Under The Cherry Trees

Sitting here on this bench, Steph knew they had all they would ever need . . .

FROM the lounge window of their flat, Steph could see Primrose Park and, most importantly, their bench. “We’re like some cute old couple, having our own seat here.” Jake would laugh whenever they walked through the park and they remembered why this bench was so significant to them.

On their very first date, six years ago, they’d gone to Primrose Park.

They’d sat on the bench, sharing a portion of chips, and watched the sun set over the row of cherry trees.

Then, as now, the trees had been in full bloom. It had been such a romantic evening, although Jake had been apologetic.

“I’m sorry about this. We ought to be going somewhere much more exciting, but money’s a bit tight at the moment. I’ve only just started up my business.”

“Don’t worry about it, this is great.” Steph had smiled, pinching another hot, salty chip from the cone.

“I love Primrose Park. Always have. I used to come here a lot as a little girl with my mum.”

“Well, as soon as I can afford it, I’ll take you in to town. We’ll have a meal out,” Jake had said. “That is . . . if you want to go with me, of course.”

She’d smiled at how shy and nervous he’d sounded that evening. He wasn’t brash or pushy like some of the boys who asked her out.

It was one of the many things she really liked about him. That and his gorgeous blue eyes.

“I’d love to go with you but, when we do have a meal out, you must let me pay my share.”

He’d screwed up his nose.

“Nah, I’m old fashioned. I’d prefer to treat you.”

It had always been like that, Steph thought now, straightening the heavy curtains before going to the kitchen to check on the sponges baking in the oven. They should be ready now.

As their relationship had developed, Jake would always insist on paying.

“I’ll buy the tickets,” he said, when they went to the cinema for the first time.

“After all, I suggested we see this new Tom Hanks film.”

“Yes, but I want to see it, too,” she’d said, pulling out her purse.

Then when they went to the shopping mall and she tried on a dress she really liked, he said he’d buy it for her.

“It’s OK – I won’t get it now. I’ll wait until it appears in the sale.” He’d shaken his head. “No, they might sell out of your size by then. Let me buy it for your birthday.”

“But that’s months away!” She’d laughed.

It was hard work trying to stop him buying her everything she wanted.

He even tried to pay for extra driving lessons when she failed her test.

Of course, she hadn’t let him. He’d only just started his plumbing business and some months he struggled for customers.

And it wasn’t as if she was short of money; she’d been working for Dream Homes Estate Agency since leaving school and had saved a tidy sum.

But other than this one issue, they got on brilliantly.

After that first date in Primrose Park, it wasn’t long before they were seeing each other almost every night and had fallen totally in love.

When Jake and Steph married five years ago, he’d booked them a magical honeymoon to Florida.

“You only have one honeymoon.” He’d smiled when she’d protested that she’d be just as happy with a week in Devon at her aunt’s holiday cottage. “Let’s make it the best!” By then Jake’s plumbing business had really taken off.

His work diary was full, and he’d even employed young Benji Haines to help him on some of the bigger contracts.

After they’d been married a year, Steph and Jake had moved into this flat overlooking Primrose Park.

“You sure we can afford it?” she’d asked.

“Definitely. The mortgage works out less each month than if we were renting,” he’d said.

Now, as she tested the golden sponges with a knife, Steph she flipped them out of the tins and on to the wire cooling rack.

It was hard sometimes, she thought. She’d always been more cautious than Jake, especially when it came to their finances.

It probably

stemmed from their different childhoods. Her mum had brought her up single-handedly. Although Steph had never felt like she was missing out, money had been tight.

Cutting back, economising, making do had been the watch words of her young life and they were habits she found hard to shake off.

Jake, on the other hand, came from a fairly well-off family. His father was an accountant and his mother taught science at the local secondary school.

He wasn’t wasteful but he didn’t have the same attitude to how they should spend their money.

This had never been more obvious than a few months ago when they’d gone shopping in town for a new suite.

“Let’s buy the grey sofa,” she’d suggested to Jake that day in the store as the salesman had stood next to them, eager to make another sale.

“No, I don’t like that one. It doesn’t have a recliner action,” Jake had said. “We’ll go for the leather suite.”

Steph had gulped. “But it’s so much dearer.”

When they’d moved into the flat, she’d insisted they bought second-hand furniture.

Jake had agreed as long as they were replaced with new as soon as they had enough money saved.

