There's No Accounting For Love

Chapter Fifty Three

I apologise for the long chapter, but it was hard to split and I felt it was better all in one.

**************

It was a glorious, summer's day. Alan was sitting on the park bench, wondering where Clare could be, when she came up to him carrying a small plastic bag.

"Hello, you okay?" she asked.

"Hi. I was just wondering where you were. Aren't you going jogging today?"

"No." said Clare, sitting down beside him. "I'm not in the mood today."

This was unusual, Alan thought.

"Did you hear those jerks last night?" asked Alan, meaning Tarquin, Barking and Larking.

"Oh, they're just messing about, you take them too seriously."

"They're too rowdy for my liking. I'm sure I never acted like that at their age."

"No, of course not, you've always been an old man." she smiled.

"I'm not an old man, what cheek. I'm the same age as you."

"But you're such a couch potato. You ought to exercise. It's important to keep fit."

"I need to get fit, before I can keep fit." said Alan raising his eyebrows.

Alan watched as she rose from the bench and walked towards the lake, she was going to feed the ducks. He remained behind on the bench, yawned and closed his eyes, lifting his face to the warmth of the sun. It was so good. He felt himself relaxing and although it wasn't planned, he soon fell fast asleep.

He felt a nudge in the ribs and woke up with a jump. "What?" he said. Clare was sitting beside him, looking amused. What had he done now?

"You were fast asleep. What's wrong with you? It's only 11.30 and I don't expect you've been up long, knowing you. How do you do it?" she asked.

"I only had my eyes shut." he lied.

"You fibber! I've been sitting here for ten minutes." She paused, then changed her tone.

"Some people have a disease called 'Narcolepsy' and it makes them fall asleep. I wonder if you suffer from it?"

"No, of course not, I was relaxing, that's all. I could never relax with Marie around. I'm just exercising my new found freedom."

They sat quietly for a while. "I've got things to do, Alan, I'd better get back."

They rose from the bench together, waited for a break in the traffic and crossed the road. They stood together outside of the entrance to Alan's block.

"I'm going shopping this afternoon, do you want to come?" she asked. "I know how you hate the supermarket."

"Okay, I do need a few things, but we'll go in my car. Meet me in the car park at 2.30 pm, or is that too early?" asked Alan.

"No, that's fine, I'll see you later then."

As Alan took the lift up to his flat he thought, 'I must tell her soon. It's driving me mad.' But it wasn't that easy. Every time he tried to tell her, something would happen, either the phone rang or someone came knocking on the door or something was said that threw him completely. He wasn't like Clare, if she had something to say out it came, but he had to lead up to something, slowly and carefully. It had to be right. What was he going to do? Angie said he would know when the right moment came, but as far as he could see there never would be a right moment. It was hopeless! He could see them doing all these things when they were ninety-three, hobbling to the park, hobbling to the supermarket, hobbling off to the office. Well, perhaps not that. It wasn't just finding the right moment, he was deeply afraid of her re-action. He couldn't bear the thought of being rejected. Also, his experience with Marie had sapped his confidence badly, more than he could say.