‘I know, I should have thought. I can go back, get something else?’ And maybe something will arise when I get back to the park, something that will make running with this stranger suddenly impossible.
Judith was already waving her away.
‘No, no I’ll have something. I gained a bit of weight last spring. I have something to fit you.’
April opened and closed her mouth, not knowing which part of what Judith said had ruffled her feathers the most.
‘Judith, I appreciate you trying to look after my health.’ She said this through gritted teeth. ‘I do have to get back to it today though. Was there something you wanted in particular?’
Judith looked at her and smiled. Not just any smile though. This one left her looking a little like the Grinch. It began small, barely there, and then her mouth opened, showing so many little pearly white teeth that April began to think she would just go on and on. Her whole face was grinning now, and it didn’t look quite natural.
‘Well, actually – yes, there was. Come round back, and I’ll show you.’
They walked around the side of her house, which was an impressive detached house that looked at home among the backdrop, almost like the sea had been built around it. Rounding the corner, she opened another gate and waved April through.
The garden spread out before them, and April didn’t know what to focus on first. It was all so … busy. Judith chuckled, brushing past her, and headed to the house.
‘What is this place?’ April breathed, taking in the various pens housing a variety of creatures, all looking pretty happy and well fed.
‘Well, it was a working farm back in the day. My folks left it to me, but with times changing, I decided to change as well. I started rescuing the odd stray cat, and it just grew. I rely on donations now, and we get some support locally. Tim never cared about this place.’ She waved her arms around her, and April saw that she wasn’t just a busybody. She was scared.
‘You do all this – just you?’
Judith shrugged. ‘Me and the animals. They keep me entertained. Come in.’ She looked behind her, distracted. ‘Elvis, stop licking Bowie!’ Bowie was a very large white rabbit, who seemed to be enjoying the attention of the King of Graceland very much.
Walking through the gardens to the house, April couldn’t help but gawp at the many different animals around her, all thriving. It looked idyllic.
The house had a large entrance hall with a porch, and Judith waved her away when she started to take off her footwear.
‘Oh, with the dogs and everything, I just mop a lot. There’s two robot hoovers doing shifts.’
As Judith spoke, a large black motorised circle rolled past, changing course to avoid a table leg.
‘That one’s Holly, she’s a bit ditzy sometimes. Phil must be in the den.’
April grinned. Judith was quite funny.
‘Your place is beautiful. Kids would love the animals,’ Orla might too. ‘Do you open to the public?’
Judith looked horrified. ‘Oh no, I couldn’t. I don’t like begging for money, and around people I can be a bit … well …’
‘Awkward?’ April answered for her. ‘I feel the same, trust me. Even back home, being an overweight woman who can’t have kids was bad enough. When my husband left me for his office intern, well … it doesn’t make for a yearning to be social. People are weird.’
Judith looked at April, her face expressionless for a moment. When she spoke, she spoke in hushed tones. ‘I always thought it was me. I mean, I’ve always lived alone since my parents passed, and the time was just never right. Henry was around to help, and—’
‘Henry?’ she asked, wondering what type of animal he was, and in what way that would be helpful.
‘The rider, from the first day you arrived?’
April scowled at the memory of the horse plop, and the long-faced man.
‘Oh yes, Henry. He’s yours then?’ Judith flushed and April panicked. Social awkwardness, check. ‘The horse, I meant.’ Judith relaxed.
‘No, that’s Poldark.’ She flushed again. ‘Don’t ask. Henry is my friend. He lives nearby.’
She looked a little sad at that, and April picked up on it.
‘So, you never married then?’
Judith looked past her, to a frame on the wall. ‘My parents, they needed a lot of care, so I stayed home a lot. It just never happened. I thought it might once, but then we got busy here again, and it just seems forgotten now.’ She looked so sad, April couldn’t bear it.
‘I don’t think that this place helps really. I still feel alone. I don’t know what I was expecting. It’s getting better though.’ She thought of Cillian earlier, and shuddered. ‘Small steps. You should open this place up though. I could even help you advertise at my place. It’s so lovely here.’
Judith didn’t commit there and then, but April could tell she was thinking about it. She wouldn’t push it though. What would be the point?
‘Come through,’ Judith led her through to a large kitchen, once again stunningly cute and with a couple of animals dotted about. Two cats were sunning themselves on the long white windowsill, their ginger and white fur sparkling in the sun as the animals’ bodies rose and fell in slumber. ‘I wanted to show you this.’
She took April over to a table in the corner, on which sat a beautiful gift basket. Full of homemade items like jams, fresh eggs, and cute little bottles of bath salts and bath bombs. The local newspapers, little maps of the area.
‘This was my idea.’ Judith stood behind the basket, and April inspected it further, running her hand along the yellow ribbon that
