Holding hands the whole time – imagine that, in your eighties.’ Alison was sitting on the squidgy armchair in my living room, a big mug of tea in hand. ‘I mean sometimes I consider it a good day if I haven’t throttled Pete by the end of it.’ Maggie and I laughed. It was obvious that, despite what she said, Alison and Pete were pretty unshakeable. ‘They sound wonderful,’ Maggie said, and I nodded my agreement. ‘I suppose when you’ve lived through the things they have,’ she continued, ‘you’re far less likely to take each other for granted.’ Maggie was curled up on my chequered sofa, while I was sitting on the wicker chair next to it. ‘They didn’t waste any time starting a family when Derek came home,’ Alison said. ‘And they really have been through thick and thin since. Some of the things they said were a good reminder about waiting out the bad times as a team.’ ‘It’s funny how easy it is to forget that, isn’t it?’ I said. That morning I’d filled Maggie and Alison in on my mum’s reappearance, given them the short version of her leaving and told them what a relief it was to finally let all those feelings spill out talking to Dan.
