From Me To You by Valerie Bowes

Linda had no idea what her husband had in mind for her birthday . . .

SO, what’s Gordon doing for your birthday?” Janice spooned froth from her cappuccino. “Something nice, I hope? It’s not as if you’re sixty every day.”

“Thank goodness!” “A party! He’s bound to organise a party. You’ll have to practise looking surprised, Lin! He’ll never be able to keep it a secret, like you did for him. Not good with secrets, your Gordon.”

“I’ve told him I don’t want any fuss.”

“Of course, but you’ll be very disappointed if there isn’t any!”

Linda shook her head. “Not another party.” There had been a surfeit of parties lately. Gordon’s retirement do had been at the tail end of last year.

Since then there had been the usual Christmas parties, followed by eighteenth birthdays, christenings and an unexpected wedding.

Even if Linda wasn’t involved in all the organising, you could bet your bottom dollar she’d get landed with the clearing up. She just couldn’t face it. Hence her response when Gordon asked her if there was anything she’d like to do for her birthday.

“No party!” she’d said with decision. “Don’t make a big thing of it, love. We’ll have a nice family dinner.

“I’m sure Abby and Gail will be happy to provide starters and puddings, and Steve, Nicky and the kids can do the washing-up. Sorted!”

She would do one of her roasts, which she could do in her sleep. She was looking forward to it.

It was odd, though, that he hadn’t asked her what she’d like as a present. In all the years of their marriage, she’d always had to tell him what she wanted or drop hints.

There was plenty of time, she told herself, and anyway, she didn’t know what to ask for. There was nothing she needed. And, just this once, she’d like it to be a surprise.

He had nodded when she suggested a little silver necklace she’d seen in the jeweller’s window, but had made no other comment. Linda had the feeling he wasn’t giving it his full attention.

Come to think of it, he’d seemed a bit distant of late. And he was spending so much time at the nursery!

After his retirement, Gordon had been like a fish out of water, moping about the house day after day.

His job as a civil engineer had been his life and it had been taken away. He needed something to fill the days while she worked at the library.

Then Gabby from the plant nursery mentioned she’d just lost one of her assistants.

“It’s only a few hours a day,” Linda told Gordon. “There will still be time to do things together when I retire as well.”

“But I don’t know anything about plants.”

“I don’t suppose you’ll need to. Give it a try, love. If it’s not your cup of tea, you don’t have to stay.”

But it had been his cup of tea. It was so nice to see him enjoying life again that Linda hadn’t noticed at first that the hours he spent there were getting longer.

In fact, these past few weeks it seemed he only came home to sleep.

It was only until the novelty wore off, Linda thought – until she called in one day.

“Gordon? He’s out the back,” the assistant said when she enquired. “Greenhouse three, I think.”

The garden centre was where the plants were sold, but all the work of propagating and potting on was carried out in the big greenhouses behind the public bits.

Linda followed her pointing finger and opened the door. At first she didn’t think he was there, but then she heard voices from the far end.

Gordon and a woman had their heads together over a tray on the bench.

As Linda came down the aisle, Gordon turned round and saw her. His face flushed and he said something to the woman in a whisper.

She cast a glance over her shoulder and sent a smile in Linda’s direction.

“Hello! Fancy seeing you here,” Gordon said, making a joke of it, but there was something forced in his tone. “I’ll leave you to it then, Jackie,” he added, dusting the soil off his hands as he came to meet Linda.

“Don’t let me interrupt you,” Linda said stiffly.

“No, no. I’m just about finished for the day.”

Linda peered around him.

“Anything interesting?” “Come and see,” Jackie invited.

The impression that Gordon would rather she didn’t was so faint that Linda wasn’t sure whether she was imagining it. He made no attempt to stop her, but hung back as she gazed at the trays and trays of bushy plants.

“Sweet peas,” Jackie said. “We’re bringing

them on for a client. They’ll be going out into the open tomorrow, so Gordon’s just making sure everything’s prepared.”

There was something conspiratorial in the look she and Gordon exchanged but, Linda told herself, trying to be fair, they were colleagues.

She was probably imagining things. Gordon would never look at another woman, would he?

Jackie’s eyes were as soft and brown as pansies, her red-gold hair swept up into a neat chignon. And she was about twenty years younger and a stone lighter. Linda suddenly felt like a middle-aged frump.

