Cleo listened, smiling, her heart swelling with quiet joy. Every sound – the clink of forks, the laughter, the creak of the old chair she’d meant to fix for years – felt precious.
‘So,’ Danny said, grinning at his sister. ‘Will you be coming home more often now, or are you escaping to the wilderness again?’
Erica rolled her eyes, but smiled. ‘I’ll definitely be round more in the holidays. Someone needs to keep an eye on Mum and make sure she doesn’t get involved in any more earthquakes.’
Cleo laughed. ‘I think it was a one-off. I hope so, anyway, but I won’t say no to your company.’
They chatted late into the evening, as the sky faded to indigo then black, and the warmth inside made the windows fog up slightly. A white cat from next door sat on the fence outside, staring at them, and they decided it was good luck.
When the plates were cleared, Cleo made tea and leaned back in her chair, taking in the sight of her two children, grown and changed but also the same.
The rain fell gently against the windows. It wasn’t the fierce, wild, destructive rain of Crete but a soft, familiar, English rain which seemed to wash the world clean.
Erica caught her mother’s eye and smiled softly. ‘It feels good to be home, Mum.’
‘Good to have you home,’ Cleo replied.
17
The crisp days of early autumn arrived and London felt unusually sharp and bright.
Cleo left the hospice where she’d recently started a new nursing job and fastened her navy jacket; though the sun was shining for now, it was colder outside than she’d imagined.
She’d taken the afternoon off to join Tash and Maya in a café overlooking the Thames. They’d intended to have their reunion much sooner, but they’d all been extremely busy. Basically, life had got in the way. They’d kept in close touch by phone and text, though.
Both Tash and Maya were already seated by the window when Cleo arrived, and she was momentarily taken back by their appearance.
Tash’s hair, once short, blonde and spiky, had grown a bit and she looked softer and less angular somehow, more relaxed.
She was dressed in a red, V-neck sweater and Cleo noticed she still had on the silver locket with a photo of her husband inside. But she wasn’t constantly fiddling with it as she used to do, nor nervously twisting the bracelets on her slim arms.
Maya’s dark hair was longer, too, and she’d had messy layers cut in, which gave her a laid-back, slightly bohemian air. She was wearing a brightly coloured, stripey jumper which would have been quite out of place in the formal office environment where she once worked.
Cleo knew she’d taken a new path, running a consultancy for ethical projects. Each morning, she rose super early because she couldn’t wait to start the day. She said she derived so much more satisfaction from doing something which made a difference to the world and really mattered, even though she earned a fraction of her former salary.
Tash, meanwhile, had finished writing a play and was doing a part-time scriptwriting course, along with some voice work. She’d carved out a new niche for herself narrating audiobooks, and had told Cleo in their last call that she felt much more comfortable not having to perform on stage any more. She hadn’t had a panic attack since the summer.
The three friends embraced warmly while outside their window, the sky began to change. It couldn’t seem to decide whether it wanted to brighten or drizzle, so it hovered somewhere in between – milky, pearly and indecisive.
The Thames carried that same half-light on its back, smoothing it into ripples and setting them loose.
Meanwhile, flocks of ducks and Canada geese bobbed about, seemingly without purpose. Perhaps they were hoping someone would pass by and throw them a few crusts.
‘God, it’s good to see you,’ Cleo said, settling in and placing her bag on the empty chair beside her.
‘You look well,’ Maya observed, narrowing her eyes at Cleo as if trying to fathom some secret.
‘I was thinking the same about both of you,’ Cleo replied.
They were interrupted by the waiter, who arrived to take their orders, and they quickly made up their minds – two salads, one burger, three coffees and a plate of the warm bread they could smell the moment they walked in. They didn’t want to lose a moment longer of talking time than was strictly necessary.
While the women waited for their food, they chatted for ages about Crete and the people they’d met there.
Cleo mentioned she’d spoken on the phone to Marina and thankfully, Katerina had made a good recovery from her accident.
‘Apparently, she and Konstantin are in and out of each other’s houses all the time. They’re practically inseparable. Who’d have thought it?’
Maya laughed. ‘Maybe they’ll get married? I hope we’re invited to the wedding!’
