Putting Right The Past by Ian Wilfred

Author:Ian Wilfred [Wilfred, Ian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Matador
Published: 2017-05-25T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

I walked onto the stage and I’d just started to talk when Riley took the microphone from me. He piped up, ‘Well, before you say your thank you, Carole, there’s just one more surprise for you,’ and with that I could see this huge present being pushed towards me.

Then Peter took the microphone from Riley and said, ‘This birthday present comes from all of us at the apartments. We didn’t know what to give you and had a little meeting and came up with some ideas.’

Then on came Paul, ‘I suggested a toy boy but we didn’t think that would be appropriate, and you would probably wear him out anyway.’

With that Victoria walked on to the stage and said, ‘But I thought the poor boy would’ve been kidnapped by Peter and Paul and would never be seen again.’ Everyone laughed.

Hamilton came on next. ‘I suggested a little dog but we could never take the limelight off Toby, could we?’

Next it was Rosa’s turn. ‘I wanted to send you to a Gladys Knight concert because she’s your favourite singer, and, of course, I would have to come with you.’

With that Pablo said, ‘They could all give me their share of the money and I would move in with you, what better present could you have than waking up with me every morning.’ There was more laughter.

Just then I could see Nadean come on to the stage, ‘The thing is Carole,’ she said, ‘there’s one thing that’s very important to you, and that’s the time you spend sitting under the tree by the pool; your tree and the bench you sit on.’ I opened the present and inside was a lovely new seat with a set of cushions, not just one seat but three. Nadean said, ‘The reason there are three seats, Carole, is at the moment only two people at a time can sit there and we all thought it would be very nice if there was more seating, so we could all sit there and enjoy your company together.’

Riley took back the microphone from Nadean. He looked at me and said, ‘You see, Carole, there’s something very special about that tree, none of us know what it is, but all of us know that after we’ve been sitting under it with you we feel so much better. For the past few years it’s been known as Carole’s surgery but we think it should be called Carole’s tree of love because that’s what people feel as they sit there with you, they feel loved.’

‘Thank you for a very special birthday party. Firstly, I must thank Barbara, Peter, and Paul for putting it all together. I would also like to thank Latisha for making the evening so special. You sang every song I’ve ever loved and you sang them from your heart. Lastly, I thank everyone of you for coming and if you’ve enjoyed it half as much as I have that’s all that matters. In a strange way being fifty is a new start for me and I hope to live and savour every moment of the next fifty years.

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