Perfect Timing
A 2,000-word short story
Charlotte smiled brightly at Billy when he arrived and assured him it didn’t matter at all that he was a bit late picking her up. It really didn’t. Knowing what he was like she’d asked him to come half an hour earlier than she thought she’d need to leave.
She smiled a little less brightly when he announced he had to drop something off at a friend’s house.
“Ted’s not been well so I picked up his prescription for him.”
She didn’t smile at all when he stopped suddenly to help a girl whose shopping bag had split. Billy gathered up the scattered foodstuffs and gave her a new bag from the boot of his car.
Charlotte and Billy arrived at the station five minutes before her train was due to arrive. She had her ticket already so if he’d pulled up right outside and she’d leapt out of the car the moment it stopped and ran, she might just have caught it.
Billy wouldn’t hear of it. “I can’t do that. Just let me park and I’ll come in with you to carry your cases and see you get away OK.”
Billy was only trying to help, she knew, and anyway giving in would be quicker than arguing. He seemed genuinely surprised that she’d missed her train.
“I’m sorry, I suppose I should have driven straight here. Something always seems to happen though.”
Something always did happen to prevent Billy arriving anywhere on time. Almost always it was him stopping to help someone in need, so it was hard to be annoyed.
“I’ll go and see when the next one goes,” he offered.
She tried to stop him, but it was useless. Nothing could stop Billy trying to help.
He soon returned with a bright smile that mirrored the one she’d earlier greeted him with. “There’s another just after six.”
“Is there?” Her cousin, Fiona, had said Charlotte needed to catch the five past five to make her connection. Fiona though was a bit of a fusser, so had probably over estimated the time it would take to change trains.
“Yes, it goes right through to Reading. This means we’ve got time for coffee and cake.”
She was moving permanently to the west country so one hour’s delay wasn’t terribly important. A quick call to Fiona to explain she’d be a little later than they’d agreed was all that was needed.
Charlotte enjoyed the Victoria sponge and latte much more than listening to Billy say how much he was going to miss her. She was already beginning to wonder if moving in with Fiona was her best option.
“If you need anything, you make sure you give me a call. Promise.”
“Yes, thank you, Billy. I’ll be fine with my cousin. She’ll look after me.”
“I suppose so, but so could I.”
There wasn’t anything she could stay to that. She reached over and squeezed his hand. He’d been her husband’s best friend since before Charlotte had met either of them. He’d been wonderful when Hubert had fallen ill and had looked after both of them. He’d continued to care for her since her husband’s death six months earlier.
“I’d like to marry you, Charlotte if you’ll have me.”
“Billy! I … I …”
“Sorry, I know now’s not the time to ask but I didn’t have the nerve before. Now you’re moving away I’ve got nothing to lose, have I?”
“This is a bit of a shock, I hadn’t realized you felt that way. I’m flattered …”
“It’s OK, I didn’t expect you to agree. Will you think about it though?”
She assured him she would and that in any case, she’d stay in touch.
Charlotte had plenty of time to think during the train journey. Fiona had worked out the most scenic route and advised her to travel on a Sunday when the trains would be almost empty. Charlotte selected a quiet carriage which she had to herself most of the way, but the speed of the train and her thoughts made concentrating on the views impossible.
She’d known Billy liked her and would miss her once she was living with Fiona, but she’d had no idea he was motivated by anything other than kindness and friendship. She’d miss him. Charlotte sighed. Was she making a mistake moving to the other end of the country?
She shook her head. Everything was decided. The house was on the market, her belongings packed and Fiona expecting her. It would be difficult to back out now and Fiona would be disappointed, perhaps even upset. Her cousin had assured her she was looking forward to the company and having someone to look after. Sharing the household expenses made good sense as had selling the marital home which, although it contained many happy memories, needed a great deal of maintenance. It would be nice to see Fiona again. Charlotte had enjoyed all the holidays she and Hubert had spent down in Devon. Each year they’d had a wonderful time, pampered by Fiona cooking lovely meals and fluttering around making sure they were perfectly comfortable. Could she cope with all that attention on a permanent basis?
Charlotte glanced out the window as they reached a station. She checked her watch. Odd, they seemed to have travelled much further than she’d expected. This must be a faster train. She stood and reached for her bags so she’d be ready when they reached her stop.
“Allow me,” a young man said. He brought down her cases for her.
“Thank you.” Charlotte smiled at him.
Really she was very lucky, people always wanted to help her. As an only child, she’d received constant protection and encouragement from her parents. She married Hubert straight from school and he’d cared for her their whole, happy married life. Her pain at losing him had been eased by the support of wonderful friends and family.
They passed through the station before her stop, so Charlotte put on her coat and stood ready by the door. They passed through the next station.
The young man who’d lifted her cases returned, presumably from the toilet.
