Lil's Bus Trip Read online

  Lil’s Bus Trip

  Judy Leigh

  For G

  Contents

  TOBY JUGG TOURS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Acknowledgments

  More from Judy Leigh

  About the Author

  About Boldwood Books

  TOBY JUGG TOURS

  The Best in the South West

  * * *

  Travel to Europe by luxury minibus

  Visit the war graves of Northern France

  See fairy-tale buildings and fascinating architecture

  Wander through the historic cities of Belgium

  Marvel at the stunning scenery

  Experience a day of farm life and share a hearty Belgian feast

  Sail on the canals of Amsterdam

  Sample Belgian chocolate, French cuisine and the gastronomic delights of Amsterdam

  Enjoy the robust beers and refreshing lagers of Northern Europe

  Stay overnight in comfortable hotels

  Ten nights. Twelve places available. Contact Tommy Judd for details

  1

  ‘Can I have some butter on this toast, Keith?’

  Lil picked up a slice of toast and bit into it. The butter melted over the perfectly crusty edges.

  ‘It’s already dripping with butter, Lil.’

  Keith, the owner of Keith’s Kaff across the road from Clover Hill Retirement Home, winked in Lil’s direction and raised his voice cheerily, making sure that everyone else in the café – a young mum with a toddler, two men in work-clothes eating sausages – could hear every word.

  ‘It’s bone dry,’ Lil waved her arms theatrically. ‘This toast could be classified as a murder weapon, it’s so hard.’

  Keith wiped a table with strong arms, inked with tattoos. He was around forty, certainly no more than half Lil’s age. He called back, ‘I’m watching your figure for you, darling.’

  ‘No one’s watched my figure in years,’ Lil retorted.

  It was part of Lil’s routine to cross the road every day, have breakfast in the cosy café set back from the main road and pretend to give Keith a hard time. He would flirt with her in return. It was what they always did. She’d tell him that there wasn’t enough butter on the toast and he’d retaliate with a laconic remark about watching her figure or old people being better off without the high cholesterol, and she would reply with the same comment every time.

  ‘I’m nearly in my grave already, Keith, so I may as well go with a smile on my face and my toast dripping with butter. Didn’t you know, that’s the meaning of life: butter?’

  And today, as ever, Keith, his hair slicked back, murmured, ‘You know you love me, Lil.’

  To which she replied, ‘Always and forever, sweetie,’ before he wandered back into the kitchen whistling.

  ‘What about some peanut butter, darling?’ Lil called after him. Then, in mock-desperation, she yelled, ‘Marmalade?’

  Lil chewed toast and pulled her book from her huge, round, cat-faced handbag. She’d wander back to Clover Hill and see what Maggie, her neighbour, was doing. There wasn’t much happening today in the recreation room: no yoga for seniors, and the hairdresser didn’t come until Monday. Today was Friday.

  The cartoon picture on the front cover of the novel showed a cheerful woman in a low-cut blouse, a tight-fitting riding jacket, muscular thighs in jodhpurs and a whip in her hand. She was riding on the back of a dark-haired man who was crouched on all fours, a shocked expression in her eyes. The woman’s blonde mane flew wildly from beneath her riding hat and, in the hand that didn’t hold the whip, she was using the man’s tie as reins. Her smile was one of wild abandon. The man was wearing little else other than his tie and a small pair of briefs: Lil noted that his caricature-body was well-toned. The title of the book was Fifty Shades of Hay. Lil was halfway through the book and was really enjoying the plot: Annette, the gorgeous, lascivious heroine, certainly knew how to frolic in the hay with all sorts of different people. Lil liked books with a lot of nooky in them; it fascinated her to read about women’s raunchy exploits. They seemed to be in charge of their own love lives nowadays. She shook her head; sadly, there hadn’t been much passion in her own life. And things had changed so much since 1953.

  She pulled out the old photo that she had always kept in a frame but, since Cassie had it laminated, she’d used it as a bookmark so that she could keep it with her. The black and white image beneath the laminate was cracked, despite her efforts to care for it over the years. It was the only photo she had of Frankie. They were relaxing together on a rug on the grass, probably sharing a picnic – she couldn’t remember. He had his arm wrapped around her, pulling her closer to him, smiling. It was as if he thought she belonged to him. He was handsome and carefree, with dark, curly hair and a happy appearance. He was in his soldier’s uniform – of course he would have been: he had been in the US Army, stationed in the UK back in the fifties, after the war. And Lil was sitting upright next to him, her dark hair pinned up at the sides, serious, shy, not sure if she was allowed to smile although she’d felt deliriously happy. She had truly loved him, even though they’d only shared a few months together.

  Lil closed her eyes and thought about the man in the photograph, her Frankie. He’d been four years older than her; he was twenty then. He’d be eighty-six now. Lil wondered if he was still alive. She turned the photo over. The paper on the back was yellowed, and faded writing in a cursive style proclaimed the snap was Lily and Frank, 1953. Lil returned it to the novel, marking the page where Annette and Rory, the gigolo jockey, were currently adjusting each other’s riding tackle in the paddock.

