I like to escape from office at lunchtime, and I've
been lucky with the weather recently - except for today, when rain suddenly
poured down at 1 o'clock. Luckily, it didn't last long, so I ventured
forth anyway, under very grey skies. It got me thinking; there are plenty
of benches all over town, but nowhere under cover to eat your sandwiches when
it's raining. There used to be a shelter in the Memorial
Gardens, but they took that down for fear of vandalism. The library is a
good place to spend a lunch hour, but you can't eat in there, unless you want
to buy something from their cafe or hide in the toilets. I suppose I
could have gone to the bus station but, excellent facility though it is, it
lacks the relaxed atmosphere I seek.
I decided to risk the weather and go to the
graveyard, as usual. Despite the fact that I was dressed entirely in
black, this isn't quite as gothy as it sounds; it's been turned into a beautiful
little park, with lawns and a water feature.
Of course, the very recent rain had made the
benches rather uninviting. I was annoyed to find that I had no tissues to
wipe my chosen seat, but I soon found a pair of socks in my bag, and used those
instead. It's alright, I don't think anyone saw me. {OK, so I
was in the Guides. And I have a very large handbag, full of useful
items. Including, now, wet socks.}
As I sat there, eating as quickly as possible in
case the rain started again, I contemplated at the gravestones lined up against
the wall, like 1950s teenagers at their first dance.
I assume that the bodies are still in their
original positions under the grass, but I tend to forget about that, and think
of the stone as actually being the person. When the rain did start again
I sheltered under a tree next to the late Eliza Robinson, until I heard the
thunder. Fearing lightning, I decided that it wasn't the most sensible
place to be, since I don't want to spend considerably more time with her just
yet.