But the problem was he wanted the very best – usually more than they could comfortably afford.

When Steph didn’t budge and agree to buy the dearer suite, it was one of the rare times Jake had looked annoyed with her.

“But Steph, we can afford it. The business is doing well. I’ve just got that big contract for Brookfields. What can go wrong?

“The furniture store even offers interest-free credit.”

“Oh, no credit, Jake. You know how I feel.”

Her mum had brought her up to never buy anything unless she had the money saved to buy it outright.

For Steph, it had been a lesson well learned.

They might not have had much when she was growing up, but her mother had never had to

“I like to show you how much I love you by buying you the best”

worry about making payments on furniture or goods they didn’t own.

That day in the furniture store Jake had sighed and agreed to take their time to talk over which sofa to buy.

And that was the great thing about their relationship.

Even when they didn’t agree, Jake would always take the time to talk it through with her.

Now, as Steph prepared some icing for the cake, she thought, what a happy marriage they had had over the last five years and how they only ever differed in their approach to money.

He always wanted more than they could afford; she always wanted to hold back on any purchase.

“It spoils it for me,” he’d said that day when they’d left the furniture store to chat about the sofas.

“I work hard and like to show you how much I love you by buying you the best.”

Reaching across the table, she held his hand.

“I know how much you love me. I don’t need an expensive reclining leather suite to prove it.”

“But it would be so nice, after a long day, to come home and relax on one of those fantastic sofas.”

She agreed it would be and said they’d talk about it some more over the weekend.

However, they never had the chance to resolve the issue.

The following week, Jake had come home early one afternoon. He was a hard worker and often didn’t finish until the evening.

She could tell something was wrong the minute he walked in the back door. He looked ashen. “What’s wrong?” He’d sighed as he’d sat down at the kitchen table and began to untie his boots.

“You know that big Brookfield contract – I think I might have lost it.”

“Oh, no! What’s happened?”

Lawrence Brookfield owned the largest building firm in the area, and he was currently renovating five houses in a small close in the village.

His usual contractors were all busy on other projects so he’d engaged Jake to fit the new bathrooms in the houses.

It had been a gift of a contract and Jake was really hoping, if he did a good job, that it would lead to Lawrence assigning him more work.

But that afternoon a problem with the old pipework in one of the houses had caused a flood.

“Lawrence thinks it’s all my fault. The worst of it is the plasterers had just finished the room underneath.

“The water has poured through the ceiling and down the walls. It’s a mess.

“Once it’s dried out, they’ll have to replaster. Lawrence is furious. Can’t blame him,” Jake had said sadly.

“I’m sure he’ll be OK once you’ve put things right.”

“You hope,” he’d said, looking more dejected than she could ever remember seeing him.

Now, as Steph started to ice the cake, she decided that the problem with the Brookfield contract had been the start of their money problems.

Although Jake had managed to mend the pipes and install the bathroom to a high standard, he’d had to waive his fee to cover the cost of the replaster. Plus the damage to his reputation had been huge.

In a small village like this, word travelled quickly.

“That’s funny – Mrs Richardson has cancelled. I thought she was desperate for me to install a new shower,” he’d said one evening as he’d checked his phone after dinner.

“And I took a call earlier from Doctor Harding. He said he and his wife had decided against the wet room in their house,” she told him.

Jake had looked worried. Over the next few weeks, almost all the jobs he’d had pencilled in his work diary were cancelled.

“How am I ever going to regain my good reputation?” he asked her as they strolled through Primrose Park together after shopping at the local supermarket.

They’d walked to the shops to save money on fuel.

“You will. Job by job. Just as you did the first time,” she reassured him, shifting the carrier bag to her other hand.

But his confidence had taken a bashing. He did have a few small jobs lined up – Mrs Singh, who lived in one of the other flats,

The damage to Jake’s reputation had been huge

wanted her new washing machine plumbed in and Murray Bridges, who’d been at school with Jake, had a leaky kitchen tap at his house which he’d asked him to fix.

“They’re all small jobs. They won’t pay many of our bills.”

“We’ll be OK,” she said, relieved they hadn’t bought the expensive sofas or some of the other luxury items Jake had wanted recently.

With fewer outgoings, they’d be able to afford to ride out the storm.

Jake was a good plumber and she was sure he would soon regain his good reputation and the contracts would

roll in again.

