hiya bucks in Bourne End, Flackwell Heath, Marlow, Wycombe, Wooburn November 2014 | Page 53
Lovely Alfie is by my ankles now, his soft, warm
head resting against my calf. I bend down,
groaning slightly from the unrelenting pain in
my joints, and cuddle him close to my chest. I
can feel his heart beating, and it causes me to
forget how chilly the room is. Alfie makes me
feel warm, comforted… loved. I place him onto
my lap and pull one end of the pink blanket
over his body, tucking him into a little bed. ‘Are
you tired, darling?’ I whisper, dislodging a twig
from his ear. His eyes swirl upwards to meet
mine, and he begins to purr. I lean my head
back into the sofa, and stroke him, over and
over again, all the way from his forehead to the
tip of his tail. The rhythm of our breathing is
identical, slow and steady. We both doze off.
I am awoken by the grandfather clock chiming
8pm, time for my tablets. There are nine
different kinds for my various ailments. I don’t
know what each one does, I always relied on
George to help me. Pippa has arranged them
into a pill organiser, so it’s easier for me - now, I
must simply take everything from the ‘Tuesday’
slot. I give Alfie a kiss on his rosy nose, sorry to
disturb him. He stirs from his sleep and stands
up on my lap, stretching out his body and
politely jumping onto the carpet so I can stand.
I open the slot and swallow the pills down with
a glass of tepid water. I stare blankly at the
wallpaper for a while, the floral pattern seeming
to swim back and forth. Standing is too much
for me these days. I wearily press play on the
CD player that Sarah bought me for Christmas.
A week after George’s death, I asked her to
order the Grease CD for me, from a thing on
the world wide web called Amazon. I listen to it
two or three times every day.
‘Come and sing with me, darling,’ I call out.
Alfie dutifully pokes his head round the corner
and I scoop him up, sinking back onto the sofa.
This time, I wrap the blanket round both of
us, just me and my love, in a cocoon of safety.
Hopelessly Devoted begins to play.
‘Sing with me, George.’
40 Years Experience
Flackwell Heath/
Loudwater
Age Concern
Day Centre.
The Centre is open Monday to
Thursday 9.30am to 3.30pm, tea,
coffee and a freshly cooked lunch are
provided. If you think you, or one of
your friends or family, would like to
attend, simply phone the Manager for
more information on
01628 526113
Jacqui Ricketts, Chairman
email: [email protected] | www.hiyabucks.com
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