‘Why not?’ Harriet asked.
Anna shrugged. ‘I’ve no idea. Perhaps he doesn’t want to know what I think. I suppose we just got out of the habit. And he can be so exasperating sometimes. He had some new secateurs for his birthday in April and he went out terribly excited and pruned all the buds off the roses. And then he collected up all the clippings with the wheelbarrow and left it on the patio for days, so it filled up with rainwater. And when I ask him to do something about it, he looked around in astonishment as though it was nothing to do with him. And he was totally confused in June when there weren’t many actual roses.’
‘That does sound annoying,’ I said. ‘Fred never changed the loo roll, he just used to balance the new one on top of the old one.’
Everyone laughed in sympathy, with the knowing looks of women who understood exactly what I was saying.
‘Don must be very hard to live with,’ Evelyn said. ‘Last night when we were playing bridge he kept saying ‘I speak as I find’, and when Craig was making a dog’s dinner out of the bidding, he got very annoyed and said ‘it’s the principle of the thing’. Which is a phrase that always annoys me. Belinda wasn’t talking to him. She was knocking back the rosé like there was no tomorrow. She told me afterwards they’d had a row because Don didn’t like the dress she was wearing as it was a bit low cut, and she said well, it didn’t stop him gazing down other women’s cleavages.’
‘Mine for one,’ Anna said. ‘Rupert’s going to love it when I wear that blue dress to the golf club extravaganza. That’s one thing about him; he doesn’t have a jealous bone in his body. In fact, he loves it when I’m noticed. Silly old thing.’
She sounded quite wistful for a moment, then took out her mobile and sent a text.
‘There,’ she said, ‘I’ve sent him a soppy message. And lots of kisses. He’ll like that.’
We decided we needed coffee and yet more ice cream, so we walked around the bay a little way to a deserted café with tables set out under an awning.
Service was polite but slow and they didn’t have any ice cream, but somehow it didn’t matter. Maybe this was the charm of the place, taking life slowly and pleasantly, not constantly rushing around being irritated. It didn’t hurt that there was no traffic either, just a boy on an electric scooter buzzing about and a man with a tiny truck and a trailer delivering bread.
Anna’s mobile buzzed with a message and she chuckled as she read it.
‘It’s a reply from Rupert,’ she said, blushing and looking very pleased. ‘It seems as though he’s missing me too.’
‘I wonder how much houses cost here,’ Harriet said at last. ‘I’m going to google it when I get back on the ship. I could see myself living here and being happy. I can feel my blood pressure dropping to normal levels the longer we sit here.’
‘I bet they cost far more than you think, if descendants from Hoboken come back here on a regular basis,’ Marjorie said, ‘but how do people move things like washing machines and fridges without removal vans? How can anyone move house? The last time I moved, I had two pantechnicons outside my house.’
‘Perhaps you just don’t need so much stuff here?’ I suggested.
‘No, that’s probably true.’
‘Anyway, it’s time we got back to the ship,’ Evelyn said, ‘and off to – where is it?’
‘Mali something,’ Harriet said, coming out of her little daydream. ‘Yes, I suppose we should. I’d still like to know how much a house costs here.’
As we walked back I too wondered what it would be like to live here. Would it be the tranquil, easy life Harriet imagined, or would it feel too limited after a while? I didn’t need seclusion; I just needed to be happy. And I could do that anywhere if I let myself.
* * *
Mali Lošinj was about an hour’s sailing and on the journey, we had another buffet lunch plus a tureen of pale-green soup which no one could identify.
When we arrived that afternoon, the town was like a little jewel in a perfect setting, with more pastel-painted houses clustered around the harbour. More cafés, more little boats moored in the harbour and more people of course.
‘The Island of Vitality, they call it, because of the healthy food and the clean air’ – Evelyn took a deep breath – ‘and it almost smells of herbs here. Quite astonishing.’
‘Look how clear the water is,’ Harriet said, leaning over the side of the ship, ‘it looks like glass.’
We all peered over the edge, and shoals of little fish swarmed around the side.
‘Perhaps I will bring them a few crumbs when we go out later,’ Marjorie said, ‘as I didn’t think to bring a tub of fish food.’
Harriet, Anna and I went down the gangway once the crew had secured it and out into the harbourside. There were souvenir shops with the usual displays of T-shirts and magnets, a little supermarket discreetly hidden behind covered windows, and the most beautiful delicatessens and wine shops selling local liqueurs and delicacies. There were flag poles proudly flying the Croatian flag, and a seemingly endless line of cafés and wine bars interspersed with palm trees spreading their leaves out into the sun. A beautiful fountain surrounded by flowers. Then on the other side of the harbour some old, wooden tall-masted ships. It was idyllic.
‘I could live here,’ Harriet said at last. ‘Walking around is better than a shed load of medication.’
‘I thought you wanted to live on Susak?’ I said.
‘Either would do, I don’t mind,’ Harriet replied. ‘I’m beginning to realise not all countries are the same after all. People here smoke more but they don’t chuck their fag ends on the floor, and there are teenagers but they don’t drop their gum or scribble all over the walls. And they have the best ice cream. Come on, let’s take a breather. My treat.’
