The Tall Girl from Somerset 39

HENRY

I’m so glad it all turned out well for her.  Things so often don’t.  Some young people have a knack of meeting the wrong young people. Some lovely girls marry some terrible men, and mistakes are made, for the young are young and there we are.  But sometimes things turn out well, and I think that they did for Anne.

I don’t see them often, but they always invite me for Christmas and Easter and so I go down to Somerset then.  I stay overnight at their cottage, it’s just big enough to have a guest room, and then I drive back to Chiswick next day.  I am not sure how many more years I’ll be able to do that.  I find driving so tiring.  There’s so much more traffic and everyone seems to drive so much faster nowadays. There’s always the train, I suppose.  I could take the back to Paddington from Temple Meads in Bristol, and I know that Anne would take me to the station in Bristol.  I don't like to bother her, though.  I must not become an encumbrance on anyone. 

I’d show you the photos if you had time, but I expect you want to move on. You have things to do.  The wedding ones, I mean. But wedding photos tend to be rather boring unless they are your own, and there are usually far too many of them.  A sunny day, it was.  In July.  Just about the only sunny day we had that month. I remember waking up to one wet morning after another, all through the month, and then on the day of the wedding, the 25^th it was, at seven o’clock the sun was struggling to make an appearance, and by 11 it was glorious, making up for all the wet days before. Well, you can see it in the photos there. I have finally inflicted them on you, you see!   I drove down the M4 and stayed the night in The Crown.  Yes, that’s me among all the grey-headed uncles in the back row there.  The older generation.  Doesn’t seem a minute since I was in the front.  No, not actually getting married, but I was best man a couple of times, you know.  Yes, I was best man twice. Well there.  Always best man, never the groom!  Never mind!

Well, that’s it then. Time to say goodbye. No, not a hug.  I don’t like hugs, I’m afraid.  Too old for them I suppose!

So “Hasta siempre!” as Carmen would say. 'Till we next meet!'

I’m glad it all turned out well.