The Flood

She stopped. The oracle was silent.

'It never happened again,' she added.

We lay there. I felt but I wasn't sure - I felt she wept a little. I told her, I loved her. She told me she loved me very much.

'And you, Grace, would you ever have him back if Nik came back and asked for you?' I asked.

'Yes,' I would; I would forgive him and I still love him deep down but there would be one condition, a very important one,' she replied.

'What?' I whispered.

'He would need to know that we are lovers and that I would still want to remain your frequent lover alongside any relationship with him.'

'And if he said no?'

'Then he didn't want me badly enough to get me,' she said quite loudly.

Suddenly we heard voices and we both sat up, startled. Grace understood first.

'Look,' she said, 'the bathroom light's come on. The TV must be on downstairs! We've got power again!'

We went round the house turning some things on and others off; I relit the central heating boiler and left it on continuously to warm the house and heat up some water. We went back to bed just before midnight.

Grace asked me to make love to her. I can't pretend she found our love-making as wonderful an experience as I did. It felt like I was possessing a wild cavorting young deer -all legs and bursting vibrancy. But I will tell you no more of that. This time was for Grace and me only. We slept as one, entwined somehow.

We slept soundly and never heard Jean arrive home; in fact we never heard her come upstairs and look in on us as we lay there. She went quietly back downstairs and waited a while. Later she began to clatter about the kitchen hoping we would hear her. We did. Grace put her robe on and went downstairs. I followed, having quickly dressed, a few minutes later. As I came downstairs I heard Jean say: 'So in spite of it all you've had a good time really, the two of you?'

'A wonderful time, mum.'

They must have heard me coming down the stairs. We talked about the flood and how we got so wet and cold and then openly about how we warmed each other. I sensed no hurt from Jean and yet she clearly realised Grace and I were now lovers.

I said I would take Jean's two suitcases upstairs. When I came down Jean and Grace were standing in the bay window. Jean had her arm round Grace's waist.

'It will all be just fine, I promise,' I heard Jean say.

I decided to leave them to it and get some fresh air. I started to force my feet into my still damp trainers. I never bothered to undo the laces, I just wedged my feet into them and picked up a couple of buckets. As I put my hand on the door handle to step outside I heard the phone ring.

I paused. Grace answered: 'Hi, yes, it's been a long time... yes, we're all fine.'

......................[I couldn't hear the caller, of course]

'No it didn't reach the house. Thanks for ringing, by the way.'

......................

'Next weekend? I'm not sure yet.'

And so I opened the door and stepped outside, wondering, just wondering if...maybe... I closed the house door and set off down the path for the fuel store to get wood and coal.

To keep our fire alight.

The End