Leonard's thoughts

Leonard gazed out to sea, admiring the beautiful view. It was very peaceful and tranquil, although a few more people around to help him back up the cliff path wouldn't have gone amiss.

He decided it was the perfect time for a quiet tab. No Tata or the two women to moan about how horrid the smell was and how bad it was for him. He smiled, anticipating the pleasure to come from his cigarette.

Try as he might though, he could not get Leonora out of his mind.

He'd never really thought about why he was attracted to her all those years ago. Not conventionally pretty, she was OK to look at, but nothing special. She was tall and slim, verging on skinny in those days, and he laughed to himself as he realised she was right and that she had put on some weight recently. Not much, and he hadn't really noticed it before. It had obviously appeared some time after she had passed 40. Perhaps he should tell her "You don't look too bad for your age Leonora." Or perhaps not.

Leonard wasn't even sure how old she was. He knew they were a similar age, and that she was a bit older than him, but he had forgotten what the difference was over the years. And she had point blank refused to tell him when he had asked.

She was self-opinionated, arrogant, outspoken and far too sarcastic. But she had a good sense of fun and could usually take a joke. He had always admired her independence, her determination, and her spirit of adventure. She had travelled a lot in her twenties and thirties, was well qualified, and had moved around the country to advance her career. And at some point, while she was building her career and he was working away, they had lost contact.

They had only got in touch again after her parents had died. Leonora had, for some reason, chucked in her well-paid job and downsized to a small flat. She had stopped working entirely, and in Leonard's opinion was just dossing around. He wondered if he was slightly jealous of her having the luxury of doing exactly what she wanted to do.

Not long after she had "retired," her father had died suddenly, and then she had spent a lot of time travelling backwards and forwards to look after her mother, who then promptly died on her too. Leonard had heard snippets of the story from his mother, who had been to the funerals. He'd got Leonora's 'phone number from his mother too but with no real intention of ringing her.

He had been feeling rather bored one day though, Mrs Leonard had gone out with some friends, Tata didn't want to play with him, and it was raining heavily. On a whim he decided to ring Leonora. She had been so surprised she forgot to be stand-offish which was the reception he had expected, and it had been a good conversation.

The truth was Leonard felt quite sorry for her. She was an only child and after her parents died, she had no close family. After that, he rang her quite often, and even suggested meeting up. She poured an absolute torrent of cold water on that one. But Leonard persisted, and even invented a couple of fictitious business meetings in London to try and convince her, and eventually she gave in. Surprisingly the reunion went well and after that they met up regularly.

As they became more relaxed with each other, Leonard managed to stuff it up a couple of times.

On one occasion he had pointed out that she had no close family, and that he was always happy to help if she needed anything.

"Thank you Leonard. I do have two degrees and I do not need someone who left school at 16 with a couple of 'O' levels or CSEs or whatever you have, to point that out. I am not Little Orphan Annie and I don't need any charity from you," she had said.

Leonard had been so surprised that he decided not to correct her about his qualifications. Although Leonora often came out with smart comments, she did not usually deliberately hit below the belt. After that, their relationship had cooled off and she always seemed to be busy when he suggested meeting up. In the end, sick of endlessly being put off by her, he had chanced turning up at her home, hoping to hell that she was going to be in.

It wasn't often he had the chance of getting one over on Leonora, but the expression on her face when she opened the door made him feel the long drive had been well worth the effort.

"Leonard," she had said, with her mouth wide open. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," he said, stating the obvious. "I was passing."

Leonora started to speak. "I'm just........"

"Leonora, let me in. It's been a long drive, and I don't feel like listening to any of your silly childish excuses for not seeing me," he said. So she did.

Things had improved after that, and she had finally agreed to go and stay with Leonard and Mrs Leonard. She had been very reluctant at first, but Tata and Mrs Leonard and Leonora all got on well together, so Leonard's fictitious business trips dropped off, and Leonora travelled down to see them all instead.

But Leonard had realised that he knew nothing about her personal life. She wasn't married, and she never mentioned a boyfriend, or a girlfriend, or having none of them, or having lots of them. Just. Nothing.

So one day he asked, in a light-hearted fashion, if there was anyone in her life.

"Leonard, please take your interfering nose out of my personal business, because that is exactly what it is. Personal and private. I don't ask you about all your marriages and your affairs, so I suggest you respect my private life."

He thought that was a bit unfair. He was only on his second marriage, and how did Leonora know about his affairs? Not that he had had any for a while.

But at least she wasn't as huffy as she had been the last time. It had been a top idea getting her to be mates with Tata and Mrs Leonard because however much Leonard annoyed her, she could no longer refuse to see him, because she would then miss out on visiting the other two.

Some days after that comment and when Leonora had gone back home, he had wandered into the kitchen to chat to Mrs Leonard.

"Has Leonora ever spoken about her private life to you?" he asked nonchalantly.

"No," answered Mrs Leonard. "Got nothing to do with me."

"Well, have you ever asked?" he persisted.

"Why would I do that? If she wanted to talk about it she would. We have plenty of other things to talk about."

Then Mrs Leonard looked at Leonard and saw the expression on his face.

"Oh dear, Leonard. You should really know better. Why did you ask her?"

"I bet the two of you talk about me," he said, and ran out of the kitchen so she couldn't get the last word in.

And that was the last conversation about Leonora's personal life. So he was still none the wiser and had left the subject alone since then.

He wondered if he should ask her about the letters. Maybe he should. He frowned and shrugged his shoulders, stubbed out his cigarette and looked up the path.

Mrs Leonard and the two little crutches were already half-way down the path, and behind her were three big strapping men. Well, they looked fairly strapping from what Leonard could see with his limited vision.

He sighed with relief. Clearly Leonora had done something right. He had visions of being carried up the cliff being borne aloft like an eastern potentate and dissolved in a fit of giggles. Mrs Leonard arrived and beamed at him, although she wondered why he was slightly hysterical.

"Poor darling Leonora is in absolute agony. She struggled up the cliff so valiantly. Why didn't you carry her up?" she asked.

Leonard's good mood evaporated. Flippin' Leonora. The selfish woman hadn't even mentioned he had twisted his ankle. What on earth had he ever seen in her?