32........

Continued..............


Over afternoon tea at Valvona's, Marta brought Amy up to date about Dora.

'So, have you found out who this new boyfriend is then?' asked Amy, carefully dissecting a macaron to see if it was up to her standards.

'Can we please not call him her boyfriend? That makes it sound as though she's found a toyboy.'

'Ooh, perhaps she has.' Amy was delighted. 'Imagine if she's going out with someone who's younger than you!'

'Thankfully,' said Marta, selecting a glossy Florentine, 'she isn't. Lil said she and Dora had been to some sort of pensioners' speed dating thing. Mind you, she claimed most of the blokes were so riddled with arthritis, that the only speed involved, was the rate the gin and tonics were going down.'

'I love it.' said Amy. 'All this time, you've supposed that your mother was sitting at home stirring her cauldron, when actually, she was out having fun.'

Marta pulled a face. 'Apparently, when I was young, she had a thing with the guy who owned the garage next to our house.' She thought for a moment. 'You know, looking back, he was always round at ours, swigging coffee and wittering on about her big end. And come to think of it,' she tapped Amy's wrist with a teaspoon, 'that was weird.'

Amy laughed, 'Why? I'm pretty sure you do get big ends in a car.'

'Mmm, yes, but mum didn't have one.'

'What, a big end?'

'No,' said Marta, 'a car.'..................