Chapter 4

They duly met on the track by the borrow pit the next afternoon. Richard had already stopped briefly and loaded the piece of car that Deborah had left beside the track the day before.

"Hello!" he said. "I've picked up the bit of car. I suggest we put Tilly in with your dog and let Teal ramble. That means we won't have to keep opening and closing the tailgate and exciting the dogs not to mention controlling them. By the way, what's your dog's name?"

"That sounds a good plan," she replied. "Her name is Midge, short for The Mighty Midget."

"What a very original name!" he chuckled. "I won't forget that. Actually, I think I'm better at remembering dogs' names than human ones."

"What's my name?"

"Um... Deborah?"

"Well done!" she giggled.

They got stuck in to the work and in half an hour had loaded a damp and smelly mattress, two plastic milk crates, half a dozen sheets of plastic wrapping, which were caught in the trees, and a brass bed head. While they worked they nattered inconsequentially and grumbled about litter louts and people lacking in responsibility.

"Now," he said. "Are we going to take the dogs for a walk before I take this lot to the tip? We need to keep an eye on the time so that you can collect your daughter from school."

"I'm excused the school run today. My daughter's got a sleep-over with a friend. So, yes, let's walk the dogs and then I'll come and give you a hand at the tip. I'd like to see where it is actually because I feel I ought to be doing rather more in the way of recycling."

"Great!" exclaimed Richard and was surprised at the enthusiasm in his voice which Deborah could not have helped but notice. "I think we probably ought to move the cars back up to the end of the track so that they don't get biffed by any passing tractors."

"Dead right! I wouldn't want my car biffed, or vandalised for that matter."

"I doubt that would happen around here but I take your point. Can you squeeze Teal in as I don't think I can fit her in mine?"

"Sure, come on, Teal."

Teal looked questioningly at Richard.

"Yes, Teal!" he said. "She's quite safe and won't steal you and you've got Tilly to protect you."

Deborah chuckled. "You're as daft with her as I am with Midge."

"Probably dafter. They're my family now. Come on, Teal, get in."

They moved the cars the quarter of a mile to the end of the track and then, letting the dogs out, set off on their walk.

"Have you really got no family?"

"Not at home. Both my sons are married and my wife died eighteen months ago."

"Oh!"

They walked in silence for a couple of minutes. Richard was impressed that Deborah had not said she was sorry without knowing what she was really sorry about. On the other hand her sympathy was palpable.

"Was her death because of an accident?"

"No, cancer. They found it too late and she died in just less than six months."

"How ghastly! My mother had it but fortunately, if that's the right word, she was in her late sixties. Even so, there was that awful inevitability hanging over us all. My father never got over it and died six months later."

"I know the feeling but I've got some good friends, one in particular, and they helped me through the aftermath."

She touched his arm briefly.

"Horrid!" she said. "Horrid! Horrid! Horrid! At least I was able to make my own decision."