The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page

Author:Sally Page [Page, Sally]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: One More Chapter

When she reaches Geordie’s house the light is on in the porch and there is a note for her stuck on the hall mirror.

Bed made up for you in the front guest room. Bottle of something for you in the fridge. See you in 3 weeks. G x

Janice brings her bags and box of books in from the car and leaves them in the hall. She closes the door after her and listens to the quiet of the house. The mellow tick of the grandfather clock, the slight creak of the pipes (Geordie has left the heating on), and best of all, mixing gently in with these, the soft silence. Janice sits on the chair in the hall, savouring the delicious quiet. She thinks of the man who did not make aeroplanes and knows at this moment she would not swap this quiet for the most beautiful birdsong in the world.

After a while, she wanders into the kitchen, a large room painted a faded gold colour. The units are made from old pine and on the dresser are the red and blue plates that Annie used to collect. There are also numerous colourful pots containing plants. She recalls Annie telling her that she and Geordie had bought many of these on a trip to Mexico. She looks at the photo of Annie on the middle shelf, a tall, attractive woman with long, dark hair. Geordie had met Annie on a singing tour of America where she had been working on the publicity for his concerts. Annie had once told Janice she had spent her early life in an orphanage and knew little of her heritage, “But look at this hair, Janice, that’s got to be pure Cherokee”. Janice wondered whether being an orphan was the reason she and Geordie had decided to have such a large family. They have six children, all scattered around the globe. Janice studies the photograph of the much-loved wife and mother who died of cancer, one day before her sixtieth birthday. “Thank you, Annie,” she says quietly.

She suddenly realises the noise she can hear is not the central heating pipes but her stomach. She is starving. She looks in the fridge but there is little there apart from some jars of pickles, butter, jams, half a carton of milk and a bottle of Champagne. This last item has a sticky note with her name on it. She closes the door. Maybe a cup of tea. She’s not sure she feels like celebrating. She checks the freezer and sees Geordie has a stash of M&S ready meals. She will microwave one of these in a minute; she can always replace it tomorrow. As she waits for the kettle to boil she checks on Annie’s plants, although she knows they will all be fine. Geordie works at keeping these plants alive with the same passionate love he demonstrated when trying to save their green-fingered owner. Janice knows Geordie will not allow anything else to die in this house.

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