Edith Brown was near the library So she thought she'd pop in and take a look She'd always preferred the feel of words on paper Compared to the modern e-book She looked inside her purse For her old library card But she couldn’t find it anywhere Even though she looked very hard She reached into her handbag And found a fluffy chunk of Thorntons toffee No way was she going to pay For a lukewarm milky coffee She spied her neighbour Mary Seated at a wooden table She thought she’d try to sneak past her But unfortunately she was unable “Oh well, if it isn’t Edith The aging spinster of Runnymede I’m surprised to see you in here I didn’t know that you could read†Edith did her best to keep her temper But Mary knew which buttons to push She said “Why don’t you sit with me Unless you’re in a rush†Edith saw someone from her schooldays And not a moment too soon It was Cynthia who’d moved out of town Clutching several Mills and Boon Cynthia greeted Edith with a friendly hug And said “Long time no see I’d love to have a catch-up Please come and sit with me†Edith glared at Mary And Mary glared right back Mary had never forgiven Cynthia For stealing away her boyfriend Jack Edith sat at a table And Cynthia sat at the opposite side She said “I see that Mary hasn’t changed She always was quite snide†Cynthia earnestly told Edith She’d married Mary’s boyfriend Jack They’d moved away for a fresh start And had no intention of moving back Edith had often wondered If they were still together Jack had a Harley and Cynthia rode pillion They used to ride past Edith ‘Hell for leather’ Cynthia and Jack had set up a business And though they had great wealth Edith was deeply shocked to discover That neither had been in the best of health Jack had suffered two heart attacks last year Then last month he’d had a stroke Cynthia said he’d regained the use of his limbs But still had a struggle when he spoke Edith was shocked to hear That Cynthia had fought breast cancer and won Even more shocked to hear Mary say It was penance for what she had done Edith rounded on Mary and said “You only lost a boyfriend, Cynthia almost lost her life You seem to get a sick satisfaction Out of someone being in strife†Mary banged her books on the table And made her way to the revolving door What Cynthia and Edith had just heard Mary say Had chilled them both to the core Edith took hold of Cynthia’s hand And gave it a gentle pat Then said “Mary will get her comeuppance one day You can be sure of that†As the two women parted company Edith said she didn’t get out much Cynthia gave Edith her mobile number and address And said they must keep in touch When Edith reached the bus stop She saw Mary waiting without a care Edith said “I can’t believe what you said To Cynthia back there†Mary stood there speechless Wearing a heavy frown Edith said “Talk about kicking Someone when they're down†Mary slowly walked away She couldn’t be bothered to make a fuss Edith let her go on her way Then she went home on the bus Mary never spoke to Edith from that day on When she saw her out, she’d cross the road She'd always been one to bear to grudge And when she died she was alone Four people attended her funeral Edith plus Mary's two daughters and one son The three of them couldn’t understand What their mother could have done To have hardly anybody mourn her And not a friend in sight They hadn’t seen their mother When she was full of spite Edith kept the truth to herself It was best that Mary’s family didn’t know That as their mother got older How bitter and nasty she’d grown Mary had borne a lot of grudges And she’d bore them to her death She had cursed the names of Cynthia and Jack With her last dying breath Edith visits the cemetery once a week She stays a couple of hours After she's visited her late mother's grave She adorns Mary’s grave with fresh flowers Carnations, roses and bunches of forget-me-nots Mark the final resting place of Mary Elizabeth Scott