‘Oh yes, go on then.’ I walked over to the counter. ‘I’ll take six.’ I thought about Ben as I watched June choosing the tomatoes and how he loved one grilled for his breakfast.
‘How’s things today, Annie?’ June took a brown paper bag and started dropping the shiny red fruit into it.
‘Oh, you know. Same as,’ I said as I looked away from her and out of the window.
‘How’s that boy of yours getting on then?’
I began imagining Ben as a small boy when he would run around this very grocery store and help me count out the vegetables.
‘Yes, you know, same as usual.’ I felt a pang in my stomach, a gut tightening feeling and I was overcome for a moment with sadness that Ben wasn’t that little boy any more, that June couldn’t comment on his floppy dark locks and tell me he was the apple of my eye, and I would nod and say yes, he was my everything.
‘They are so busy at this age, aren’t they? Flitting about. No time to think of anyone but themselves.’
I nodded. ‘Yes, but he loves his mum.’ I didn’t even consider that I should share the news about his marriage. Or the other news.
June smiled at me and handed me the brown paper bag.
I left the grocer’s with the dinging of the bell in my ears. As I stepped out of the shop I turned right to go to the butcher’s. Between the grocer’s and the butcher’s was a small electrical store selling LED TVs and docking stations and all the modern appliances young people couldn’t live without these days. As far as I was concerned the shop was an eye sore. And as for that colossal TV screen in the window, I mean, who needs a sixty-inch television in their lounge? But today as I passed, I couldn’t help but turn my head to look at the image showing on the TV that towered above me and suddenly something was so very familiar. I tripped slightly and the basket slipped from my fingers. I didn’t look down at the tomatoes that had fallen out, but I knew the ripe fruit would now be a red smashed mess around my feet. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. I could feel bile rising in the back of my throat and I thought I could very well be sick. The size and imposition of the TV was instrumental in showing in full HD colour, a news report with the headlines underneath.
And above that, the face of the person I’d hoped I would never see again.
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About the Author
Nina Manning studied psychology and was a restaurant-owner and private chef (including to members of the royal family). She is the founder and co-host of Sniffing The Pages, a book review podcast. She lives in Dorset.
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https://www.ninamanningauthor.com/
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First published in Great Britain in 2021 by Boldwood Books Ltd.
Copyright © Nina Manning, 2021
Cover Design: Nick Castle Design
Cover Photography: Shutterstock
The moral right of Nina Manning to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologise for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Paperback ISBN 978-1-80162-204-2
Large Print ISBN 978-1-80162-200-4
Hardback ISBN 978-1-80162-199-1
Ebook ISBN 978-1-80162-197-7
Kindle ISBN 978-1-80162-198-4
Audio CD ISBN 978-1-80162-205-9
MP3 CD ISBN 978-1-80162-202-8
Digital audio download ISBN 978-1-80162-196-0
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