“Oh dear, were you expecting to get off here?”
“Yes. I was hoping to change trains.”
“This one goes right through to Reading now, but you should be able to get a connecting train there I’d have thought.”
Hoping he was right, Charlotte called Fiona.
“You just caught me, I was about to leave to collect you,” her cousin said.
“Don’t come out yet. I’m afraid I missed my connection.”
“Oh dear, a problem with the train?”
Charlotte explained and added, “I’m sorry, but I don’t now know when I’ll arrive. I don’t want to mess you about.”
“Don’t worry dear, these things happen.”
“I’ll give you a call once I know what’s happening.”
“I’ll come out now anyway and wait, otherwise you could end up waiting on the platform for quite a while whilst I drive down.”
True, but that way Fiona would be the one waiting at the station, possibly for a long time.
“No, don’t do that, please. I’d feel guilty.”
Eventually Charlotte persuaded Fiona to stay at home until she called. Then she went in search of the buffet trolley; it might be a long time before she could get a proper meal.
The train reached its destination just before nine that evening. It didn’t take long for Charlotte to establish that she’d already missed not only the last train to where she’d arranged to meet Fiona but also the last one back home. She was stuck in Reading.
Charlotte opened her phone. Who should she call? Fiona who’d carefully worked out the timetable Charlotte had failed to follow and who would have to drive in the dark late at night to collect her? It would be gone midnight by the time she arrived, flustered about the alteration to her arrangements. They wouldn’t get to her cottage before two. Charlotte couldn’t face that. She’d been thinking about her decision to ask Billy to take her to the station that morning instead of getting a taxi. She’d known it was the last train and he was usually late — maybe she hadn’t really wanted to leave and subconsciously sabotaged her chances.
She’d better call Billy then. If the fast train took three hours to arrive how long would it take Billy to drive down? Charlotte would have to wait on her own all that time and wouldn’t get back to her packed up home until the early hours of the following morning. That alternative wasn’t practical either and, perhaps worse, might raise Billy’s hopes before she’d had a chance to fully consider his proposal.
Fiona and Billy, whilst doing their best to help her, had in fact left her in an impossible situation. Charlotte looked around the station for inspiration and spotted an advert for a local taxi firm. She rang the number and explained her problem.
“Don’t worry, love. Plenty of B and Bs around here. We’ll get you into one, no bother.”
The driver was as good as his word, taking her to an establishment that he’d heard several of his customers praise as comfortable and reasonably priced. The friendly landlady showed Charlotte to a pleasant room and recommended the local pub as a good place to get a meal.
“They serve up until ten so you’ll be OK. I can call to book you a place?”
She agreed and made a call of her own.
Soon Charlotte’s bags had been carried to a pretty room, she’d had a quick wash in the spotless bathroom and she was sat at a table in an cosy restaurant contemplating a tempting menu. Things really hadn’t turned out badly at all. Fiona had panicked about her cousin being all alone in a strange place, but Charlotte had reassured her she was absolutely fine and would see her the following day.
Charlotte ordered garlic mushrooms to start. There was no one to be troubled by the smell on her breath that night. For her main course she choose medium rare steak, something she wouldn’t have wanted to eat in front of her squeamish cousin. If she had room she intended to order dessert. Usually she declined as neither her husband nor Billy ever ate puddings and so she hadn’t like to make them sit and watch her or put them to the added expense.
“Would you like to see the wine list,” the waiter asked.
She ordered a glass of rose. It might no be quite the thing to go with steak but she liked it and didn’t have to take anyone else’s tastes into account as she would if she’d been sharing the meal and a bottle. The food, including her creme brulee were delicious, but she knew the novelty of dining alone would soon wear off if she were to do it everyday.
Charlotte puzzled over what she should do. She really was looking forward to spending some time with Fiona, but felt trapped at the thought of living with her permanently. She would also miss Billy a great deal. Her decision to move had been made too quickly and before she’d known all the facts.
The following morning, she checked the train times and called Fiona to say when she’d arrive. She also called the estate agents and told them that although she still wished to sell her house, she wouldn’t want to move out for six months. Charlotte wasn’t going to move in with Fiona; not yet. She wasn’t going to marry Billy; not yet.
Charlotte had never looked after herself, but did that mean she couldn’t do so? She would give it a try after a few week’s holiday with her cousin. She might not cope and want her cousin to care for her. She might fall in love with Billy and want to marry him. Before any of that happened though, she would give herself the chance to watch rubbish on television without worrying it would annoy anyone, to eat garlic, drink the wrong wine and possibly get herself into scrapes.
Charlotte smiled brightly. It didn’t matter at all that she’d been a little late for her train; she was right on time to start her new life.
If you enjoyed this story you may like to know that I’ve published 24 themed collections of short stories and six novels. You can find them all on Amazon here and here for most other retailers.