Southend U3A

October 2023

The Key To My Heart - Lynn Gale

‘Do you mind if I sit here?’ The man in the grey suit asked, smiling down at the woman on the bench.

‘Of course not.’ She peered up at him from under a wide, straw hat decorated with cherries and smiled.

‘Those flowers look wonderful today,’ he said, looking at the well-tended flower beds. ‘And those Roses are particularly magnificent.’

‘Yes, red is my favourite colour,’ she said.

‘My wife was a green-fingered wizard. She loved her garden, spent hours making it look like a Kew exhibit.’

‘How nice.’ The woman smoothed out her red and white floral dress.

A young woman passed by pushing an elderly man in a wheelchair, while two energetic small boys ran alongside them, whooping and laughing.

‘Good afternoon.’ The old man lifted his white fedora towards them. ’It’s a glorious day. Go on, give her a kiss,’ he laughed.

‘Oh, Dad, behave yourself,’ the young woman rebuked him. She gave an apologetic smile to the couple on the bench and hurried away.

‘He’s a character,’ the man said, looking at the woman beside him. ’That’s the sort of thing my wife would say. She adored everyone and everything.’

‘She sounds lovely.’

‘And she could paint as well. Portraits were her passion. Her artwork was in great demand. She was so talented.

‘Oh, look at them.’ The woman laughed as a pair of squirrels darted around a tree chasing each other.

‘We met at university,’ he continued. ‘Rose was like a beautiful butterfly, flitting from one project to another. She wanted to sample everything life had to offer. She was in the thick of any demonstrations or protests, determined to stand up for the oppressed, and everyone loved her passion.

The woman smiled as she fiddled with a silver chain around her neck.

‘It was a drunken dare that prompted me to ask if she would accompany me to the ‘Christmas Ball.’ I was beyond surprise when she said yes. She looked amazing in her red dress with sparkling reindeer earrings. I knew that night I would never love another. I was the typical student on campus, loved my beer and discussions. The only group I joined was the History Club, where we discussed and re-enacted medieval battles. Rose even joined in with us on occasions, much to the delight of my friends.

The woman scratched her nose and yawned.

‘We travelled the World together after university. We helped build a school in Uganda, worked at an Elephant Nature Park in Thailand, dug wells in India and visited places untouched by tourism. It opened my eyes to the extremes of poverty.’

The woman stared at the ring on her finger.

‘We settled down in Chelmsford. We bought our first home, a dark basement flat that she painted white with large flowers over every wall. We had such happy times there. I had our first door keys silver-plated to seal our love. Rose worked for Amnesty International, and I took a placement with WaterAid. The only thing missing was children: after two miscarriages, we adopted Amos, bright and clever; he brought us so much joy. We visited far-flung places, just the three of us. We wanted to show him more than discos and sandy beaches. Amos joined the army when he was eighteen. He loved the life and the comradeship. He was killed on his second tour of Afghanistan. She never got over his death. The sparkle left my beautiful wife that day. I miss my vibrant and passionate wife.’ Tears welled in his eyes.

The woman patted his hand. ‘That’s so sad.’

‘Come on, Mrs Jackson.’ A man in a blue tunic approached them. ‘It’s dinner time,’ he said, nodding to the man beside her. ‘Oh good, I’m hungry.’ she stood up. ‘Well, it was very nice talking to you today,’ she said to the man on the bench.

Holding tightly to the silver-plated key on the chain around her neck, Rose followed the nurse into the large red-bricked building without a backward glance.