To Neath in a scattering of snow so that I might collect my meds from the doctor’s surgery, and make an appointment to see him, and so that Graham could call in at his bank. We arranged to meet in the Morrison’s supermarket coffee shop.
Peering through a cluster of grey haired old Welsh ladies, fresh from the first shampoo and set of the year and bristling curls so sharp they might have been concreted in place, I saw him sitting all alone at a table, looking lost, sipping weak coffee from a big flat cup.
“Hello, sailor,” I said, brightly.
“Can we go home now?”
“Yes, of course. I don’t want any coffee from here. Told you to get tea and drink it black.”
“I forgot.”
“Oh. Poor luv. Grab a basket willya and we’ll just pick up milk and bread then hit the road home.”
“Oh, look,” I said as we drove out of the carpark. “There’s a sale on at B&Q. 50% off. Do you need anything?”
“Nope, ta. I just want to go home.”
“OK. Close your eyes, touch your nose and think of England. We’ll be home before you stop giggling.”
And so we were. We sighed gratefully to be back in our little road, walked across to talk to K., our neighbour who’s been suffering a filthy cold and was out feeding the birds and walking two of his five semi-feral cats. Out came M., another neighbour, carrying his little dog ready for a walk, and we all stood there chatting merrily as Mrs M. came down the hill to join us all. It was a bit like a street party, though without trestle tables and plates of jelly and blancmange. And no piano, either. I smiled, resplendent in my new hair cut, and Graham, all chat and jolly once more, revelled in the gathering.
I’ve remarked before that Neath can be a dispiriting town, one in which being alone can be a sad, depressing experience. I doubt that Graham would think so but today, just for once, I suspect that he felt just the edge of the grey Neath blanket, dampening spirits and clouding the sky to keep the sun away.
Hey ho. There’s a heavy morning of snow forecast for tomorrow, then a return to normal temperatures by the weekend. Normal for Neath, that is.
~~+~~
Resplendent in my new haircut
~~+~~
