Barbra

They talked amicably for a while and then went their ways. Barbra had found the location of the postcode the CDs were sent from on internet, and as it was close to the town, she'd decided to make a little detour and drop by on her way home and say thanks. She drove slowly, while tapping the steering wheel with her fingers to the rhythm of the music and she sang along -- You can't shush Katy... She'd put the new CDs in a CD case that fitted in her coat pocket, so she wouldn't wreck the boxes. It had nicely rounded edges, and it could hold ten CDs.

She kept her eyes open for the correct number. When she got there, she found an old house in a fairly well-kept garden; there was a small, red car at the end of the drive. Ok, she thought, he's probably home then. She parked her car in the drive and walked to the front door. Ringing didn't produce any results, so she walked to the back of the house to find the inhabitant sitting on a terrace with a laptop on the table in front of him.

When he saw her round the house he broke into a smile. He rose quickly and walked up to greet her. "Ms. Laing?" he said as he shook her hand.

"Barbra, please," she said. "May I call you Andrew?"

He nodded. "For sure," he said. "Glad to see you again. Did you like the concert?"

"I did. Immensely. Er, I came to thank you for the CDs you sent me."

"You're very welcome." He looked at her inquisitively. "I hope they brought back good memories, not ruined them?"

"They did bring them back with a vengeance. I love them. Really!"

"Oh, good! It was a good thing for me, too. Since the concert I've listened to a lot of jazz again."

"You like other music, too?"

"Oh yes -- classical music, and popular music, provided it is well-played and has lyrics that are ok..."

"No Move, Bitch stuff?"

"Oh no!" He chuckled. "Do you?"

She shook her head. "No," she said. "I'd rather listen to Carole King or something..."

"There's quite enough good music, isn't there? But there's too much trash. Oh well, you don't have to listen to it." He smiled at her. "Can I offer you something to drink? Coffee, tea, juice?"

Barbra nodded. "Coffee, please."

"Just a moment," Andrew said. He disappeared into the house.

Barbra sat down on one of the terrace chairs and looked around. The house seemed very well kept; the paintwork was shiny and clean. Its mellow red bricks seemed to glow in the sun, and it looked very peaceful and rather beautiful. She felt good to sit there, enjoying the weather. It was a nice house, quite like its owner, she thought.

Andrew returned with two cups of coffee, and some milk and sugar on a tray.

"No sugar or milk for me," she said.

"Okay. Here you are."

He sat down, too, and they talked about the concert, and she told him some more about the evenings she'd spent listening to music with her father, and how she'd loved those moments...

Andrew listened and nodded. His parents had taken him to concerts, he said. The first one, when he was ten, had been Dvorak's New World Symphony. But his father had always refused to listen to other music; he used to say it was unfeeling and unpleasant. His mother, though, had enjoyed listening to the records he'd bought, sitting on his bed and commenting on the songs. She'd loved Ogden's Nut Gone Flake. He had come across jazz by accident, actually. Once he'd bought a cheap Bessie Smith CD with some of her later things. He had been enthralled, and he had gone and found out -- and that was how it all started.

"Do you still like her?"

"Oh, yes. I bought all of her music then. What a voice!"

"Okay. So what other genres do you listen to?"

"Anything, really -- well, with some exceptions. I don't like Rap, or house music, or heavy metal, and I hate computer-generated music. I like concerts best, I think. It's always a better idea to listen to music with others."

Barbra nodded. She felt the same. "Emily -- my sister, the one that called you Mr. Mud -- seems to like my music, too, which came as a surprise to me as she always refused to listen to it with us."

"Was she very susceptible to peer pressure? It often makes people act like that."

"I think so, yes. But I fear it only made her very unhappy. Can you think of a reason for her behaviour towards you?"

Andrew grinned. It made his face light up, she thought. "Maybe," he said. "But I'd rather you find out through her -- if I'm right."

"Okay. Fair enough."

She smiled at Andrew. Then she put down her cup and got up. "I have to go now," she said. "It was nice talking to you."

"Yes," he said. "Okay. Take care!"

He accompanied Barbra to her car and waved when she drove off. She was a nice woman, he thought. He sighed. They were scarce, and unfortunately all the nice ones had husbands, or boyfriends. And then, he had the wrong skin colour. Oh well. It had been a long time that he'd enjoyed talking to a woman so much.

