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length of time, Emma felt she was being
reproached for getting up late or forgetting to feed the dogs. 
    The elderly man in turn told Emma about
his dead fiancée and then about the woman he did marry, Edith.  He confessed to
Emma that Edith had always felt as though he would never love her as much as he
had his first love, Margaret.
    ‘And to my shame she was right.  I
never could quite give Edith all the love she wanted.  I did try but although I
was very fond of her, she was not my soul mate in the way that Margaret was. 
She never could have been.  When I returned from the war and met Edith I was in
a bad way.  I’d been wounded quite severely and was recovering.  I was not the
same person I had been before the war; I had seen and done things no one should
have to.   So it was very hard for me to adjust back to civilian life.  I could
never give Edith all the affection and love she deserved.’  He paused and
cleared his throat.  ‘You must think me very odd, my dear, telling you, a
complete stranger, all this.’
    ‘Oh no, not at all,’ Emma said
sincerely.  ‘Sometimes you just need to get things off your chest and it can be
easier to say things to people you don’t know than to your family.’
    ‘Very true, very true.’
    ‘I’m Emma by the way.’
    ‘Reginald or Reg for short.’ He
shook her hand.
    They talked some more and Emma told
him a little about why she was travelling from Cornwall to London.  But she
omitted the part about her father giving her the money under duress, how she
had persuaded him.  It was none of Reg’s business anyway, but also Emma found
herself not wanting to be lowered in his estimation. She did tell him about her
feelings of boredom on the farm and how she felt like she never really fitted
in there, even though it was her family home where she’d been brought up.  Reg
nodded sympathetically and told her he understood exactly how she felt.  His
father had been an ironmonger and had expected him to take over the family
business.
    ‘He couldn’t understand when I told
him that it wasn’t for me,’ Reg said.  ‘I tried to explain, but he saw it as a
betrayal, which it wasn’t.  It was simply that I couldn’t see myself in the
same street of the same town for the rest of my life.’
    Emma nodded.  ‘That’s exactly how I
feel about the farm.  I’ve got to see more of the world.  So I’m going to
London.’
    ‘Well, I wish you all the best.  I
hope you’re not disappointed with London.  I warn you – it’s very large.  You
might have trouble adjusting after life on a farm.’
    ‘Oh I’ll be fine.  I’ve been there
before and I’ll be living with my best friend, so I’ve got nothing to worry
about.’
    ‘It certainly sounds like you’ve
got everything arranged.’ 
    Emma thought he seemed unconvinced,
but what did it matter anyway?  She’d only just met him, his opinion really wasn’t
that important.  They chatted away until they reached Reading, where Reg said
goodbye.  Before he left he gave her a card with his phone number on it.  Emma
was surprised but pleased.
    ‘Just in case you’re ever in need
of a friendly chat,’ he said.  ‘Actually, my daughter had these contact cards
made up for me.  I’ve never really used them, so now’s a good opportunity!’
    Emma laughed, shook Reg’s hand and
then he was gone.  She felt bereft.  She’d be on her own now until the train reached
Paddington.
     
    ******
     
    Standing with her suitcase in the
huge thoroughfare of Paddington station, feeling exhaustion envelop her, Emma
surveyed her surroundings.  The station was large and frenetic.  People were
rushing busily past her, some almost elbowing their way through, but she didn’t
move.  Natalie had said she’d meet her here.  The train had been running late,
so she should be here by now.  Emma really needed to sit down, but she couldn’t
see anywhere, so she collapsed onto her suitcase which was big enough to
support