Holding on to the counter to steady herself, she watched as he slid the white outer sleeve off the item, revealing a navy-blue, velvet box. He turned it as he opened it, so that she could see it was lined with silk, and nestling in the middle was a silver hip flask, the one that she’d picked out on Christmas Eve when she’d come in here to order it.
The assistant gently lifted the flask from its nest, and turned it over, to let her read the inscription she’d asked to be engraved on the back. If he noticed that some unexpected tears had found their way to her bottom lids, he was polite or embarrassed enough not to say.
Minnie cleared her throat, found her words. ‘That’s lovely, thank you. It’s perfect.’
It absolutely was. The perfect gift, for the man who had been their friend for decades. She just hoped that Gino would love itas much as she did. Henry too. She’d told him about it after she’d ordered it, and now she couldn’t wait to show it to him.
‘Would you like it gift wrapped?’
Minnie nodded. ‘That would be smashing, thank you.’
Off he went to the other side of the counter, leaving her to stand for a good five minutes. She glanced around to see if there was a wee chair that would let her take the weight off her legs for a minute, but there was none. By the time he came back with the square box, wrapped in gorgeous silver paper with a white ribbon around it, Minnie was warmer than ever and starting to feel a bit woozy again. With clumsy thumbs, she managed to get her purse out and hand over the three crisp twenty-pound notes that were left from the money she’d put in her purse before she left the house. Ailish was always telling her she should only use the credit card that she’d organised for her, but Minnie preferred to stick to cash. It had been good enough for the seventy-odd years she’d already been on this earth, so it would do her fine for the rest of her days.
The helpful assistant came round from behind the counter to hold the door open for her. Just a little wobbly, with her handbag over her shoulder and a shopping bag in each hand now, she stepped over the threshold, then gasped as the cold air hit her again.
Pausing to catch her breath, she’d just taken another step when a voice shouted out behind her. ‘Minnie! Was that you who knitted that new topper for the post box? Och, it’s lovely, so it is!’
Minnie turned her head to see Gladys grinning from ear to ear. See! It had already made someone smile today – and a tough nut to crack at that. She couldn’t remember Gladys smiling since the line-dancing coach gave in to her request and introduced ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ into their repertoire.
All that knitting had definitely been worth it.
That was the last thing that went through Minnie’s mind before she lost her footing, and felt herself falling forward, grasping futilely for something to grab on to, watching the pavement come towards her until she met it with a thud and a sickening crunch.
NOON – 2 P.M.
9
AILISH
Ailish switched on Gwen’s oven and pulled a pizza out of the freezer. They’d stopped at a Tesco Express on the way back from the hospital and Ailish had run in and done a trolley dash for the basics needed to refill Gwen’s fridge, freezer and breadbin. Then she’d added the two bottles of wine that Rhonda had requested and picked up three Christmas selection boxes that were reduced to half price.
Pizza in the oven, she opened a fresh tub of ready-made salad to go with the twelve-inch Margherita, then set the table with plates, napkins, cutlery and salad dressing, a smile on her face the whole time. Gwen was home. She was okay. They were all together. On a day that had begun with news that had chipped her heart, this turn of events had glued it back together again. When they’d wheeled Gwen to the hospital doors, then held her arms as she’d taken her first steps back into the outside world, Ailish had blinked the tears back. Although, she wasn’t sure if that was relief, or fear over what she’d just agreed to.
‘What about you, Ails? Are you in?’
How could she possibly say no and crush Gwen’s expression of pure hope? But she couldn’t quite say yes either, because thevery thought of going out tonight, of all nights, gripped her with absolute horror. New Year’s Eve used to be her favourite night of the year, but now it made her want to hibernate and ignore the world. Her own issues aside though, her natural caution that going out could compromise Gwen’s health made her want to object. But she didn’t have the heart to refuse her friend anything, so in the end, she’d gone for a tentative nod that Gwen and Rhonda had taken as acceptance and rolled with it.
Now that they were home in Gwen’s ultra-modern, breathtakingly chic, river-front loft, Ailish still wasn’t convinced. Surely it was madness? Irresponsible. What if something went wrong? What if Gwen needed medical attention? The chances of getting swift emergency services on New Year’s Eve were slim to none – it was one of the busiest and most chaotic nights of the year in Glasgow. No. She was going to refuse for Gwen’s sake. She’d break it to her gently over the pizza that had just pinged in the oven.
As if summoned by the bell, at that moment Rhonda and Gwen reappeared, Gwen’s hair still wet from the shower. It had been the first thing she’d wanted to do when she got home, and Rhonda had insisted on sitting outside the bathroom door, just in case Gwen needed her or felt unwell.
‘I’m perfectly able to stand,’ Gwen had objected, rolling her eyes.
‘And I’m perfectly able to do the splits, but there’s always a risk that I’ll end up in Accident and Emergency, so I’m coming with you.’
Gwen had surrendered, knowing she was beaten.
Ailish pressed the front of one of the gloss white kitchen drawers, searching for the pizza cutter. This whole apartment looked like it was straight out of a magazine, thanks to both Gwen’s skill as an interior designer and her love of clean white spaces.
‘Next drawer to the right,’ Gwen said, reading her mind.
Ailish followed the instruction, and the pizza cutter was revealed. She pulled it out of the drawer and started slicing, talking as she went. ‘How are you feeling now?’
‘So much better. I don’t think I’ll be running marathons again any time soon, but I managed to stand up in the shower without feeling faint. I’ll take the win.’
Relieved, Ailish slid the pizza onto the table and sat down, trying to decide whether to go for it and just blurt out her objections to Gwen’s plans.
‘Ailish, you have to take that worried look off your face, otherwise you’ll need to hit up Rhonda’s Botox clinic.’
