Gemma Makes Her Mark

her mother hadtaken every opportunity to get away, claiming she couldn’t standillnesses or hospitals and wasn’t any good at nursing. She hadspent a good few nights out in London, apparently staying over ather friend Ruth’s apartment. Particularly galling for Gemma, shehad even spent that Easter, when her dad was dying, visitingJoseph, an old friend of her Uncle Arthur’s, in his fancy villa, afew miles inland from Benalmadena on the Spanish Costa del Sol.Anne had been her uncle’s favourite, indeed only, niece. As Annehad grown older the regular family speculation over his sexualityhadn’t bothered her; although that had died down after her uncle’sdeath within a few months of her father’s. Maybe Joseph had been apartner to Anne’s uncle in more ways than one; and if so, good luckto them, thought Gemma. However, even though Gemma was sure thatthere wasn’t some sort of hideous physical attraction betweenJoseph and her mother, it was no excuse for her to abandon Jeffreyvirtually on his deathbed. It had crossed Gemma’s mind that hermother might even have helped her dad’s deterioration along – andnot just with her attitude. She’d been pretty keen to get him onthe prescribed medication and to keep him heavily dosed up on ittoo.

Gemma couldn’twait until it was her mother’s turn; and as far as she wasconcerned, the sooner the better. Anyway, it was time to galvaniseMark into doing something useful. She knew he’d been havingdifficulty getting anything going after prison and would be readyto throw himself into helping her sort things out. The thing was,his neediness was beginning to get to her. He obviously saw along-term future for the two of them and Gemma knew that she’d needto keep that belief going for as long as it took. It would have tobe handled delicately – she would have to balance involving him inher plans while starting to prepare him for the fact that as far asshe was concerned there was no way they would be togetherpermanently. As ever, though, one step at a time.

She took her mother’splate and cup.

‘How about some ofthat chocolate cake Elaine must have made?’

‘No dear, I’ve hadenough, that was very nice.’

‘Look Mother,I’m going to go through some of Dad’s stuff in the study and thenthe boxes in the garage. It’s been four years now and time to tidyup a bit. Why don’t you show Mark around the garden, and then gethim to pour you a G & T or something? Maybe even watch a bit ofTV and relax. You two should get to know each other abit.’

There was no harm inencouraging her to drink and smoke. She winked at Mark and leftthem to it.

***

Mark andGemma’s mother walked down the side of the recently cut lawnalongside the immaculately kept borders. Ever since Anne andJeffrey had moved in soon after their marriage a little overtwenty-five years ago, Jim, their gardener, had done two afternoonsa week, whatever the weather. With the hot late summer sun high inthe sky, it looked like a show garden, a mixture of lavender,peonies and petunias at the front of the flower beds, then an arrayof hydrangeas and foxgloves, with larger bushes, rhododendrons andmagnolias, at the back.

‘My goodness,Anne, this is a lovely spot, you know.’

‘Yes, Isuppose so. You know, it’s odd, I’ve never really spoken to Jim,the gardener. He just comes, does whatever it is he does, has a cupof tea from his flask and goes. Jeffrey used to spend hours talkingto him. I don’t even know if he’s had a pay rise or anything sinceJeffrey’s gone, I just leave paying him to Elaine. You’re right,though, he has done a pretty good job here. I don’t reallyappreciate it as much as I should.’

Mark couldn’t helphimself.

‘Well, itdoes look in great shape; the colours are fabulous and they bringout the dress you’re wearing, you sort of match them.’

Anne turned towardshim and smiled. He really was a nice young man, she was enjoyingbeing in his company and being the centre of attention.

‘That’s nice of youMark. As I said, it’s awful really but I hardly ever spend any timeout here, I just look out and expect everything to be inorder.’

Alongwith the perception that he was acting on auto-pilot, Mark felt aweird sense of déjàvu. Annemight have been Jean, his first, assuming for a moment she would behis second, mother-in-law. He’d tried the same sort of lines onJean almost seven years ago, and also in her garden, nearRottingdean on the Sussex coast and overlooking the Channel, beforeplying her with drinks and a variety of drugs. If only he hadn’tbeen so fooled by Justine he’d have certainly got away with it andwouldn’t have wasted those six years. For the first time what heassumed must have been gradually developing in the back of his mindstruck him forcibly; maybe he and Gemma could do things properly,and do them together this time.

Beyond thelawn and the border at the bottom edge of it was the vegetablegarden that had been Jeffrey’s domain; although Jim had kept an eyeon it, it wasn’t the gardener’s interest or forte really and now itlooked tired and quite out of kilter with the rest of the grounds.They wandered past some straggly stems which had presumably hostedsprouts in the past; there were little white plastic sticksindicating what had once been where but the writing on them hadlong since faded away, much as Jeffrey himself had. Further down,at the end of garden, was almost a mini orchard: four apple treesand the same number of pear trees, with the fruit already visible,and the pears looking as if they’d be ready to pick in no more thana few weeks at the most. Then along the back edge of the grounds arow of silver birch trees and the other side of their boundaryfence the back gardens of the equally prosperous houses on OldCompton Lane. It really was very pleasant, somehow relaxing, andMark felt the first signs of him slipping into a once-familiar, andwhat he had presumed would be a once-only, role.

‘This isgorgeous, Anne. You know, you should have a party here one evening.With your style I know you’d be