Beth pushed her gloved hands further into her coat pockets as she walked along the empty beach, watching as Maisy ran towards the birds at the water’s edge only to run away when the waves came crashing up and splashed her paws.  It wasn’t the same now.  Beth still enjoyed taking Maisy out but it wasn’t as much fun now.  But then he’d been able to make even grocery shopping fun, just by being there.  Just being him.  She stood there, her eyes shut, with Maisy snuffling round her ankles, and the breeze whipping her hair into her eyes.  Beth knew she couldn’t stay for long, there were things to be done, but just a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt.  She bent down and gave Maisy a cuddle before putting her lead back on.. 

            Twenty minutes later Beth was back home.  Sitting at her desk she looked through the mound of letters and bills, not really seeing the words or numbers.  She sighed and moved to curl up in the corner of the sofa, looking out of the window at the snow that had started to fall.  Would she ever get used to being alone?  It had been a year now.  Most of the time she was able to keep going, live her life, even laugh now and then, but there were times, when she was alone at home or on the beach, or if a domestic problem arose that she longed to discuss with Gerry, when she gave in to the tears.  She knew that something inside her had died along with Gerry, nothing and no-one now made her eyes light up the way he had.   

            Suddenly the doorbell rang.  Beth sat up frowning.  She wasn’t expecting anyone and was tempted to ignore the disturbance, but whoever it was persisted, driving her to answer the door to a man she’d never seen before but there was something familiar about him that she couldn’t quite place.  Annoyed at being disturbed she was less than gracious when she spoke.  “Yes, can I help you?”

“I hope so.  I know this sounds really stupid but my car’s broken down and I can’t get any signal on my mobile.  Do you have a phone I could use please?  To call the recovery guy?”

Beth glared up at him.  Suspicion of his motives and a desire to help someone were fighting for supremacy in her mind and across her face.  “Wait here”.  She went to get her mobile as the man stood in the porch, having pulled the outside door closed against the weather.  “Here, you can use this.” 

He gave a nod of thanks, a grateful look on his face which made Beth regret her brusque tone with him.  She watched him as he made the call, sizing up the stranger on her doorstep.  There was a lot of him to look at, being tall and broad, very different to Gerry, older too, and yet there was something that Beth found compelling about him.  It made her invite him in for a coffee while he waited for the recovery van to arrive.  

As he sat in the armchair, Maisy came through from the kitchen and sniffed his ankles.  “Stop that Maisy” said Beth.

“It’s ok.  Hiya Maisy-pup” he said as he stroked the top of the dog’s head.  At his words Maisy looked up and barked, panting with a happy look on her face.  Beth’s face though had drained of all colour and she twisted the wedding ring she still wore round on her finger. 

“Why … why did you call her that?  Maisy-pup?” she whispered. 

“I don’t know, it just came to me” said the man.  “She’s sweet.” 

Beth looked down at the dog, now sitting quietly by the visitor.  Gerry had been the only one to call her by that name so to hear a stranger use it had shaken her.  Eventually she remembered her manners and tried to make polite small talk but felt too nervous and soon lapsed back into silence.   She wasn’t nervous of him - for some reason she knew she could trust him, but was nervous of how she felt in his presence.  A feeling she’d not had for a long time.  She realised that the silence wasn’t strained, she didn’t feel a compulsion to talk, it was uncannily companionable considering they were supposed to be strangers.

“Do you live here alone?” he asked.

Beth nodded, not trusting her voice. 

“It must get lonely out here.  Have you lived here long?”

“About 18 months.  My … my husband died a year ago.”

“I’m sorry” he replied, a gentle look on his face.  “It’s not easy to lose someone we love.”

“I’m getting used to it, but sometimes …”

“I know.”  

Somehow Beth knew that he really did understand and didn’t resist when he stood and reached down to take her hand and pull her up onto her feet.  To meet someone with the intuitive sensitivity that she’d only ever known before in Gerry, to feel again the spark she’d always felt on first seeing Gerry again after time apart, was confusing her.  She turned away, gathering up the dirty crockery as an excuse to go and hide in the kitchen, hide her eyes from his gaze that she could barely tear herself away from.  She took a few deep breaths, her fingers automatically playing with her ring, before going back to sit with her unexpected guest.

The doorbell rang and Beth went to open the door.  Suddenly the temperature in the room dropped as the snowstorm had got harder while they’d waited and the wind blew flakes in along with the mechanic.   The two went out to the car.  Beth stayed inside, holding Maisy, and wondering what had just been going on.  Between her and a total stranger.   Soon he returned, looking downcast.

“They can’t fix it here.  They’re going to tow it so I’ll have to be going now.”  He came over to Beth and put his hands on her shoulders.  “It will get better, you’ll be ok.  Thanks for the drink”. 

Beth looked up at him, her eyes bright.  “That’s all right.  Thank you too.”  

“Goodbye Beth, and you Maisy-pup.  I’ll see you again, some time”.  He bent and gave her a brief kiss before strolling over to the door, quietly closing it behind him. 

Beth ran to the window, she could just see the lights of the vehicles through the snow, and watched until they disappeared in the distance.  She could still feel the warmth in the room from the man’s presence.  She looked down at her left hand and gazed at her gold band.  Slowly she moved the fingers of her right hand and gently pulled the ring off and left it on the window-sill.  She knew that it was only a small step, but the realisation that she had suddenly felt alive again in the presence of a man who wasn’t Gerry helped her realise that maybe, just maybe, she would one day find someone else to live her life with.  

Suddenly she thought of the man’s words as he’d left.   A small smile crossed her face.  She’d never told him her name.