Secrets | Relationships

Buried Secrets Have a Way of Worming to the Surface — Ep. 1

A young woman forges a friendship with an elderly neighbour

As I read those few sentences, my attitude flipped 180. My respect for Henry grew, even though I was ambushed by what I’d discovered.

I’d lived in my house for about three years, enjoying a quiet life, going to work, and fixing up my home and tiny garden at weekends. I knew my neighbours on either side just enough to nod and say hello. However, walking regularly to the common with my dog, I’d got talking to Henry, an older gentleman who lived a few doors down. He’d owned several dogs over the years, and we’d chat over the wall if he was in his garden. Mabel, my pug, would happily delay her walk to push through his gate and mug Henry for a fuss.

Before long, we struck up a proper friendship. I’d pop in for a coffee whenever I could and I’d often invite him to mine for Sunday dinner. Mabel adored Henry. He lavished her with affection. While rubbing her ears, he’d regale me with stories of his past, his army career, and his happy marriage. His one son now lived abroad. Henry was widowed but kept busy with his garden and a handful of friends who he occasionally joined for a pint at the local, but it was evident he was sometimes lonely.

When Henry took a tumble in his garden, it was my number he rang. I raced round to his house and covered him with a blanket, helping him sip sweet tea for the shock while we waited for an ambulance to arrive. He hated to cause a bother, but I could see he was in pain.

I visited him in the hospital that evening. It was distressing to see him so pale and drained when he was usually rosy-cheeked and cheerful. I blamed the broken bones, harsh hospital lighting, and perhaps the pale green gown he was wearing (which would make anyone look washed out), but concern flared in my gut. By the end of the week, Henry was no better. New lines of strain showed on his face. A nurse took me aside to say he was barely eating.

“Can I call someone for you, Henry?” I poured water into a cup and passed it to him. “Should I let your son know you’re in hospital?”

“Oh, there’s no need to bother him, Ruby,” he patted my hand. His eyes seemed to shift to the middle distance, looking pale and a little watery.

“Let me take Bruce’s number in case,” I pressed, getting my phone out of my bag.

“I don’t know it by heart,” he said fretfully, “but it’s in my red address book, near the phone.” Of course, someone of his generation would write all their contacts in a book; their life wasn’t filed in their phone.

When I let myself into his house, I brought Mabel for company. She sniffed around happily, even managing to find a corner where Henry had dropped a few crumbs. I located Bruce’s number and dialed it. It went to voicemail, so I left a message about his father’s broken hip and my concerns about his frailty. Before leaving Henry’s neat kitchen, I checked the contents of the fridge, disposing of some milk and any foodstuffs now past date.

I visited Henry as often as I could during his stay in hospital; I may have been the only friend who did. At first, he was cheerful, joking, and charming the nurses in equal measure. I encouraged him to talk about his wife, Beth. He seemed energised, telling me how they first met and fell in love.

“She was a looker, always had lovely pins,” his face relaxed and took on a faraway expression, remembering the twenty-one-year-old beauty with auburn hair who had stolen his heart.

“She wouldn’t let me walk her home the night we met. Said she’d already made arrangements to leave with friends. Oh, I tried everything to persuade her, but I always respected Beth for that. I admired that she stood by a commitment.”

I liked the sound of Beth myself. Nowadays, too many people had “FOMO” and would say yes to everything, later cherry-picking the best offer and letting down a string of people.

“It was the happiest day of my life when Beth agreed to marry me. Though our wedding day wasn’t fancy by today’s standards, it was the start of a wonderful partnership.”

“What about when your son was born? That must come a close second for your best day,” I suggested.

Henry thought about this. “In my day, men waited outside the maternity ward; we weren’t allowed in to give our wives moral support. When labour was over, the nurse put your baby in a nursery. Fathers could view their child through a window.”

It sounded very different from the current practice, with expectant fathers filming the birth, and the newborn nestling skin-to-skin with its mother to help form a bond.

“Now I think about it, I watched Bruce grow up behind a pane of glass,” Henry continued, his voice softening. “His mother doted on him. She was his constant companion and forgave him everything. I worried he was being spoiled, but what could I do? I just about scraped home in time to read him a bedtime story. At weekends, he had little interest in helping me tend the garden.”

Henry had never talked much about his son before, so I was reluctant to interrupt his flow.

“He would take my things without asking, not returning them to the right place. I often found tools and possessions broken and discarded. The gramophone, my watch, Beth always had excuses for his behaviour. She was such a sensible, principled woman, but she had a blind spot when Bruce acted out.”

As he spoke, his hand moved fretfully against the blanket.

“You must be proud of him now,” I tried to steer Henry to happier thoughts. “He has a good job and lives in a nice place. Have you ever visited?”

“We made plans to go, but when Beth’s health broke, our trip was abandoned.”

Visiting time was nearly over. Nurses were moving round with trays of hot food.

“I’d better get going, Henry; your shepherd’s pie is here!” I said brightly. “Oh look, fruit crumble and custard.”

I grabbed my coat off the back of the chair, then pressed a kiss against his papery cheek with genuine affection. “Hurry and get better so I can cook you a pie with apples from your tree.”

[To be Continued …]

Written in response to Tantalizing Tales’ prompt : Secret. Download this list to get an e-mail when I add a new episode. Subscribe and get my content direct to your inbox whenever I publish.