When I posted my latest story I saw that I had never posted this one before. They have similar themes but this one is much older. I was challenged to write it without contractions, but it didn't look right so they went back in (mostly!).
****************
I had known of her for a long time, we lived in the same area as children, went to the same schools, even played together at times. I am a few years older, so we never really became friends. My friends played with her friends. Our parents were acquaintances, but that was as far as it went. After I left school I don't think I saw her again until she came to work for the same company where I had been working for a few months. Even then we had little contact with one another except on company matters, as I had long got out of the habit of talking to the female staff as women to date after one particularly brusque brush-off. We both got promotion eventually, both becoming section heads. As it was a small company, about fifty or sixty employees altogether, sooner or later we all came to know each other's business. Break-time gossip was one of the high points of the day, so when Teresa's marriage began to break up within days we were all talking about it. In retrospect this may have been one of the things that might have contributed to her subsequent health problems. Unfortunately we all thought we could see that the pair were incompatible. He was a big man, used to getting his own way, not afraid to speak his mind, but inclined to drink perhaps one or two too many. She could be abrasive, moody, stubborn, and obstinate and a complete bitch at times. Theirs was not a perfect match, but once they had thought they loved each other. By now though they had stopped trying to make it work. It was still a shock though when she announced that he was leaving her and they were divorcing. We all admired her strength of purpose and determination to carry on as if nothing had changed. How little we knew.
---
To this day I am not sure what it was that broke through Teresa's veneer and exposed her frailty to us all. Probably some chance remark by someone, maybe it all became too much for her. Anyway, during one coffee break she burst into tears and stumbled off. I heard a couple of people talking about it and wondered where she had gone. I thought she might need a friend and hoped I could be there for her. I found her sobbing in a darkened print room. Suddenly I was unsure about what to do. Whenever I'd offered to help before Teresa had politely but firmly turned me down. I quietly closed the door behind me and turned on the light. She looked up with tear-reddened eyes. I couldn't think what to say so I just offered her a tissue. She took it and dabbed at her face, smearing what was left of her mascara, murmuring her thanks. Inspiration suddenly struck me. I was taking a week's holiday soon. I planned to drive to some of my favourite places and then explore them on foot. Perhaps Teresa could come; she needed a break after all. I shuffled my feet and cleared my throat.
"I'm going away next week on a sort of driving cum walking holiday, and I was wondering if you might like to come too? I'm sure most of the places I've got booked will have an extra room, and if not we could find some other solution." She glanced up, a mildly shocked look on her face. I ran the sentence back through my mind. "I didn't mean .."
"I think I know what you meant." She said, a pale smile playing on her lips as she saw my discomfiture. "And it's a very kind invitation, but I don't think I should. After all the company needs me."
"The company can get on fine without either of us for a week."
"What about my leave entitlement? I used most of it up with.. Well, you know."
"Take some sick days, or get compassionate leave, you deserve it you know."
"I'm not sure I should."
"Come on. It'll do you good to get away from here for a few days at least."
She looked at me and asked in a little voice. "What will everyone think if we go away together?"
"Does that really worry you?"
"Not really, I thought it might worry you though."
"I couldn't care less to be honest. Everyone knows we're friends, we'll leave it at that, just good friends. So are you on for this expedition or not?"
She looked up at me through tearful eyes and came to a decision.
"If I do come, I pay my own way and do half the driving."
"Okay. Shake on it." I offered her my hand. She took it amusedly and shook it. An impish glint appeared in her brown eyes and she leaned forward and gave me a peck on the cheek and then left the room. I put my hand to my face, a little confused. I shrugged it off as a return to her normal high spirits, and followed her out.
---
The journey down was a little strange. While Teresa was driving she was talkative, almost her old self, responding to my conversational sallies, but when I was behind the wheel and had to concentrate more on the road she became less communicative. It was as if she had too much on her mind. Around this point that I realised that possibly I may have taken on more than I could handle. Not being an expert in psychology or managing relationships, my whole life was testament to that, but I felt I should be able to help her as a friend. I was just hoping that I wasn't going to make things worse.
We arrived at the inn where I had booked rooms and checked in. The rooms were not quite adjacent but were on the same landing. After a wash and change I went to see if Teresa was interested in going for a look around the village before the evening meal. She said she was tired and wanted to rest for a while. I shrugged and left her to it, not wanting to push her into anything yet. When I came back she was still in her room and seemed almost scared to come down for the meal, preferring to eat alone. Again I just shrugged and left her to it. I ate in the dining room but as I passed her room before turning in I paused. Through the door I could hear muffled sobs. Now it had become obvious I was going to have to be a little more cunning to gain her confidence, so before I fell asleep I spent a couple of hours devising a plan for the following days walk, hoping to try and find a way to get Teresa more involved in what was supposed to be a joint venture.
The walk, as a walk, was beautiful. The sun shone, there was a gentle breeze blowing across the moor, and the scenery was stunning. On my own that would have been enough, but I wanted more now. I needed the view to inspire something in Teresa, something that would start her talking to me. I desperately wanted to help her, but I needed at least a hint about how I could achieve this. With all this in mind, when we got back to the inn I was disappointed. She had been appreciative of the panorama before her, but it hadn't stirred her. Teresa retired to her room and again took her meal alone. This was not going as I had hoped. I did not hold out much hope for improvement tomorrow either as we were going to visit a museum. I briefly considered changing our schedule, but as this museum is one of my favourite places, I decided to carry on for now. In any case a sudden change to our agreed programme might tip Teresa off about what I was up to.
---
We booked out of the inn fairly early, intending to stop somewhere else that evening after visiting the museum. The journey took a couple of hours, mainly because we were not in any great hurry. Teresa drove most of the way, another attempt by me to get her talking. Once we were inside the building I forgot all of my plans and just started to talk. It was the first time I had been there with someone who had little knowledge of the subject of the museum. I suppose I was showing off unintentionally, but the sight of some of those exhibits and Teresa's innocent question as we entered the car park, ("What sort of museum is this?") set me off. For the next three or four hours I led her from room to room, pointing things out, explaining things, answering questions. My enthusiasm seemed to be catching, stimulating her interest almost in spite of her reserve. We also seemed to attract some followers, little groups trailing behind us. As I droned on they followed, trying to appear as if they were not listening. People tell me I can talk about this subject for a long time and I did. When we had covered the entire collection at least twice we retired to the café and ordered two teas and some sandwiches, and then sat down to talk.
"I never thought I'd be that interested in a museum." Teresa said.
"Well, I've never had someone listening to me with so much interest." I said.