8 - Shopping

Emily came to stay over that evening. Barbra made a tasty meal, rice and hot chicken wings, and the sisters sat in the garden afterwards, talking. Emily mainly talked about Beau. It appeared she called him every day, usually a couple of times.

Barbra smiled at her. It reminded her of her calls with Mike, long ago. Emily looked radiant, and she rejoiced in seeing her sister so happy. She wanted to go shopping the next day. Would Bee come along? Of course she would. Emily had never gone shopping here before, and Barbra, by now, knew where the good shops were, which shops to avoid, and where you could find a good bargain at times.

Joan and Mary had shown her around a couple of times. They had had so much fun together. Mary would try on the weirdest clothes, to come out of the fitting room looking as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, and then at the first shocked looks of some bystander she would roar with laughter, and make some silly remark, leaving the others in tears, holding their sides. They had done some serious shopping, too. Barbra loved those sessions. They were strictly girls only, just the way you could have a really good time.

"I wish I could meet them again," Em said.

"Oh, they'd love to meet you, too -- they know all about you. They are really great friends. I often run into one of them. Who knows, tomorrow... Mary is a hoot. But she is very sweet, too. Sometimes it seems she doesn't want anyone to know."

"Do they know about John?"

"Almost before I did. They keep telling me he's a really good catch." She smiled.

"He is very handsome!"

"Yes, he is. But I don't know -- it sometimes feels as if Mike is still in the way."

"Just give it some time, sis -- you want to be happy, too!"

The talk veered back to clothes, and what to wear on a first dinner date, clothes, make-up... Beau was always well-groomed, and Em didn't want to look scruffy beside him.

"No," Barb said earnestly. "That wouldn't do." She smiled a little. If anyone she knew seldom looked scruffy it was her sister. "We'll find you something nice alright, and we can see to your make-up."

"Oh, and can you plait my hair, please?"

"Sure. Let's go in and do that now. We may not have time enough tomorrow."

"Er -- I didn't bring any tights. Have you got an old pair for me for tonight?"

"No problem. Come on!"

It took Barbra two hours to get Em's hair nicely into shape. They sat talking and listening to music -- Dinah Washington this time -- and had a drink when the plaiting was done, and the evening was over before they knew.

The following morning they went to town in Emily's car.

They visited all the shops Bee liked, and tried on a lot of clothes. Barbra wasn't out for anything, but she found a nice pair of jeans and an affordable pair of pumps with round toes in shiny red leather.

Emily bought a beautiful dress in one of the small shops off the main square. It had been reduced from two hundred pounds to fifty, and looked as if it had been tailor made for her. She'd tried it on and shown Barbra, who thought it was wonderful!

Apart from the dress Em bought a couple of sweaters, two tops and some lingerie at BHS -- nice and not too expensive -- and two pairs of shoes.

When they were done they went to the Mauve Door, where they ran into Joan and Mary. When Mary noticed them she gave a whoop and got up and almost squashed Barbra in an embrace; then she embraced Emily only a little less exuberantly.

"How nice to meet Barb's sister again! You don't look like her a bit -- you're not identical, are you?"

Em shook her head. "But we're twins alright," she said. "And I've heard a lot about you, too, Mary!"

"Only the good things, I should hope?"

"Of course," Em said with a smile.

"Right. Come and sit down! How's John, Bee?"

"I'll be seeing him tonight." She smiled at Mary. "We'll have dinner at the Jolly Woodman."

"Oooh, brilliant! Fish and chips!"

Barbra grinned. "I suppose they can do better than that," she said. "Besides, I chose this venue last time, so it really is a very nice gesture!"

"And after that?"

"I don't know. A drink and then home, I think. I'm not yet up to anything more."

"And you say you like him? I wish I could have a romp with him alright," Mary said.

"I certainly like him," Barb said. "But I just don't feel like a tumble in the hay yet. I don't know. Later."

"Oh, come on! You sound as if you're fifty!"

"Leave her alone, Mary," Joan said. "You can't decide for others."

"Well, I wouldn't need much prompting, lemme tell ya."

"Mary, we know."

Joan looked so sweetly innocent that Mary roared with laughter. "Okay, okay," she said. "Coffee!"

"You can't shush Mary," Barbra said to Emily, and she winked.

"You're not saying bad things about me, are you?"

"Mary, I wouldn't dare!"

The friends grinned at each other.

"Anyway, I'm really happy to meet your sister."

