Chapter 4
On the seventh of July, Alice picked up Jill at eight in the morning, hoping to avoid being in the car while it was too hot while they brought home Jill’s new puppy. At eight weeks old, he’d grown into a squat little bear cub, with thick legs, round paws and a spindly tail. His nose, though still squashed, had distinct dots scattered on it and his fur was crumpled and plentiful.
In the car on the way home Jill cooed and chuckled over him as he settled himself into the foot well by her legs without a care in the world.
‘He is possibly the sweetest puppy in the whole world,’ Alice commented, glancing away from the road for a second. ‘You’re not going to be able to go anywhere without people wanting to stop you and pet him.’
‘I know, but I get to have him all to myself for a month before I can take him out for walks,’ Jill replied, obsessively playing with his silky ears. ‘Oh my God, you are such a little bear.’
‘What are you going to call him?’
‘Bear probably, because that’s how I’ve been referring to him over the past two months.’
‘Like when pregnant people call their unborn babies “bean” or “pip”?’
‘Yep.’
‘Well, Bear certainly suits him,’ said Alice, and Bear stared at her and started hiccupping. ‘Hey, Bear, if you like this car journey, you just wait two months and you’re going to go in a campervan.’
‘That’s right!’ said Jill. ‘Bear, we have big plans for you. You’re going to see lots of the world, because Alice and I are having an adventure, and you’re coming too. Are you excited?’
Bear looked up at her and yawned, before falling asleep against her ankles.
‘He’s excited,’ confirmed Jill.
As July rolled forward, Alice took advantage of the long summer evenings to take her work outside. She loved summer in the city. Yes, the heatwave was prickling and the Tube was uncomfortable, but London was alive with tourists having a great time. Colourful outfits swirled in the streets, office workers made the most of short hours on a Friday, and ice-cream vendors popped up around the capital’s beautiful parks.
And there was so much going on that she wanted to be a part of – film festivals, photography exhibitions, panel discussions, fundraising evenings – it felt like getting involved was always within reach here, and in such vibrant ways, and she loved it.
Even more so, she loved the ever-closer extended holiday she and Jill were going to be taking. By the start of August all details were nearly finalised, and they were hanging out at Jill’s big home one late afternoon to choose the accommodation for their last stop in Switzerland.
‘I definitely think somewhere in the Bernese Oberland,’ Jill was saying as they got to her back door after taking Bear for his first ‘outdoors’ walk. ‘It would be a nice ending, you know? Especially if they had snow there already.’
‘Doesn’t Vanessa live somewhere around there?’ Alice asked.
Vanessa was a girl she and Jill had met on their gap year, on a South American tour. They’d become close friends on the trip, and had stayed in touch since, but the ten-year gap between seeing each other meant they’d naturally drifted apart somewhat.
‘It would be so good to see Vanessa again,’ Jill enthused. ‘Let’s get in touch and find out exactly where she is.’ She entered the house and then laughed, her hands on her hips, while Bear sat down on his tufty, muddy bottom and grinned up at her. ‘Look at the state of you. It’s the middle of a beautiful summer and you found the one puddle of mud in all of London.’
‘You can’t even see the white blob on his neck any more,’ Alice said, gingerly moving some of his fur aside. He turned around and dug pin-like teeth into her hand. ‘Ow!’
‘Sorry, he’s chewing everything at the moment. He doesn’t mean anything by it. Just don’t roll your sleeves down, he’ll never let go.’
‘You’re a menace to society,’ Alice said, booping Bear on the nose.
‘There’s only one thing for it, mister, you need a bath. Will you help me bath him?’ Jill pleaded.
‘Sure . . . where?’
‘In the bath.’
‘Oh, in the actual bath?’
‘What did you think I meant?’
‘I assumed you’d use the hose or something.’
Jill mock-gasped. ‘He wouldn’t stand for it! Come on.’ She picked up Bear, and he wriggled in her arms to make extra-sure she was covered in mud. ‘Ali, the dog shampoo and conditioner are in the cupboard under the kitchen sink. Don’t look at me like that because I have dog conditioner. Can you grab it plus a couple of those old towels?’
