the last time I had fried eggs and bacon for breakfast. This feels so decadent!’
‘What do you normally have for breakfast?’
‘Fruit.’
‘And?’
Alice shrugs. ‘Just fruit.’
‘That’s not breakfast!’ Harry is horrified. ‘You need something much heartier for breakfast. I’ll have to have a word with Emily about you.’
‘What do you have for breakfast then? Surely not this every day. You’ll be having a heart attack any moment now.’
‘Nope, these breakfasts are only for the weekend. My usual breakfast is a bowl of porridge, toast, and fruit. Oh, and sometimes pancakes.’
‘Pancakes? How are you not the size of a house?’
‘Gardening’s bloody good exercise. It’s hard physical labour.’
Alice laughs. ‘You could start a new fitness craze: Harry’s hardcore gardening workout.’
‘I’m serious.’
‘I know. I’m sorry. So go on, which is it? Do you do the gardening and carpentry for yourself or for other people?’
‘Both. I took them up years ago just because I wanted to learn new skills, but now I do quite a lot for other people, usually friends, or friends of friends. I try to only work with people I like. Life’s too short to be doing something you don’t want to do. So what about you, Alice? What do you do?’
There is a silence while Alice thinks about how to answer. How can she possibly tell him she has lunch? Or she is on various charity committees? How can she say she goes shopping? And has manicures?
‘I don’t do very much really,’ she says eventually, preferring nothing to the truth.
‘Okay. Next question. What would you want to do?’
‘You mean if I wasn’t living this life?’
‘Yup, if you could do anything at all.’
Alice sits and thinks for a while. ‘Probably a bit of gardening and carpentry,’ she says, and they both laugh.
‘Morning!’ Emily, in a dressing-gown, stretches in the doorway and grins, first at Harry, then at Alice. She walks over to Harry and puts her arms around his neck, leaning down as he looks up at her with a smile, and kissing him on the lips.
Alice watches them with envy. How exciting a relationship is when it’s this new, when you’re still discovering one another, when you still have the capacity to fall head over heels in love.
‘Did you sleep well?’ Alice manages an innocent expression, laughing as Emily blushes.
‘I slept terribly, thank you for asking,’ Alice continues. ‘That bed is a bloody nightmare. I can’t believe you haven’t changed it yet.’
‘Why would I change it? I don’t have to sleep on it.’
‘Oh, thanks a lot.’ Alice harrumphs as Emily sits on Harry’s lap. ‘Can you two just try and keep your hands off each other first thing in the morning?’
‘It’s not first thing in the morning,’ Emily laughs, twining her arms around Harry’s neck. ‘It’s nearly ten.’
‘Oh God. I’d better switch my mobile on. Joe’s probably standing at the station in a fury, waiting for me.’ Alice runs out to her bag as Emily shakes her head sadly at Harry.
‘See what I mean?’ she whispers. ‘Joe says jump, Alice asks how high.’ Her voice resumes its natural pitch. ‘Is there a message?’ She looks up as Alice walks back into the room listening to her mobile. Alice nods. ‘Yup. He’ll be at Stow at 10.55. I’d better get ready. Do you guys want to come?’
Emily looks at Harry. Harry grins at Emily and Alice groans in disgust. ‘Young love. Doesn’t it make you sick? I’ll see you later.’ And she goes upstairs to get dressed.
*
Joe is an expert traveller. He likes planes, trains and long car journeys. In first-class, on a plane, he immediately pulls on the complimentary socks, puts on the eye mask, and instructs the stewardess to wake him for the final meal before arriving. In the car he makes sure he has his favourite CDs and a good supply of snacks, and on trains he ensures he arrives early enough to buy a baguette sandwich and every newspaper he can lay his
‘What do you normally have for breakfast?’
‘Fruit.’
‘And?’
Alice shrugs. ‘Just fruit.’
‘That’s not breakfast!’ Harry is horrified. ‘You need something much heartier for breakfast. I’ll have to have a word with Emily about you.’
‘What do you have for breakfast then? Surely not this every day. You’ll be having a heart attack any moment now.’
‘Nope, these breakfasts are only for the weekend. My usual breakfast is a bowl of porridge, toast, and fruit. Oh, and sometimes pancakes.’
‘Pancakes? How are you not the size of a house?’
‘Gardening’s bloody good exercise. It’s hard physical labour.’
Alice laughs. ‘You could start a new fitness craze: Harry’s hardcore gardening workout.’
‘I’m serious.’
‘I know. I’m sorry. So go on, which is it? Do you do the gardening and carpentry for yourself or for other people?’
‘Both. I took them up years ago just because I wanted to learn new skills, but now I do quite a lot for other people, usually friends, or friends of friends. I try to only work with people I like. Life’s too short to be doing something you don’t want to do. So what about you, Alice? What do you do?’
There is a silence while Alice thinks about how to answer. How can she possibly tell him she has lunch? Or she is on various charity committees? How can she say she goes shopping? And has manicures?
‘I don’t do very much really,’ she says eventually, preferring nothing to the truth.
‘Okay. Next question. What would you want to do?’
‘You mean if I wasn’t living this life?’
‘Yup, if you could do anything at all.’
Alice sits and thinks for a while. ‘Probably a bit of gardening and carpentry,’ she says, and they both laugh.
‘Morning!’ Emily, in a dressing-gown, stretches in the doorway and grins, first at Harry, then at Alice. She walks over to Harry and puts her arms around his neck, leaning down as he looks up at her with a smile, and kissing him on the lips.
Alice watches them with envy. How exciting a relationship is when it’s this new, when you’re still discovering one another, when you still have the capacity to fall head over heels in love.
‘Did you sleep well?’ Alice manages an innocent expression, laughing as Emily blushes.
‘I slept terribly, thank you for asking,’ Alice continues. ‘That bed is a bloody nightmare. I can’t believe you haven’t changed it yet.’
‘Why would I change it? I don’t have to sleep on it.’
‘Oh, thanks a lot.’ Alice harrumphs as Emily sits on Harry’s lap. ‘Can you two just try and keep your hands off each other first thing in the morning?’
‘It’s not first thing in the morning,’ Emily laughs, twining her arms around Harry’s neck. ‘It’s nearly ten.’
‘Oh God. I’d better switch my mobile on. Joe’s probably standing at the station in a fury, waiting for me.’ Alice runs out to her bag as Emily shakes her head sadly at Harry.
‘See what I mean?’ she whispers. ‘Joe says jump, Alice asks how high.’ Her voice resumes its natural pitch. ‘Is there a message?’ She looks up as Alice walks back into the room listening to her mobile. Alice nods. ‘Yup. He’ll be at Stow at 10.55. I’d better get ready. Do you guys want to come?’
Emily looks at Harry. Harry grins at Emily and Alice groans in disgust. ‘Young love. Doesn’t it make you sick? I’ll see you later.’ And she goes upstairs to get dressed.
*
Joe is an expert traveller. He likes planes, trains and long car journeys. In first-class, on a plane, he immediately pulls on the complimentary socks, puts on the eye mask, and instructs the stewardess to wake him for the final meal before arriving. In the car he makes sure he has his favourite CDs and a good supply of snacks, and on trains he ensures he arrives early enough to buy a baguette sandwich and every newspaper he can lay his
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