"And she hoped to get a chance to talk to you. It's nice to sit here, isn't it?"

The coffee arrived and the women drank it appreciatively. The Mauve Door was famous for its coffee, and the terrace was a good place to sit and look at passers-by and comment on them. As usual, Mary was funny and sharp, and Emily quite enjoyed listening to her, adding a comment of her own now and then.

Their coffee session lasted over an hour. Em was quite surprised to find the time had flown. The women took leave of one another and the twin sisters walked back to their car.

"They're nice friends!" Em said.

"Yes, they are. We always have lots of fun -- but actually I think Mary is not as happy-go-lucky as she seems. I often wonder if she's not really unhappy deep down."

"Why don't you ask her?"

"I don't know. I will, one of these days, but I am too busy getting myself sorted out as yet."

"You know, I do hope you'll have as nice a time with John as I with Beau. But you don't seem too enthusiastic. Are you?"

"I don't know. He is sweet and handsome and he has a wonderful body and a beautiful voice. It was lovely to dance with him. But I find it very hard to let anyone come too close -- even John."

"I hope you will. It's better than sit and mourn, sis."

"I know. I'm trying. Do you like him?"

Em said she thought he was alright. They got into the car and drove back. Emily turned on the CD player and treated Barbra to another listen to her Tim McGraw CD.

Barbra really liked the voice and the music but as the sisters kept talking she didn't really listen. Later, perhaps.

9 - Pub Dinner

Emily went on her way early that afternoon, as they'd arranged to meet at a nice place for tea first. After dinner they might go out, but Em had a key to Barbra's place so it wouldn't be a problem. Barbra actually didn't mind; she had the place to herself for some hours before she would meet John at the pub. She decided to go and play some music while tidying up a bit, and went to the hall to collect her CD case.

No! It wasn't there. Now where had she put it? It was in her pocket the day before. Had she taken it into the living room? She didn't think so. Even so, she did turn the room upside down, to no avail. Damn! It made her go hot all over. She loved that music, and now it was gone. If she'd lost it in town she'd never find it back.

She tried to find the music on eBay -- no go. The series obviously had been discontinued alright, and the ones who owned some didn't seem to want to part with them. Blast! A bad start of the afternoon. What to do?

She didn't know. Perhaps she could go to Andrew and ask him to copy them once more? She still had the boxes and she could buy a box of empty CDs. Would she dare? Well, she thought, actually, yes. He had not made an unpleasant or unfriendly impression at all. On thinking back she thought he was a rather nice person. That was the way he seemed, at least. She certainly didn't think he'd cut her throat. She decided she would go there some time the coming week, and gave up looking for the missing music. It wasn't there and that was that.

Instead she looked over her collection for something to play that would match her mood and took Tanita Tikaram's Ancient Heart off the shelf. Great, she thought. Just the music to complete my Saturday afternoon.

She made herself a strong cup of tea and took it out into the garden. It was rather a mess, she thought, but she much preferred sitting in it to working in it. She'd go and do some basic gardening the next day. Then she went indoors for a moment to pick up Wolf Hall, and she sat reading for the rest of the afternoon, listening to the bees.

Her neighbour, Ben Orrin, kept a couple of swarms, and he sometimes gave her a jar of his own honey. It was very nice, sweet and aromatic. He was an older man, in his middle seventies, whose wife had died early from Alzheimer's. He'd never remarried and, it seemed, was still very happy with his memories. He occasionally popped in for a cup of tea. He was a nice person, very soft spoken and cultured, and they would discuss poetry and the state of the nation.

She couldn't imagine herself dealing with the bees but she liked their sound. And she enjoyed talking to Ben now and then. She smiled when she thought of him. Then she tried to concentrate and she kept on reading until six.

John was already in the pub when Barbra walked into the public bar. He was smiling and talking to somebody on his phone, but he rang off when he saw her come in.

"Hi, Queen Bee! How da body? Hope you had a nice week!"

"Hello, John."

She greeted him with a kiss on each cheek.

"It was alright -- I lost my CD case which was not, but apart from that, I had a lot of fun with Emily and Joan and Mary. Emily seems really changed. We haven't quarrelled for a long time."

"Okay. What was in your CD case? Maybe I could help out?"

Barbra grinned. "All caterwauling to your ears. I wouldn't think you have them in your collection."

"Oh. No. I don't have any jazz, apart from some rap crossovers. And I like Kyteman sometimes."

