I help?’ Beth approached cautiously, not wanting to frighten her neighbour.
The woman glanced up, surprised but clearly grateful to see Beth standing there. ‘Oh, bless you, dear.’ Her watery eyes shimmered and the corners of her mouth turned down.
‘Why don’t you take this inside?’ Beth reached into the boot of the car, grabbed the remaining—and much lighter—bag of groceries and handed it to the woman. ‘I’ll clean up and bring everything else in for you.’
The woman shook her head. ‘That’s not necessary, really. You’re busy.’
‘Not that busy,’ Beth assured her.
The woman didn’t need any more convincing. She nodded, still visibly shaken, then ambled inside.
After shifting everything from the puddle of milk, Beth found the garden hose at the corner of the house and used it to wash away the milky mess and clean her hands, then, pulling the front of her T-shirt away from her body, deposited the clean shopping items into the makeshift basket so they wouldn’t drip all over her neighbour’s floors.
She stepped through the front door. ‘Hello?’
‘In here, dear.’
Beth made her way down the hall to the kitchen, where she found her neighbour standing at the counter, running the ruined shopping bag through her hands, its colourful netting standing out against her aged, sun-spotted skin. Looking up at Beth, she smiled sadly. ‘It was silly of me to keep using it.’ She fingered the frayed ends of the material. ‘The old thing was well past its use-by date, but a friend made it for me a long time ago and I couldn’t bear to part with it.’
‘That’s understandable,’ Beth said, emptying the items from her T-shirt onto the counter. ‘Maybe it can be fixed.’
‘Maybe.’
The poor woman seemed so lost in thought that Beth didn’t like the idea of leaving her just yet—she knew what it was like to be haunted by memories—but as soon as she contemplated staying, the woman snapped out of her reverie.
‘Oh, how rude of me!’ She made a beeline for the electric kettle on the other side of the kitchen. ‘Can I make you a cup of tea, dear? It’s the least I can do after you were kind enough to help me.’
Beth remembered to smile. ‘I’d love that, but maybe we should introduce ourselves? I’m Beth.’
The woman blinked at her, as if she’d forgotten that they didn’t actually know each other, then shook her head as if to clear it. ‘Yes, oh, yes, and I’m Flo. It’s lovely to meet you, Beth.’
‘Likewise, Flo. Can I help make the tea?’
Once they had steaming cups in hand, they moved into the adjacent living room.
‘Thank you again, dear,’ Flo said, placing her tea cup on the coffee table before lowering herself into an armchair. ‘You’re a godsend.’
‘Oh, I don’t know about that,’ Beth said, sitting in the chair opposite Flo’s. ‘I’m just glad I was there to help.’ She blew on her tea, racking her brains for something to say, then blurted the first thing that came to mind. ‘Maybe I could pick up some groceries for you each week? I mean, I call in across the road most days, so it wouldn’t be a bother.’
‘It’s lovely of you to offer, dear, but heading into town to stock up on the essentials is a good excuse to keep active. Need to keep these old bones moving.’
Beth smiled, respecting Flo’s tenacity. ‘Well, at least let me bring you a carton of milk to replace the one that spilled.’
Flo nodded graciously. ‘That I can do.’
As they sipped their tea, Beth took the opportunity to look around the room. Flo kept her living space neat and tidy. A novel sat on the coffee table, along with a television remote and a program guide—apparently, they still made those. On the wall opposite, the television was surrounded by shelving, where Flo had books, framed photos and ornaments displayed.
‘My most treasured possessions.’
Beth nodded politely, but the books called to her. ‘Do you mind if I take a closer look?’
‘No, of course not. Be my guest.’
Beth found the books were all collector’s editions ofPride and Prejudice. She threw a smile over her shoulder at Flo. ‘I’m a fan, too.’
‘You like to read?’
‘I do.’
