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taken a turn for the better and that I will reward myself with a bottle of wine from Bargain Booze after my evening constitutional and latte.
     
    Thursday 22 nd October 2009
    It’s a beautiful day so I walk down over the bridge, but instead of going into town I turn right towards Bitts Park. I haven’t really explored it before but I know from the local paper that things are always happening there. I think the next big thing is firework night. I’ll be able to see the fireworks from my bijou half-house. Some people are playing tennis and others, much more seriously, bowls. As I understand it bowls is a vicious game. Maybe I’ll take it up, ha ha. I set off to see what a Japanese Garden looks like in a town park but my attention is caught by two heads of red hair gleaming in the autumn sunshine. It’s Joanna and son. Well, well, well.
    ‘Come on, Mam. I want to feed the ducks.’ Her little look-alike runs over and tugs her arm.
    ‘What about our picnic? Aren’t you hungry?’
    ‘The ducks are hungry. Nobody feeds them in this park. Come on.’
    She gives in, of course, young mums always do. I spot the picnic area and a kiosk selling snacks. Five minutes later I’m sitting at one of the wooden tables pretending to enjoy a gooey cheese savoury sandwich. I have my book as well, and pretend to read it while I await their return. I am fairly sure they’ll come here. It really isn’t warm enough to sit on the grass.
    ‘ Hola Judith! Look Ricky, it’s my friend from Spanish class. Come and say hello.’
    Ricky dutifully says hello then looks shy, then dives into their picnic basket, all inhibitions forgotten.
    ‘Is it your day off today?’ I ask.
    ‘Yes, I usually have Thursdays off. You?’
    ‘Yes, me too. I like days off in the week.’
    ‘I do. But I’d like the weekends off with Ricky too. I have Sunday but I’m in the caf é from lunch time onwards on Saturdays. Luckily my mam doesn’t work Saturdays at all.’
    I venture a personal question. ‘What about Ricky’s dad? Does he see him?’
    ‘No.’
    Subject firmly closed so I move back to Spanish and what plans she has to go to Spain. I tell her that my friend Ken from work is flying out there at the weekend to play golf. She relaxes again as we leave Ricky’s other parent behind.
    ‘Come here, you,’ she says as she grabs Ricky and wipes all manner of food from around his mouth. ‘No table manners, that’s your problem.’
    ‘I have! It’s not a proper table so I don’t need them.’
    ‘You always need them,’ she says firmly and makes him ask properly before allowing him to go to the kiosk to buy an ice cream. Within minutes his mouth is covered again, this time with melting ice cream and chocolate. My God! Who’d have kids? It’s only a matter of time before he gets tired and whiney and she decides it’s time to take him home. I must say, I prefer our meetings without him. Well I don’t actually say it of course.
    As they wander off to catch the bus home she calls out that she will see me soon in the caf é and at Spanish. Oh yes, she will! A few words of Spanish float back to me as well, but I don’t catch what she says and pretend that I am engrossed in my book. Better not appear too keen.

Chapter 4
    Hexham,October 2008
    Thursday 2nd October 2008
    It seemed to Judith that her phone never stopped ringing. She often wondered, and said on some occasions, that she didn’t know what Kate did all day. What do I a pay her for? she sometimes thought, she gets through so little in a day . Maybe the phone was always like this and Kate shielded her from these callers who didn’t stop talking then moaned when they got charged for the number of hours the practice had spent dealing with them. She looked forward to Monday when Kate would be back from holiday.
    At midday the phone rang again. She answered it, resisting the urge to be short with the caller.
    ‘Hello Judith. It’s Chloe from Phoenix Antiques. Gosh, you’ve been busy this