There's No Accounting For Love

Chapter Twelve

At lunchtime, Clare sat at her desk eating sandwiches and reading a book. She was partial to yogurt and she always dropped some on her top or her skirt. Angie laughed at her. 

 "I'll have to sponge it off." said Clare.                          

"You're worse than a child, you are." Angie replied. She was also staying in today and eating salad and an apple. 

"Angie, how did you meet Matthew?" asked Clare "Have you known him very long?"

Angie giggled. "It was strange how we met, but I think it was fate. Well, perhaps not fate, answer to prayer, really. I was beginning to think I'd be left on the shelf. I was 29 and completely unattached." She paused, took a bite of apple and carried on with her tale.

"I'd gone into town late night shopping and stayed longer than I'd expected. It was raining heavily that evening. I missed the bus by seconds and as I saw it pull away, a car drew up by the bus stop, driven by a dishy black man. Matthew lowered the passenger window and asked me where Harrington Drive was. I saw a notice on the windscreen saying 'Doctor on Call'. I said I wasn't very good at giving directions, but if he didn't mind would he like me to get in and I would take him. He said yes, that would be kind, he had an urgent visit to make, a child was very sick and he didn't want to waste time.

I climbed into the car and I gave him directions, which are much easier to give in the car than pointing here and there, you know what it's like. So we arrived at Harrington Drive and I sat in the car and waited while he visited his patient. He finished the visit and he called an ambulance as he suspected the child had meningitis. He was shaking when he got back into the car. He said he was new to it all and he asked if I minded if he lit a cigarette, to calm him down. He lit the cigarette took four puffs and then stubbed it out saying "I don't know why I do it, it's disgusting; I keep forgetting I gave it up six months ago. I left these in the car, I must throw them away!" He grinned at me, like a naughty little boy. I grinned back and that was it, I fell for him hook, line and sinker." said Angie.

"How romantic!" said Clare "What happened next?"

"He drove me home and on the way he told me his name. Matthew White! A wonderful name for a black man, don't you think? So of course now I'm Angela White."

Clare laughed. "Mum's neighbours are white and they're called Black, what about that!"

"It's such a stupid world." said Angie. "I expect somewhere there's a Mrs Green who looks brown. Maybe there's even a Mrs Brown who looks green." She giggled and took another bite at the apple.

"Then what happened?" asked Clare.

"We sat in the car and chatted for a while and then I said would he like to come in for a coffee, I had my own little flat at the time. He said no, he was on call and he'd better get back home. He asked me for my telephone number, but I wasn't on the phone at the flat, I couldn't afford one. I gave him my work number instead and he said 'goodnight' and that was that. I didn't think he'd ring me. I was surprised when he rang me later in the week and asked me out. We went out for several months, then we got engaged and I moved in with him a couple of months before we were married. I didn't intend to, but a pig of a man moved into the upstairs flat and I didn't feel safe there once he arrived. He frightened me. He said some horrible things to me and made racist remarks. Matthew said he wasn't going to stand by and let something awful happen, so he made me move in with him. I couldn't go home, after all the fuss I made about moving out. I've got three younger brothers at home and there isn't much room. We didn't tell anyone at church, I don't think they would have approved, but anyway we did it. Matthew's wonderful! He's a good doctor and I'm very proud of him. I like his family and we all get on very well."

"Does Matthew go to church with you?" asked Clare.

"He used to go in his teens, but got out of the habit. I took him along with me and he's fitted right in, so now we go together. I must say, our Pastor is really nice. I told him he's missed his vocation, he should have been a comedian."

"Like Alan, you mean? I think the same of him."

"Yes," said Angie "Like Alan, only more so."

"More so?" said Clare "How could he possibly be more so?"

"I don't know, but he is, believe you me." Angie laughed. "He's going to kill us all one day with laughter. I think it's possible. I get a terrible stitch in my side. Imagine St Peter asking you at the pearly gates "How did you die?" and you would have to reply "It was Pastor, he made me laugh so much I keeled over"... or some such thing."

They laughed about it and then lunchtime was over. They worked hard all afternoon, as there was always plenty to do.  Near the end of the day, when the busy period had died down Clare said to Angie,

"Would you and Matthew like to come over for dinner one evening? Hal's always saying he would like to meet you both."

"Yes, that would be lovely, thank you. I'll have to let you know when he's not on call otherwise it would mess up the evening. Sometimes there aren't many calls and at others more than he can cope with."

So, one Saturday evening, later in the month, Angie and Matthew went round to Clare's house and met Hal who cooked them all a tasty meal and opened a few bottles of South African wine, which they all enjoyed.  Clare showed Angie around the house. Angie loved the house and she asked lots of questions.

"I'd love a house like this, it's got such character."

"Hal said he's getting decorators in. We'll redecorate the rooms one at a time and he said I can choose the colours. He's colour blind, you've probably guessed that already."

"Well, some of the colours are a bit bright." said Angie "but this house has great potential."

"Potential, definitely potential." said Clare laughing.

Matthew and Hal hit it off and spent some time talking about the National Health Service. Hal was knowledgeable about financial matters and Matthew, being a Doctor, was interested in his views and opinions. Both Hal and Matthew played the guitar and liked similar music. They all laughed and joked together and spent a pleasant evening. Hal told them about South Africa, as much as he could remember and it was good for him, Clare thought, to be able to share his happy memories with friends.

When Matthew and Angie left, Clare and Hal went to bed and made love and it was very special; the perfect end to a perfect day. Hal kissed Clare goodnight and as they snuggled down in bed, Clare said "I'm so happy at the moment. I have a new job, new friends and you. What more could a woman ask for?"

But there was something she could ask for. A baby...she wanted a baby.