The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper(78)

Bernadette, Nathan and Terry tactfully retreated to the kitchen, ushering the red-haired kids with them.

Arthur reached out to touch a photograph. There was their wedding day. He looked so proud and Miriam was gazing at him in adoration. There was a photo of Miriam pushing a pram. Lucy gurgled inside. Then he saw something shiny dangling from his wife’s wrist.

“Where are you going, Dad?” Lucy called out as he scuttled out of the room and upstairs.

“Be back in a mo.” He reappeared seconds later with his box of tricks and took out his eyeglass. He pointed at the photo and then screwed it into his eye socket. From Miriam’s wrist hung the gold charm bracelet.

“So it wasn’t a secret. She did wear it,” Lucy said, peering closer. “I don’t remember it.”

“Nor do I.”

“It doesn’t suit her, does it?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“Can you see, though, that you were happy? It doesn’t matter about a silly gold bracelet.”

Arthur stood with his arms by his sides. He felt dizzy with love and pride. It had taken his children a few hours and lots of packets of Blu-Tack to prove it to him. He had been blind. The past twelve months of living alone, of devising his strict routines, had made the color fade from his life. He had needed something to fill the void and he had done so with an obsession for an old gold charm bracelet. He felt so sorry for Sonny Yardley, losing her brother. But it had been a terrible accident. Miriam had recognized that she needed to move on with her life and she had done. He was glad that she had chosen to do it with him.

He strolled around the room twice, remembering, laughing. Recalling the first time he held Lucy in his arms, how proud he felt pushing the kids in their prams. He saw how beautiful Miriam had been at his fortieth birthday party, how her eyes shone with love for him.

“Are we ready, then?” Dan shouted out.

“Dan!” Lucy shouted. “You are so impatient. Dad is still looking.”

Dan shrugged. “I just thought that...”

Lucy shook her head. “Oh, go on, then,” she relented.

“What?” Arthur said. “What’s going on?”

The lights dimmed. Bernadette struck a match and lit the candles on the cake.

Arthur’s heart began to thump in his chest. Everyone sang “Happy Birthday” and he liked how different words were sung when it came to his name. Lucy and Dan sang, “Dad,” and the red-haired kids sang, “Neighbor.” Bernadette sang, “Arthur” and Nathan just mumbled a bit. Arthur hadn’t expected to ever feel this happy again.

He sat in his armchair with a cocktail in his hand. Bernadette insisted on making him a Sex on the Beach. It tasted nice, sweet and warm. He wasn’t a mingler but that was fine because one by one his guests came to him. Dan crouched and whispered how much he missed England. He missed Heinz baked beans and the countryside. Terry said he hoped that Arthur didn’t mind, but he had asked Lucy to the cinema next week and she had said yes. There was a film on that they both fancied. Arthur said that was great. He watched them talking and they looked relaxed together. Lucy was laughing and he realized that he had never seen her laugh with Anthony.

“I’ve been talking to Luce. She’s told me about Mum’s bracelet,” Dan said.

The bracelet sat in the pocket of Arthur’s soggy trousers, on the bedroom floor. He didn’t want to think about the bloody thing. Perhaps he should have flung it out to sea. It belonged in the past now where he wanted to leave it. “I don’t really want to talk about it tonight.”

Dan opened his mouth to speak but then Bernadette bustled over. She thrust a plate with a slab of chocolate cake on it into Arthur’s hand. “Did Nathan tell you? He made this. What do you think?”

Arthur dug in his fork and sampled the cake. “It’s very tasty. Your son has a talent. He takes after you.”

Bernadette beamed and then insisted she was going to get Dan a slice, too, even though he said he didn’t want one.

Lucy sidled up to Dan. “Have you told him yet?”

“Told me what?” His two children stood in front of him, both with their lips pursed as if they had bad news for him. “What is it?” he said.

“Here we are. Lovely cake for us all.” Bernadette reappeared with her arms laden with plates. “Enough for everyone.”

“Dan?” Arthur said as his son was forced to take a plate.

“I’ll speak to you tomorrow.”

“Perhaps we can sleep at yours tonight?” Lucy said.

Arthur felt his chest swell with happiness. “Of course.”

“But tomorrow morning,” Lucy continued, “we need a family meeting. Dan has something to tell you.”





The Heart


ARTHUR HAD A HANGOVER. It felt as if his brain was banging. The house was still but he could hear strange yet familiar noises. Dan was snoring in his old room. He could tell that Lucy was awake and reading. If he strained his ears he could hear her turning over the pages of a book. He turned on his side to see the empty expanse of mattress beside him. “The kids are back home, Miriam,” he whispered. “We’re still the Peppers. We still all love you.”

He had forgotten how much cereal they ate and how much space Dan took up at the kitchen table. Dan and Lucy insisted on rustling up his breakfast even though Arthur didn’t really feel like eating. He swallowed two paracetamol with his cup of tea. The three of them ate and laughed. Dan knocked over the milk and Lucy tutted, wiped it up and called him a numpty.