Well, she could do something about that, couldn’t she? She’d been letting herself get into a rut. Time for a make-over.

****

Linda didn’t expect Gordon to comment on her new, shorter hair-do, or the subtle highlights she had put in. He never had in thirty-odd years. Nothing significant about that.

But her daughter-in-law noticed.

“Looks great!” Abby enthused. “And just in time for your birthday.”

“I’m going to get a new outfit on Saturday,” Linda said. “Come with me?”

It would be good to have a younger woman’s opinion, but she’d have to take care she didn’t end up mutton dressed as lamb.

If she’d thought she might be able to pump Abby about Gordon’s plans for her birthday, she was disappointed.

Her daughter-in-law was doing the starters for the birthday meal, and chatted happily about the various ideas she had.

“Our Ryan wants chicken nuggets with dips, bless him.” She shook her head with a smile. “He knows I won’t let him have them normally, so he says Nanna’s birthday is a good time for something special!” Linda laughed. “What did you tell him?” “That if you were doing a roast with all the trimmings and Auntie Gail was doing one of her special sticky toffee puddings for afters, he’d have to walk home if he had chicken nuggets as well, because the car suspension wouldn’t take it!”

“What does Gordon say?” Linda asked, as if it didn’t matter.

“Oh, he’s easy so long as we do whatever you’d like.”

“Preferably not chicken nuggets!” Linda tried to smile. Shouldn’t Gordon be showing a little interest, at least?

Abby tapped her nose. “You’ll find out on the day, but I promise it won’t be anything heavy, drenched in fat or stuffed full of chemicals.”

Linda knew it would be delicious and tried to concentrate on choosing something nice to wear on the day.

But she found that trying on dresses with Jackie continually on her mind didn’t make for an enjoyable time.

She hardly saw Gordon in the last few days before her birthday. He was up and out before she left for work.

He got in before she did and always had a cup of tea and a piece of the gorgeous cake from the nursery teashop waiting for her, but there was a little knot of worry between his brows in unguarded moments.

****

Linda smoothed the skirts of the soft green dress, knowing she looked her best. But was it too little, too late?

No, of course it wasn’t. The kiss he’d given her when he brought her breakfast in bed this morning was proof of that.

He’d given her a card, too. All my love, Gordon.

She’d put the beautiful picture of a cottage surrounded by a flowery garden on the kitchen window-sill, where she could see it as she prepared the dinner before changing into the birthday dress.

But he’d nipped out mid-morning. A sudden dread gripped Linda as she checked the places were all set on the table. Surely he wasn’t arranging a party?

She didn’t want lots of people and noise. She wanted her own family about her, eating the meal she’d planned – although she still didn’t know what Abby was doing for starters.

She heard voices in the hall and came out of the kitchen.

“Here she is, the birthday girl,” Steve said, enveloping her in a hug. “Happy birthday, Mum!”

As sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren swirled about her, she saw Gordon standing behind them, a beam of pleasure on his face.

He reached through the mêlée for her hand and drew her through the door into the front garden.

A tepee of sweet peas had sprouted there since the last time she looked. The froth of flowers was pure white, almost silver – to match the delicate necklace hanging amongst them.

There was a small card. Linda picked it up and read it.

Sweet Pea Linda Lou.

“The boys helped me put them in. I wanted to breed a new one, but Jackie says that can take several years, and she had been working on this one which was almost ready.

“She was going to call it Silver Joy, but she let me name it for you if I helped her bring it on.

“I didn’t think I was going to get it to flower in time. When you came in that day, I was sure you’d guessed and I’d blown the surprise!”

“It’s so beautiful!” Linda put out a finger to touch a frilled, scented petal.

“So’s my Linda Lou,” he whispered, kissing her cheek.

The glow of pride from Gordon was as good a birthday present as the flowers and the necklace, which went so well with her new dress.

Linda sat at the head of the table, watching her family eat the light, delicious salad that Abby had prepared (although Ryan said he would still have preferred chicken nuggets), and contentment washed over her in a flood.

“I’ve become really interested in breeding sweet peas, love.” Gordon put his hand over hers. “I’m aiming to give you some of my own cultivar for your birthday. Not guaranteeing which one, mind! What colour would you like me to try for?”

“Surprise me.”

It was one secret she didn’t mind him keeping, and whatever he chose would be all right by her. n

Gordon would never look at another woman, would he?