“But it’s our anniversary soon. I so wanted to treat you. Five years is pretty special,” he’d said as they turned into the road where they lived.

“All our anniversaries are special,” she’d said, sliding her free hand into his.

“Look, don’t worry about our anniversary. I’ll treat us this year. Let me surprise you for a change.”

Jake had frowned but reluctantly agreed.

So, she’d thought long and hard about how to make their special wedding anniversary as good as it could be but without it costing them a fortune.

Strangely enough, the idea really came to her when she Googled what traditional gifts were for fifth wedding anniversaries and she saw it was wood.

Now as she finished icing the cake, she laid her card for him on the kitchen table. He’d be home soon.

There was just enough time for her to get changed.

“You look gorgeous and what a fab cake. I can’t wait to have a slice,” Jake said when he came in, handing her a red envelope and a spray of flowers.

“Sorry, it’s all I can afford this year.”

“Don’t apologise – I love them, thank you,” she said, kissing him. “Now go and get changed. We’re going out to eat.”

“Intriguing . . . you sure we can afford it?” he asked. She laughed.

“You sound just like me!” He disappeared upstairs and returned wearing a smart white, navy and tan striped shirt over a pair of navy jeans.

Not only did he look good, he smelled divine, too.

“Any clues?”

“No – just follow me.” As they walked into town in the evening sunlight, Steph asked Jake how the jobs had gone that day.

“Mrs Singh was pleased with her washing machine.

“She’s got four young children and was desperate to put on a wash.

“She’d filled the machine

“I’ll treat us this year. Let me surprise you for a change”

before I left.” He smiled.

“And Murray – did you manage to mend his tap?” Jake rolled his eyes. “I changed the washer. It’s about as basic as plumbing gets.”

“Maybe, but I couldn’t do it.” She grinned. “And neither could Murray, or he wouldn’t have paid you to do it.”

“I suppose. At least I didn’t make a hash of them this time.”

She squeezed his hand. “Little by little word will get round about all the good jobs you’ve done. That’s how you’ll rebuild your reputation.”

“I know. Now, enough about work. Where are we going for our fifth anniversary?”

Steph stopped walking. “Here.”

Jake looked even more puzzled.

“Barney’s Fish and Chip shop?”

She nodded as they stepped into the busy, brightly lit shop.

“Can you wrap us up two pieces of cod and a portion of chips, please, Barney,” she ordered when they reached the head of the queue.

“Salt and vinegar?” Barney smiled. “Please.”

Once outside, they walked back through the town.

“Are we going home to eat them?”

“Not quite.” She smiled. They soon reached Primrose Park where she told him to sit on their bench.

“Our bench is the closest I can get to ‘giving’ you a wooden gift for our anniversary.” She smiled.

“It’s not ours but it always feels like it should be.”

He laughed and as he sat down, his phone buzzed.

“It’s a text from Murray. He’s asked if I could price up a new bathroom for his sister.”

“See – I said you’d get more work again once people realised how good you are.”

“Wow! That’s the biggest chance of a job I’ve been offered for ages.”

She unwrapped the fish and chips and laid them on the paper between them on the bench.

“Happy fifth anniversary, Mr Cooper.”

He reached over to kiss her.

“And to you, Mrs Cooper. Thank you for five brilliant years.”

“Have a chip before they get cold.”

After they’d finished their meal, they cuddled up on the bench and watched the sun as it started to set over the full bloom cherry trees, just as they had on that first date.

He kissed the end of her nose.

“You know, this is really romantic.”

“I was thinking that. We’ve dined out and had some super meals over the years.

“I’ll always remember that posh restaurant in Covent Garden for our third anniversary and the numerous Saturday night dates in Tonino’s in town.

“But I think this is the most romantic ever. Just you, me and . . .”

“Our bench.” He laughed. “Exactly.”

“I think I’m finally getting it,” he murmured against her blonde hair.

“We don’t need posh nights out or fancy holidays to have the best time.

“Don’t get me wrong – I love it when we do – but this is special. Really special.”

And as she lifted her face for his kiss, she thought, he understood where she was coming from at last.

They’d had a scare, and both had realised how important money could be.

But evenings like this had proved that as long as they had each other, they were the richest couple in the world.

“I love this bench, don’t you?”

“Yes.” Jake smiled. “Almost as much as I love you.” ■