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‘See you later,’ she said then she turned and headed for Victor’s home that was located just off Sunflower Street. She walked with a spring in her step and warmth in her heart and she savoured the feeling because who knew how long it would last?
She’d almost reached Victor’s home when she saw him coming out of the front door and closing it behind him. Hestraightened his flat cap on his head then hobbled along the path.
‘Victor!’ she called, not wanting to startle him because he seemed like he was in his own world.
He frowned then realised who had called him and raised a hand. ‘Hello, Flora.’
She hurried over to him and said, ‘Are you going out?’ Then she shook her head. ‘Of course you are. I meant to ask if you’re going anywhere nice?’
‘Well… that depends what you think of as nice. I was actually heading to the shop for a few things then to visit my wife.’
Flora rubbed at her neck. Was he feeling all right?
‘You’re going to see Mavis?’
‘Yes, dear.’ He nodded. ‘At the cemetery.’
‘Oh! Of course.’ Flora sighed with relief. For a moment there she’d worried that Victor had forgotten that Mavis was gone.
‘What’re you doing today?’
‘I was on my way to see you.’ She smiled.
‘How kind of you. If you’d like, you can come with me. I suppose it’s not a very pleasant activity, especially when you didn’t know the deceased, but I would like to introduce you.’
‘Of course I’ll come, Victor and I’m honoured that you asked me.’
Flora slid her arm through Victor’s and they made their way to the shop together. Inside, Victor bought a pretty bouquet of red chrysanthemums and alstroemeria, as well as three takeaway coffees.
‘Come along then, Flora, I’ll take you to meet my Mavis.’ He handed her a coffee and they set off.
They walked through the chilly morning, seeming to follow a tiny robin that fluttered ahead of them as if guiding the way. They passed the village hall, the primary school and the garage and followed the narrow path that led through the woods to thevillage church and cemetery. There was another way there along the main roads, but this was the shortcut that the villagers used if going on foot. Flora had not had a reason to go to the cemetery before now, not knowing anyone who was buried there because she hadn’t grown up in the village, but today she was going with Victor and it felt very special that he’d asked her to accompany him.
They rounded a corner and there it was, the small village church with its ancient lychgate, dry stone wall and soft limestone exterior with brick quoins and a plain tiled roof. Flora knew from what she’d read about the village church online that it was Tudor, built in the 1500s. Knowing that it went back that far made goosebumps rise on her arms. She’d intended on coming to have a look at the church but since her arrival in the village had been too busy so today was the perfect opportunity to have a closer look at the historical building.
Victor pushed open the gate and held it for Flora to go through and she thanked him as she did, appreciating the chivalrous gesture.
A crow cawed from the church roof and another answered off in a tree at the periphery of the churchyard. It was an unpleasant sound, she thought, so when a robin — possibly the one that had led the way — started to sing from its perch on the dry-stone wall, she was grateful for the pretty, uplifting tune.
Victor led the way to the newer section of the cemetery and then stopped in front of a grave featuring a simple wooden cross.
‘It’s been too soon to put a headstone there yet,’ Victor explained, ‘Although Mavis said she didn’t want anything fancy anyway. With it being just me and her there’s no one to tend the grave so who’ll care if we have a fancy headstone or not?’
Flora winced inwardly. The thought of passing away and leaving no one behind was so sad. She knew that some people believed in an afterlife and various deities and couldunderstand that there was a lot of comfort in that, but she also understood from books she’d read and programmes she’d watched that some people found comfort in the thought that they’d be immortal because they’d live on through their children and grandchildren. For Victor, that was missing and so she did wonder what comfort he would find. Did he mind so terribly much that there would be no loved one to tend to his grave? It was the same for many people and even those who’d had children might not have visitors to their grave because of estrangement or because family had moved far away. Although she suspected that it wouldn’t matter at the end of the day because once you were gone, how would you know? And that thought was one she did find comforting. The thought of not existing anymore was terrible on one hand, but the knowledge that you’d be blissfully unaware softened it a bit.
‘Are you OK?’ Victor asked, dragging her from her thoughts.
‘Oh. Yes. I’m fine.’
‘Thinking about mortality?’ he asked, wisdom in his eyes.
‘Yes.’ She gave a small nod. ‘It’s hard not to when you’re here.’
‘It’s even harder at my age,’ he said with a wink. ‘But it’s OK. When I was younger, I found it harder to think about all that but now the woman I love is here… it’s not such a bad thought that one day, possibly sooner rather than later, I’ll be joining her.’
‘Victor, please don’t talk like that.’
‘It’s OK, Flora, I promise you. Now come say hello to Mavis.’