"Okay. I should give yours a try, I guess. I don't know -- don't you think rap is usually much too woman-unfriendly?"

"I rather like it, baby. It's just playing, you know, at being macho and so on."

"Mmm. Not my kind of game."

"You shouldn't be too serious or you will end up playing masses only."

"No chance. I like the music in itself, but one mass a year will do for me. Do you ever listen to classical music, by the way?"

"Me? I had to in school. Quite enough."

"Okay. Oh well, maybe I can teach you to enjoy some. It isn't all serious and hard to understand."

"Another legacy of your education?"

"My father did enjoy that, too, yes." She smiled at the memory of those long gone afternoons, sitting in her father's study, listening to Schubert and Messiaen. "I do miss him so much," she added with a sigh.

"Yes. That's life. What can I get you for drinks? And let's order something. I'm famished."

"Do let's. I'll have half a dry cider, please."

John got up to get the drinks. Barbra looked at him while he walked to the bar. He did have a great physique, he was really handsome. Maybe more so than Mike? She wasn't sure. He talked to the barmaid, and then took his phone from his pocket to make a quick call while she saw to his order. It was a Samsung alright. He only made a short call, and returned with half a cider and a pint of lager.

Barbra took a sip and made a face. "Silly boyl," she said. "This is sweet cider -- not dry."

"Oh. My fault. I'm sorry -- I forgot. Let me get you a dry one."

He picked up the glass and walked to the bar. While the cider was drawn he made another call.

This time the cider was okay. The meals were on a blackboard on the wall, and as they were early none had been crossed out as yet.

Barbra had salmon, and John breaded haddock. It made her smile, remembering the conversation at the Mauve Door.

"What are you smiling at? Penny for your thoughts!"

"A joke Mary made yesterday -- nothing too special. It was funny then."

"Okay. Oh well -- let's hope those meals won't be too long."

The conversation veered to sports, car racing, football -- John told her he was into West Ham. He regularly visited Boleyn Ground, and sometimes went to away matches as well. She wouldn't want to come? She wouldn't. Maybe they could find something else then.

She smiled at him. He was really doing his best to find something. She wondered vaguely what it was that Mike and she had done in that field; but she couldn't think of anything. He hadn't been too much into sports either, and he had been away so often. When he wasn't, they usually didn't go out too much, apart from the occasional visit to the theatre or a concert. Rather, they would stay home engrossed in each other.

While they were talking John's phone rang. "I'm sorry," he said. "Just a moment, please." He got up and walked a little away into the bar. It only took him a few minutes, fortunately.

When he was back Barbra asked, "Do you like going to the theatre? Shakespeare, or modern plays?"

"Oh no. Far too brainy for me," he said with a smile. "But I like going to a film now and then. What about that?"

"Mmm, yes. I like that, too. We should be able to find something there that we both enjoy."

John nodded. "I'll see if there is something nice" he said.

"Yes, please. Is there anything interesting on now?"

John shook his head. "I'm not too sure. Maybe. Seems this is a slack period. Winter seems a better time for that sort of thing, doesn't it?"

"Uhuh. What do you like doing in your holidays?"

"Erm... I don't usually go anywhere, but I had a very nice holiday last year. The beach, Turkey,

one of these all-inclusive places. Swimming, lazing, having a nice drink in the evenings. We even went on a culture trip one day." He winked.

"Did you ever go to Paris, or Rome, or someplace like that?"

"I went to Amsterdam a couple of times. Visited the Van Gogh museum, and the Dam-square, and made a boat tour. I love those canals. And you?"

"Go places, or like in my holidays?"

"The latter."

"I like to travel a bit. There are a couple of places on my bucket-list; I'd love to see Vietnam, and Cambodia, and the Taj Mahal, and I do want to go to Trinidad some day. But as yet Madrid has been as far as I've got."

"Did you like it there?"

"Rather, yes. People are friendly enough, and I love the city. It's very impressive, and pleasant at the same time. They've got a beautiful statue of a bear..."

The food arrived, and they talked about the weather, and politics for some time. They were pretty much of a mind about them, and the time passed quickly and very pleasantly. Barbra's salmon was quite good -- better than she'd expected.

"Mmm," she said appreciatively. "They do have a good kitchen."

"They do," John agreed. "This is nice, too. Do you often eat here?"

"No, this is my first meal here. I sometimes have something in town."