Tanya, don’t be mad at me—I’m not going to live with you.

Dont be mad at me, Poppy, Im not going to marry you, Sam said.
Maybe we should give it a go, Sam? Poppy replied, her cheeks flushing as she barely blinked.
Ive already said my piece, Eleanor Sam muttered, thinking of the girl hed known since primary one.

Ira Harper was born when Sam was in Year1. He remembered her mum, the celebrated beauty Laura Harper, famous all over the neighbourhood for her generous smile and her rather round belly, and her proud dad, George. Laura used to roll a pram out of the garden gate, and Sam thought that was a marvel back then.

Sam grew up while little Ira blossomed. One day she burst through the Harpers front gate in a bright dress, a huge bow perched on her golden curls. Shed be out in the garden with her friends, building a tiny house by the hedges. Sam watched all of it from the window of the house opposite the Harpers, directly across the lane.

One more time, Sam, could you see Ira off for me? Laura asked one afternoon.
Sam didnt say no, and for almost a year he ended up looking after the firstgrader.

At first they walked to school in silence, but Ira soon started chattering away, sharing every story and mishap from class. Her lessons would finish early, and shed wait patiently for Sam to be free. Sometimes Sam headed home with his classmates, and Ira would trot along with them. He got used to the routine, waiting for her at the gate each morning, taking her by the hand and strolling to school together.

The next September Ira whispered shyly that she wanted to go off with her friends one day. From then on the girls led the way, with Sam trailing a short distance, ready to jump in if needed. And sure enough, a chance came. A goose waddled onto the path, hissing and flapping its wings, and the girls froze. Sam stepped between them and the bird, and they scrambled past with shrieks of laughter.

A year later Sam left for a larger townYorkwhere the secondary school had a tenform entry, and he only came back on weekends and holidays. Ira seemed to forget who he was; she walked past, eyes down, without a greeting. After that Sam went off to an airnavigation college and visits home became rare.

Mum, whos that? Sam asked, eyes widening as a tall, graceful young woman stepped out of the Harpers gate.
Thats our Ira, his mum replied, smiling at the window.
When did she get here? Sam wondered.
Time has a way of slipping by, Mum said warmly, and every time I see her, I think the best gifts come from family.

Sam caught glimpses of Ira through the lace curtains a few more times. Once she was carrying buckets on a wooden yoke to the water pump, the wind whipping her hair. Another morning she turned up in a smart trousersandblazer outfit for her exams. Sam felt the old urge to escort her again.

The final straw was a voice Sam heard while helping his dad fix the fence: With a voice like that, you could sing your way to the ends of the earth! The next time Sam was fetching water, he met Ira by the pump.

Hello! she chirped, striking Sam straight in the heart.
Hello, Ira, Sam replied, suddenly tonguetied. The buckets took forever to fill, and Sam couldnt think of anything to say. He left that day with a strange, lingering melancholy. It felt like hed finally fallen in love.

Later, after his final exams and his posting, Sam was sent up to the farnorth town of BarrowinFurness.

The next visit home, Sam was hopeful, dreaming of finally confessing his feelings to Ira now that she was of age. He arrived, tired from the long drive, and straight into the grind of work. His dad, as always, drew up a plan to make the most of the extra hands. By the second morning they were off to the woods to cut timber, then split the logs and stack them in the shed. In a rush to finish the work before Sams short leave, his dad replaced the lower sections of the gardens dry stone wall and relaid the floor of the old garden summerhouse. He even decided to redo the floor of the cowshed before the fortnight was over.

Sam kept glancing at the neighbours gate, usually locked. Occasionally Laura or George would appear, but never Ira.

Mum, why dont I ever see Ira? Sam finally asked.
Shes gone to study in the city, his mum answered. She lives in London now.

So Sam headed back to BarrowinFurness, heart a little heavier.

A year later he caught sight of Ira just once, and it didnt bring him joy. He turned into the same secret observer behind the lace curtains. This time she was walking with a lanky, roughlooking country lad, cracking jokes and laughing at his own jokes. Ira gave him a patronising smile, eyes flicking to the bloke with an odd, uneasy affection that made Sams stomach twist.

Soon Sam learned that Ira had married that fellow and was now living in a retirement village. When Sam visited his parents, he sometimes heard her voice on the radio, and it bruised him again.

Sam, stop pining, youre not a schoolboy any more, Mum said, as if shed finally guessed the source of his misery.