I did not expect that!
And she would smile a little smugly, knowing thatWow! Jesus! Wowsers!They had most definitely not expected that!
Yet there it was.
The river.
Old Mother Thames.
Flowing in all her glory.
The height and breadth of the window meant the view was uninterrupted. The proximity to the riverwalk, previously a narrow towpath that she could wander towards the docks and the industrial heartland of Vauxhall, but now, following investment, upheaval and, she was sure, more dust than it was healthy to consume, a wide, smooth path. A popular place on which to promenade, rollerblade, cycle or walk hand in hand with your intended, while marvelling at the sunsets that were nothing short of utterly spectacular! From the window, it seemed as if the flat was perched, almost hanging over the river itself, which it was, practically.
A secret indeed.
Even the delivery guy’s face had broken into a grin at the sight of it, and she’d sucked in her cheeks and nodded, as he smiled at her knowingly.
The flat above hers saw more sky, certainly.
The flat below looked out on to the walkway.
The flat to her right had a similar view to hers, bisected by a Victorian lamppost and with one of the towering new skyscrapers plonked to the side. A great, hulking, shiny white building that put her in mind of a stack of Polo mints, part blocking what used to be an uninterrupted view of Lambeth Bridge, then Westminster Bridge, with the Houses of Parliament in the background on theopposite bank, and of course,Grand Benjamin, which was what her dad used to callBig Ben, just to be different.
Her view was a pearl. A hidden something right there in plain sight. A breathtaking, ever-changing vista that she had marvelled at every day of her life since she had been tall enough to stand and look out over it.
Clodagh screwed up her face.
‘Your music is . . .’
‘Beautiful, isn’t it! I can almost smell the sea, can feel the motion of the waves!’ Lilly closed her eyes and waltzed to the tap with the kettle held aloft, conducting the invisible orchestra with her free hand.
‘I was going to say “very loud”.’
‘Oh!’ Lilly laughed and picked up the remote control, lowering the volume. ‘Aren’t remote controls the most magnificent of inventions!’
‘I guess.’ Clodagh took a seat at the table and removed the white corduroy scrunchie from her slender wrist, winding it into her thick blonde hair to form a pineapple on top of her head, revealing a band of dark-brown roots.
‘Back in the day, we used to have to jump up from the sofa to turn over the channel or lower or raise the volume, and the idea of controlling music that was playing in another room – this would have been seen as witchcraft or magic, depending on your view.’
‘I can think of better inventions.’ Clodagh smiled.
‘Name me three,’ Lilly suggested as she took the handmade pottery mugs from the shelf and popped teabags into them.
‘Defibrillators.’
‘Oh God, please let’s not go down the medical and worthy route. I can imagine your other two, dialysis and chemotherapy?’
‘Good shout, yes.’ The young woman pointed at her.
‘No, Clodagh, no! We all know they are the best things, along with transplants, drugs, anaesthesia, and the concept of washing hands pre- and post-surgery, of course we do! I’m talking about the frivolous things, the marvellous, everyday things like an egg slicer – all that time we save by just popping the little boiled thing into a plastic recess and pushing down the cage-like lid instead of having to chop, chop, chop with a bloody knife – wonderful! Or ... or ... headtorches! The headtorch, what a thing! I can now walk along a darkened pavement, cross a river or run from the law with my hands free!’
‘I don’t have a headtorch.’ Clodagh yawned, something Lilly noticed she did a lot, understanding that looking after a live wire like Apollo, while working part-time and studying for her degree, all without help, must be a lot.
‘Well, let’s hope you never need to run from the law with your hands free.’
‘I’m more likely to encounter a darkened pavement when I head to the bins.’
‘Dull but true. I shall order you one from Amazon.’ Lilly poured the hot water and agitated the bags with a spoon.
