Page 11 of The Last Bench

That’s why she had done this today, John realised. He should have worked it out! She was trying to protect other kids as they hadn’t been able to protect their own . . .

‘Where’s my drink?’ Hinges called out, his voice aggrieved.

Unclenching his fist, John grabbed the paper cup of water and threw it in Hinges’s face.

He walked over to Anne and whispered, ‘I guess it’s bad cop, bad cop, after all.’

Nine

Anne

7 April 2025

Anne swallowed a lump in her throat. They hadn’t even begun to talk about what had happened in 1992, and already she felt as if she was standing on the edge of an abyss.

‘Let’s move on to the next bench,’ Anne said, standing up. John held out the crook of his elbow again, and she clasped it, giving it an extra squeeze.

‘My goodness, I’ve just noticed the birdsong!’ Vega exclaimed.

‘You should hear it at dawn. It’s a symphony,’ John said. ‘We’ve got robins and chaffinches.’

They stopped for a moment.

‘That’s the robins singing now. Their sound is more gentle, silvery and crystal-like. The chaffinches are more showy,’ John stated.

They continued walking in silence, with Vega only choosing one dead end, before they reached the second bench. Unlike the first antique, this one was more rustic, with three tree trunks used as legs, and a piece of planed wood lying across the top.

‘Our son Michael made this when he was thirteen. Had a little help from his dad. I can still see his little face, beaming with pride at his accomplishment! It used to sit in our garden, but we brought it up when we created the maze,’ Anne said.

‘I love the personal story attached to each bench,’ Vega said, taking a seat beside Anne and John. ‘When did you get married?’

Anne smiled. ‘Well, we got engaged in 1971, once John finished his degree at UCD, and married in 1973. It was a different time. Not like it is for you young people, dating first, then going exclusive, and that’s before you even get to boyfriend and girlfriend! You do make it terribly complicated.’

‘We skipped all those middle bits and got on with it,’ John added with a wink.

‘I think you had the right idea,’ Vega said, pulling a face. ‘I have to admit I was a bit of a slow burner when it came to my boyfriend. It took me a while to put a label on us. I’m lucky he stuck with me.’

‘Always worth it when you are with the right person,’ John said firmly, looking over to Anne.

He’d clearly forgiven her now for insisting on this interview, Anne thought. He liked Vega too.

‘Anne was working as a secretary at a doctor’s in Wexford town when I proposed. I took her out for a steak dinner and had the waiter bring out her ring with the dessert. Was quite chuffed with myself for pulling the surprise off!’

‘Of course I said yes,’ Anne replied.

‘And you moved here when you married?’ Vega asked.

‘Yes. But not this house as you see it. This land was my grandparents’. Their farm was over there.’ John pointed to their right. ‘They gave us a site, which was a great help. But we didn’t have the money to build straight away. We bought a musty old mobile home for £2,300! Had to get a credit union loan to pay for it.’ He stood up and waved in front of him. ‘I’d say about fifty feet from here, we put it. Anne turned that mobile home into a little palace in no time.’

‘Well, John wasn’t earning much in the beginning, so I started to do dressmaking. Made graduation dresses and quite a few wedding gowns too. On a Singer sewing machine that used to belong to John’s grandmother.’ Anne brought her voice down to a whisper, ‘Cash in hand.’

Vega whispered back, ‘Your secret is safe with me.’

Would all their secrets be safe with Vega, Anne wondered?

‘When did you build your house?’ Vega asked.

‘It took us two years. Brick by brick, all by our own hands, with some help from family. Every night after work, and also on weekends. And in the meantime we had two babies. I brought Mary and Margaret home to that mobile—’ Her voice caught, and she looked away.