Page 42 of The Time of My Afterlife

I think of Pearl. ‘Mr Beaver is her long-lost love?’

Florence grimaces. ‘We all used to gossip about whether Old Beaver had a long-suffering wife. Everyone agreed that if she existed, she deserved a medal. One of the history teachers once told us that Mr Beaver had been single all his life, which made a lot of sense at the time. Who would fall in love with him?’

‘There was this photo of them dancing on Pearl’s dressing table.’

I think about what Pearl told me about her life. ‘She moved here ten years ago after her husband passed away. I think Mr Beaver had moved by then. They must have missed each other.’

A smile spreads across Florence’s face, and I brace myself for something irritating to come out of her mouth. ‘Clark, you were the only kid in school who liked Old Beaver. You sent him a Get Well card when he was ill.’

‘He was a misunderstood chap,’ I say in his defence, thinking back to my detentions where Mr Beaver and I would chat about everything other than maths. ‘I went to visit him in the hospital after he’d had that heart attack. It was Year 8 in secondary school.’

My revelation makes her gasp.

I nod. ‘I’ve never told anyone about that.’

‘The whole school would have stopped talking to you if word got out. Your Get Well card was bad, but a hospital visit as well – really?’

I nod. ‘He was poorly. I lied and said he was my grandad. I doubt he remembers me being there though. He was hooked up to all these machines.’

Florence is staring at me, her amber-coloured eyes widening dramatically. ‘Wow, I never knew this about you. Why did you go and see him in the hospital?’

‘I didn’t want him to die alone. My mum told me how serious a heart attack can be, and I think I panicked.’ My nan’s face flashes across my mind. ‘It was a few months after Nan…’ I stop and take a breath.

To my surprise, Florence’s face softens. ‘I remember your Nana Olive.’

I blink. ‘Really?’

She nods. ‘You blamed yourself after she died – didn’t you?’

My heart falters. How does she know this? ‘Err… yes, I did. Florence – are you a secret mind reader?’

She shakes her head. ‘Dad told me. He said I had to be nice to you.’ She glances up at her father. ‘You weren’t to know she would fall down the stairs.’

My chest tightens. ‘If I had gone to visit her that afternoon, like I said I would, she might not have fallen, or I could have phoned for an ambulance. She wouldn’t have died alone in her hallway.’

‘Clark, you were a young lad,’ says Florence. ‘You need to forgive yourself for going to a last-minute football match. Dad said your mum was at home and she could have gone over while you were at the football.’

We both go quiet, and I silently tell my nan I love her.

‘I thought your Nana Olive was a legend, if you must know,’ says Florence. ‘She used to come to garden parties with a handbag full of sweets and chocolate. I used to make a beeline for her.’

I smile. ‘Thanks.’

‘What was it like when you visited Mr Beaver? Did he shout at you from his hospital bed?’

I shake my head and picture the memory of the frail old man lying there. ‘At one point he did wake up. If I remember, he wasn’t making much sense. A nurse apologised and explained to me that he was very unwell.’

She sighs. ‘I wish I could like the man, but he was horrible for years.’

‘So, if Mr Beaver is Pearl’s long-lost love, then I need to find him. He doesn’t work at the school any more. Bread’s little brother told me they had a party when he finally left.’

Anxiety nibbles away at me. Tracking him down is going to be hard. By the time I find him, the test could be over, and I will be stuck in the afterlife.

Florence takes out her phone. ‘I’m sure someone on the school reunion Facebook group saw him the other day while they were on holiday. Let me look now.’

‘Oh, that would be useful,’ I say earnestly. ‘I can’t see Mr Beaver on social media.’

Florence is scrolling. ‘They met him in a seaside shop. He told them he lived in the village.’ She nods. ‘Here’s the post. He’s living in a tiny village called Pixie Cove in Devon.’