  ‘I wonder if I should have worked at a riding school. Or lived on a farm.’ Lil brushed crumbs from her lips. ‘I’d have liked the country life, all those animals.’

  But it was too late to change her lifestyle now: she was at Clover Hill and that was fine. She liked the other residents; each day she met Maggie from next door for a cuppa in Keith’s Kaff so that they could complain about Maggie’s dreadful husband, Brian; she had her independence. Usually, she couldn’t be bothered to use the little hotplate in the tiny kitchenette and Keith across the road cooked good, reasonably priced food, as long as you could supplement it with lashings of ketchup.

  Besides, Cassie, Lil’s beloved Cassie, more like a sister than a daughter, lived only a mile away at the bottom of Clover hill. Having Cassie living so close was a blessing and Lil always looked forward to Cassie’s visits and the updates about what she’d been doing; Cassie was a performance poet now and Lil was really proud of everything she’d achieved in her life. Lil had so many photos of her: one of her at sixteen, smiling as she won the literature prize at school; graduation, at Bristol; another in her thirties, surrounded by the children she had taught English in Africa and China; another, on St
age Two at the Edinburgh Festival years ago. And now Cassie was a frequent visitor, often bringing Lil’s favourite sweets, the green chocolate triangles.

  But, despite all that activity, Lil found she was often a little bored. Routine was fine for some people but Lil craved distraction, something to amuse her, and at such times Lil always had Jenny Price, Duty Manager at Clover Hill, whose office she would visit in secret. It was Lil’s favourite pastime, finding new opportunities to do random acts of kindness for Jenny, who always seemed unhappy. Lil glanced at the clock. It was past ten thirty. She wondered if Jenny would be out of her office and if she’d forgotten to lock the door again.

  Lil crossed the road at a steady pace and pushed open the gate that led to Clover Hill Retirement Home. She had a comfortable flat on the second floor, consisting of a modern lounge-diner, a prettily decorated bathroom, a bedroom and a kitchenette in the sheltered housing block overlooking the beach and the railway line in Salterley. It was more luxurious than the place she’d had as a young mum, with a shared kitchen, a tin bath, and an outside toilet, so Lil considered she’d done quite well for herself.

  As she wandered through the gardens, beyond the house to the sea below, Lil remembered the harder times. In 1953, she had been sixteen; she had only known the handsome, dark-eyed American soldier for three months. Sex wasn’t something she had fully understood: it had only happened once, a frenzied fumble in the car park of a pub in Heyford. Frankie had been sent back to the States two weeks later; he hadn’t known she was expecting the baby. Lil sighed. If that was love, it had all occurred far too quickly and then it had been shoved to one side, never to occur again. She had decided that love broke your heart and when children came along, they occupied your every moment and became all the love you needed. There was no time for much else.

  Her parents had been furious with her, quickly embarrassed by the tightness of her skirt, the expanding waistline, and the neighbours’ whispered judgements. Lil’s mother had narrowed her eyes and told Lil that she’d made her bed, so she could darn well lie on it now. Her words had pointedly suggesting that Lil had already been lying on a bed with someone she shouldn’t and now she was in the trouble she deserved; she’d brought shame on the family in the process and should be made to suffer all over again. Lil was too young and too naïve to plead that she wasn’t quite sure how it had all happened, but she was very, very sorry.

  Lil’s father had allowed her to stay in the house, to bring the baby up under his roof until she could find a place of her own. Lil’s mum had informed her bitterly that she was now soiled goods and no man would look at her again, not with a child in her arms. So Lil had believed her, forgotten about love and concentrated on little Cassandra Rosemary Ryan. She had chosen the first name weeks before the birth when she came across it in a book: it was the name of a Greek goddess. Her daughter would be a blessing.

  She hardly remembered the actual birth, except that she’d been terrified. For the first few days, she had gazed in disbelief at the soft bundle in her arms; from that moment onwards, she’d had little time to think of anything but Cassie, each day a treadmill, lurching from feeding, washing baby clothes, then later helping with homework, making ends meet with small cleaning jobs, dancing each night to Buddy Holly and later The Beatles in the little room with her beloved growing daughter. It was only after Cassie had left home that Lil had worked full time, managing to scrape together every penny she could, determined to start her own business. She had bought a B&B much further south, in Salterley, Devon, by the sea, and that was where she had stayed until she’d moved to Clover Hill. Romance had been the last thing on her mind: she hadn’t wanted her heart broken again.

  Lil pressed the eight-digit code on the keypad and the door opened. She stepped inside and was immediately too warm: the heating was on, despite the summer sunshine. The small office was on the ground floor, opposite the entrance, but Lil knew she’d be quickly aware of Jenny approaching: the click of the door, the echoing footfall, the scent of floral perfume that made her nose twitch. Lil would have time to make her escape. Her fingers were already on the door handle – one turn, one push and she was inside: Jenny had forgotten to lock it, as usual. She left the door ajar to make sure that she’d hear Jenny’s clattering heels a mile off.

