Second Chance Read Free Page B

he scored. He’d get the money some way. Dave shuffled downstairs and out into the crisp autumn day.
    Sara Collins ate her last spoonful of porridge with relish. She finished the rest of her tea and toast. “That was lovely Eddie,” she said. She smiled at her husband. He smiled back.
    â€œThat will keep you warm. There’s a nip in the air today,” he said. “Are you sure you don’t want me to bring you into town?”
    â€œCertain,” Sara said firmly. Today she was going to have a good browse. She didn’t want to be put under pressure by her husband. He got impatient if he had to spend longer than two hours in town. She liked to pick things up and look at them and put them down and come back to them again. This drove Eddie mad.
    He was a list man. He felt that she should write out a list of what she needed and stick to it. Just like he did. It was good to be organised, he told her. It made life easier. It might make life easier but it wasn’t half as much fun, was Sara’s view. Besides, today she had a particular reason for going into town on her own. She wanted to buyEddie’s birthday present. She had seen just the thing. A gorgeous miniature grandfather clock. It was so tiny and delicate, hardly much longer than her middle finger. It was perfect for Eddie.
    Her husband loved clocks. He’d have them all over the house if she let him. He had a cuckoo clock. A grandfather clock. A Westminster chimes on the mantle that could be heard in Timbuktu. Carriage clocks of various shapes and sizes. Dusting all these clocks got on her nerves. But Sara loved her husband and she put up with his clocks. It could have been worse. It could have been china frogs or elves and gnomes.
    He had plenty of room for his clocks, Sara thought as she went upstairs to get ready for her trip into town. The three boys were married with children of their own. The nicefour-bedroom house that was the family home was too big for herself and Eddie now. They really should sell up and get a smaller place. But Sara loved her home. It held so many memories.
    All her children had been born at home. All the joys and sorrows of their growing up were part of the fabric of the house she and Eddie had lived in since their marriage over fifty years ago. Move! No. They were too old and too settled to face the upheaval of moving house. Moving was for young people. Not the likes of her and Eddie in their mid-seventies.
    Sara dabbed some powder on her nose. Then she applied her lipstick. Her hand shook a little. She sighed. Old age was a dreadful thing. Dimming eyesight. Hearing not great. And hands that weren’t as steady asthey used to be. At heart she felt as young as when she was in her thirties. Ready for anything. Still, she wouldn’t dream of going out without her makeup on. Sara had always kept herself smart. Old age wasn’t going to change that.
    She checked her bag. She needed to get money from the banklink. It was handier than writing a cheque. It was showery but she had her headscarf.
    She was looking forward immensely to her day in town. Later, she would treat herself to tea and cakes in Clerys’ tea-rooms.
    She poked her head around the kitchen door.
    â€œSee you later, Eddie,” she said cheerfully. “There’s cold chicken and tomatoes in the fridge for your lunch. I’ll get the dinner when I come home.”
    Her husband waved a sudsy hand.“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I’m going to put a bit of compost on the vegetable garden. And I might do a bit of pruning and deadheading.”
    â€œDon’t overdo it,” Sara warned. Eddie was inclined to forget his limitations.
    â€œAnd don’t you spend all our savings,” Eddie retorted.
    Sara laughed. Eddie was always teasing her about being a spendthrift.
    She set off with a jaunty step. The shower was over. The sun shone on the sparkling raindrops trapped in the leaves of the