Page 13 of The Seaside Supper Club

The Christmas lunch event had been fabulous. Cath thought back, still amazed at how they’d managed to convert the run-down Tilldale Village Hall into a magical festive venue in a mere matter of weeks. But it had taken a huge amount of organising and hard work to pull it off, though it had been so worthwhile seeing all the happy faces there.

She’d definitely have a chat with the gang and see what they might come up with. Perhaps something lower key organisation-wise, but it would be nice to use the newly renovated village hall once more. She smiled, any excuse for another get-together with her lovely supper group.

‘Okay, well, leave it with me, folks. No promises, but I will have a think on it.’ She mustn’t get carried away, she warned herself.

But there was a sea of frail, and very hopeful, faces sat before her. Oh dammit, her heart was melting just looking at them, and she was already excited at the prospect of another community event.

Chapter 5

Cath was in her back garden, secateurs to hand, tidying and deadheading a pink-blossomed rhododendron that had rather taken over one of the borders. Bursts of its delicate sweet scent surrounded her, as a message popped up on the WhatsApp supper group thread. She straightened up, with a slightly creaky back, and pulled out her mobile phone from her jeans pocket. It was Lily.

Anyone up for a Final Fling before my exams? Please help save my head from exploding!

Tea and treats in the garden at The Barn next Sunday 27th. Mum’s helping me host. 2pm start! Xx

Ooh, that sounded delightful. And luckily next weekend, with one of her regular pupils away, after a morning tuition line-up, Cath’s Sunday afternoon was free until 5 p.m., when she had a couple of evening sessions.

She swiftly messaged back, a big smile on her face, with a: Yes, please. I’d love that. C x

Back to the task in hand once more, she continued filling her trug basket with spent blooms. Hah, a year ago she’d have felt like that was her, abandoned in her fifties like ‘a spent bloom’. But here, in this rural village, in her flourishing garden, with new friendships formed, she was having her own second flowering. She wasn’t done yet, by any means. The gut-wrenching changes which had felt very much like an ending to all the good things she’d known, had merely meant the start of a brand-new chapter. Life was filled with hope and happiness again.

And one by one, the messages rolled in from those very friends, until they were a full supper club house of ‘Yeses’. Brilliant! And an afternoon tea to look forward to, how wonderful.

*

It wasn’t long before her phone began buzzing once more. Oh, lovely, it was Adam. After her gardening stint, it was the ideal time to head in for a reviving cuppa, and a chat.

‘Hey, Mum.’ His tone was cheery.

‘Hi, Adam. How’re things going with the new job?’ He’d recently landed a new role in ‘Research and Education’ at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park near to Doncaster. His dream of working with animals, and particularly in conservation, finally coming true.

‘Great, actually. Three weeks in, and already I’m working on building links with local schools and colleges. I’ve even been looking to establish more meaningful connections with conservation researchers at a few universities. It’s cool.’

‘Sounds great.’ She was so pleased for him, hearing the joy in his voice lifted her so much.

‘Yeah, I also have to monitor current educational visits – hah, some of those are pretty full-on, I don’t know how you managed in school for all those years, and I’ve been tasked to come up with ideas for improvements, to move the “visitor experience” forward.’

‘Wow, you sound busy, and happy.’ His clear enthusiasm was brilliant.

‘Yeah, there’s a lot to think about, but I’m loving the challenge. And the team are really good. Helping me find my feet.’

‘That’s great, Adam. I’m so pleased for you. It’s all come together, at last. All those applications and interviews were well worth it in the end.’ His perseverance and resilience in the face of many rejections and interviews, some that seemed hopeful but then led to a dead end, had finally paid off.

‘Yeah, I still can’t believe my luck.’

‘Hey, not just luck, your love of animals and your wildlife work and volunteering put you in the frame. And your zoology degree, of course.’

‘And my sparkling personality …’ he took up, half-jesting but sounding delighted.

‘Of course, Son.’ And she thought with much relief that he was sparkling again, with his tone upbeat, and his cheeky sense of humour back on track.

He asked about village life, and Cath chatted about their recent very sociable supper evening. She also mentioned that things were going well with ‘the cycling guy’ Will – whom Adam had met briefly in the village – hoping to make her son aware that her new relationship might be one to last the distance. Adam was well aware of the tough time his mum had been through. He had been there through the worst of it, witnessing the pain and destruction within the family unit. Though gutting at the time, he had gradually learned to accept the situation. And he’d always been supportive of his mum moving on.

With her tea brewing in a mug, she squished out the tea bag as she continued to talk, then added a splash of milk, before heading back outside to take up a garden chair on her crazy-paved patio. She could hear the sparrows chattering in the hedgerow too, as she listened to her son chat away.

‘Right, Mum, I’d better get going. I’ve got a primary school landing in precisely ten minutes.’

‘Ah, well, good luck with that.’