Lilly put down her shears and smiled at her daughter Anna as she came down the lawn towards her holding two mugs of tea. She couldn’t help feeling apprehensive. She knew what Anna would want to talk about. We won’t argue this time, Lilly promised herself as she took the tea from her daughter and kissed her on the forehead.
‘How are you, Mum?’ Anna asked as they sat down on a bench with their teas.
‘As you can see, I’m very well.’ Lilly spread her arms and gave herself a quick affirmative once-over.
Anna had to admit, her mother did look well. Her face had a healthy glow and the pink highlights in her thick, white hair caught in the light of the mid-morning sunshine. It was hard to believe it had only been a few months since she’d had major surgery.
‘I hope you’re not overdoing things, Mum,’ Anna said, a note of concern in her voice.
‘Darling, what is the point of my having a brand-new knee if I can’t use it?’
Anna smiled, despite herself. ‘Have you thought any more about what we talked about last weekend?’
Lilly frowned. ‘I have, but I’m afraid I still hate the idea.’
Anna reached over and plucked a white damson blossom from her mother’s hair. ‘This place is too much for you, Mum… now that…’ She stopped and took a sip of her tea.
‘You can talk about your dad, you know,’ Lilly said, laying her hand over Anna’s.
Anna nodded and glanced over at the vegetable patch, which had lain abandoned since her father had died suddenly three years ago. ‘I worry about you, that’s all. Rattling around on your own in this old
