Independent Jenny by Sarah Louise Smith

said, getting back to staring out of the window. I could just imagine her talking about menstruation on national television.
    Hayley continued to babble on about her great idea, and for a while I listened, but then I slowly drifted off, thinking about my last road trip with Ross. We’d taken a week off together in March and travelled down to Devon, where we stayed in a charming village called Crapstone – much prettier than it sounds – and we went for long walks with Wentworth every day. It was relaxing, and we spent a lot of time talking and I felt really close to him that week.
    It rained most days, but one morning we woke up and the sky was clear and blue, so we packed a picnic and went out and rambled across Dartmoor. There were a lot of sheep everywhere and Wentworth kept close to us, trying not to look at them directly, getting jumpy whenever one came closer.
    “He’s such a wuss,” Ross said, affectionately patting his head.
    After we’d passed the sheep, Wentworth ran off, enjoying himself.
    “Ah, he loves it here,” I said, my heart swelling at the sight of him having fun.
    “It is beautiful,” Ross agreed. “A great place to retire someday.”
    “That sounds perfect.” I took his hand and squeezed it.
    “Shall we settle down for our picnic?” Ross suggested. The clouds were coming over now and rain looked like it might be on its way for the afternoon.
    I nodded my consent and he laid out a blanket and started unpacking our food. I put a stake in the ground and tied Wentworth up. He lay down, keeping an eye out for the woolly monsters.
    “He’s such a baby,” Ross said, laughing.
    I smiled and rubbed Wentworth’s back.
    “I really do love it here,” I said, sitting back and letting what looked to be the last of the day’s sun warm my face.
    “Me too. I really could see us moving somewhere like this when we’re old and grey and ready to retire.”
    “Sounds perfect,” I said. “We can buy a house in Crapstone and come walking every day.”
    “There’s a lovely place I admired on the way in actually, with rose bushes outside,” he said, smiling.
    “The grandkids can come and stay and we’ll spoil them rotten.”
    “I love you,” he said, leaning in and kissing me tenderly.
    “I love you too,” I said, smiling back.
    He unwrapped our picnic and we just about managed to eat it before the rain came.
    “We’re about to pass the Scottish border!” Hayley said, bringing me back to the present.
    “At last!” I said, feeling sad as my memory faded away. Now that I thought about it, that was the last time Ross and I really connected and yet he’d probably been cheating on me even then. I shook my head gently, pushing the negative thoughts away. So much for concentrating on the future.
    We swapped drivers again and Hayley changed her playlist to all-Scottish music. She knew a surprising amount of Texas lyrics and we both sang loudly how we’d walk five hundred miles with the Proclaimers. Then we passed Glasgow. A little while after that, I saw the mountains and I was officially in love again.
    “Ooh, pull over just up here,” Hayley told me, pointing to a parking area. We were driving through what looked like wilderness. Streams, waterfalls, mountains, hills, wild grass and the occasional sheep herd were all we’d seen for miles. I pulled into the space and Hayley jumped out to take some photos on her phone.
    “Beautiful,” she said, sighing. I hung my camera around my neck, took a large lung full of fresh air and leaned against the car. Before all this mess with Ross, I’d been so enjoying taking photos of everything and everyone, and now I was determined to get that back, to find some sort of enjoyment from photography again. I held the camera up and took my own photo of the mountainous view; at the foot was a large white farm house. I loved living in Bath, and Devon had charmed me, but there was something quite appealing about being somewhere as quiet and remote as