  She sat in the swivel chair and twizzled round one way, then the other, and then whizzed at speed. She glanced at the desk. It was untidy again, although Lil had sneaked in three days ago and tidied it for her. Jenny had left her diary open on today’s date, Friday 26th July, 2019. Lil noticed the debris on the desk: a chocolate wrapper, an unwashed coffee cup and an almost-empty carton, which had probably been last night’s takeaway food. By the smell of the smears of sauce, Jenny had ordered chow mein. Lil began to tidy the surface, arranging things in order, pushing rubbish into the already-overflowing basket, wiping the coffee stains from the desk with a tissue from the pretty box Lil had secretly planted several weeks ago. She sniffed: the honeysuckle air freshener she had left back in June was still working, but Lil made a mental note to replace it soon.

  Lil glanced around for something else to do to brighten Jenny’s life at Clover Hill. It was hard work and a huge responsibility, being Duty Manager, caring for so many residents, and Jenny always seemed to carry the world on her shoulders. Lil had never heard her laugh, but she imagined her smiling, however briefly, when she discovered the little things Lil did to make her life sunnier. She gazed around at the Cliff Richard 2019 calendar on the wall, a collection of photos of the singer in his younger years. Cliff was Mr July at the moment, in Bermuda shorts, smiling boyishly with pearly teeth. Lil had left the calendar hanging in Jenny’s office back in January: she knew Jenny was a huge fan of Sir Cliff. She glanced at the empty tin of mixed biscuits she’d left for her at Easter. Lil had recycled it as a container for pens and pencils in May.

  Lil plucked another tissue from the box and started to polish Jenny’s telephone. It was dirty, with greasy fingerprints on the glossy black plastic. Lil rubbed hard and then an idea came to her. She could ring up and order a pizza for the duty manager’s supper. Jenny would still be in her office this evening and Lil imagined she’d enjoy a nice Hawaiian pizza. She pictured Jenny’s face brightening with delight when it arrived, the delivery girl telling her that it had been ordered on her behalf. Jenny still had no idea that it was Lil who sneaked around doing all the secret random acts of kindness.

  Then Lil heard the echo of footsteps.

  She sidled out of the office and rushed towards the stairs. She’d go and share her morning news with Maggie. She’d rescue her from Brian, who’d be sitting in the chair smoking and watching seventies TV. Charlie’s Angels, most likely. Then they’d share a cup of tea, a laugh. She always cheered Maggie up.

  Lil disappeared up the steps and around the corner just as Jenny, in a black jacket and sensible skirt, paused at her gaping office door and frowned: the door was ajar.

  2

  Cassie Ryan walked into The Jolly Weaver a smile on her face, looking forward to the evening. In one hand she carried her banjo case, the other was tucked through the elbow of Ioannes Anastasiou, always called Jamie, her housemate. The pub was full, as it always was on ‘Friday night is Open Mic Night’. Cassie deposited her banjo at the usual table, helped Jamie to a seat and, as he stretched out his legs, she moved to the bar where a middle-aged man and a woman were busy pulling pints. Duncan, the barman, his hair darker than ever despite his fifty-something years, came straight over. ‘Beer and a port and lemon, Cass?’ Cassie nodded. ‘I’ll bring it over straight away.’

  Cassie returned to the table. She thought Jamie seemed a little tired tonight but, dressed in a jacket, bright shirt and best jeans, he looked smart and handsome, and he was always so keen to support her. He never missed one of her performances.

  Jamie murmured, ‘The usual crowd is here.’

  Cassie gazed around. The members of The Weaver’s five-a-side football team were in the corner, the four youngsters makin
g lots of noise. At a larger table were several members of the Salterley tennis club. Cassie recognised a few of them. A dapper man in a shiny-buttoned blazer and silk cravat noticed her and waved a hand in recognition. Cassie waved back.

  ‘Who’s that? I’ve seen him before somewhere,’ Jamie asked.

  ‘Ken something…’ Cassie murmured. ‘He gives lectures in the library. I went to hear him talk about some historical king ages ago. He’s our age, sixties, possibly late fifties, who knows?’

  He smiled. ‘Is there anyone in this pub who doesn’t love you?’

  She patted his shoulder. ‘Everyone knows me through Open Mic.’ Her eyes shone. ‘Can I help it if I’m the star?’ She indicated the stage area. ‘Our drinks will be here in a moment. Let’s enjoy the performance.’

  Alice Springs was on the little stage at the moment, wearing a khaki shirt, knee-length shorts and a hat with corks hanging around the brim. She was singing ‘Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport’, marching on the spot, smiling and shrieking into the microphone in an accent that had never been heard anywhere near Canberra. Alice’s real name was Janice Cuthbertson and, other than an uncle who had emigrated to Melbourne in the sixties, she had no link with Australia whatsoever. As she finished her performance, the locals offered an energetic cheer; such was the way with the drinkers in The Jolly Weaver. They were a good-hearted crowd and, on a Friday night at half past nine, their whistles wetted, they were usually fairly easy to please.