Sam stirred the cup of tea he made for the love of his life and listened to the radio. “I saw her today, I saw her face, it was face I love ” the Searchers 1964, the year he met Ellie. The Locarno dance hall, Chatham. Here and now, they had been married for 61 years, and he had loved her every day. He took the “builders tea” , she called it, up the stairs, (to Bedfordshire- She always said that too); and he looked at her beautiful face as she began to wake up. “Tea darling ?”
“Thanks Sam” , she whispered picking up the cup. “I love you Sam”
The radio station played “Go now” by the Moody Blues as Denny Laine belted out that banger from 1965. “Do you remember this one Ellie “I’m still in love with you “ he sang with the Moody’s refrain.
It was only yesterday that they both decided it was time to realise that they needed care. The sale of the house would be the funding of the need. Nobody cared for them except themselves, and they would at least be looked after in their final years. But for now, they would do the final cruise to see off the times they shared together, the emotions of life and the gift of children now living their lives with their own crises’ points, they had done their jobs as parents.
The Bentley that picked them up for trip to Dover to meet the ship hummed a soft, luxurious tune, a world away from the familiar tick-tock of their conservatory clock. In the back seat, Ellie leaned into Sam, her hand resting on his arm, the familiar weight a comfort. The tunes exuded by the regular “boom radio” now silent, had filled their mornings with echoes of dances past, of youthful dreams and quiet triumphs. Each song a thread in the tapestry of their seventy-odd years.
At the port, the colossal white ship loomed, a floating palace promising a final adventure before the inevitable settling into the quiet routine of Willowbrook Care Home. Drinks flowed like laughter at the welcome party. Sam, surprisingly full of life, twirled Ellie across the deck under a sky bruised with twilight hues. Her silver hair caught the faint light, and for a moment, they were young again, lost in the music only they could truly hear.
It was the last night of the cruise a dining event with the Captain and a dance. Sam excused himself saying he had forgotten something in the cabin. Wandering the ship's opulent corridors, a small, unassuming sign caught Sam's eye: "Don't you deserve a second chance?" It tugged at something deep within him, a wistful longing he hadn't acknowledged until now. He followed the discreet signage down a winding staircase to the lower decks.
The air grew less homely , the murmur of celebration fading. Another sign: "How about renewing your vows?" A sudden warmth bloomed in Sam's chest. A renewal. A final, heartfelt promise before the world narrowed. Their hard-earned savings, soon to be absorbed by care costs, could fund this one last, grand gesture of love. He rounded a corner, his anticipation building, only to find a dead end. A single, slightly ajar door was the only feature.
Disappointment pricked him. He pushed it open. Inside, on a velvet cushion, lay a delicate pink flowered corsage. A small, handwritten note was tucked beneath: "Wear this and dream."
A wave of deflation washed over him. This wasn't the grand renewal he'd envisioned. Just a trinket, a fleeting fantasy. He picked it up; the silk petals cool against his fingertips. Feeling a pang of something akin to foolishness, he turned back.
Upstairs, the ballroom still shimmered with light and music. Ellie sat at a small table, a glass of Sauvignon Blanc shimmering in the ballroom light, she was watching the dancers with a soft smile. He walked over, his steps a little heavier now.
He held out the corsage. "Ellie," he said, his voice a touch rough. "I found this."
Her eyes, still bright despite the years, widened slightly. She took the corsage, her fingers brushing his. A faint, sweet fragrance rose from the delicate blooms.
"It's lovely, Sam," she murmured, pinning it to her dress.
He held out his hand as the band played the Eric Clapton classic “Wonderful Tonight” . "Shall we?" Sam said.
She took his hand, her grip still firm. As they moved onto the dance floor, the music seemed to soften, the other dancers fading into a hazy background. They held each other close, swaying gently.
"You know," Ellie said quietly, her cheek against his. "We've been dreaming our whole lives, haven't we? You complete me, she whispered in his ear.
Sam held her tighter, a lump forming in his throat. He looked down at the corsage, now nestled against her heart. It wasn't a grand gesture, not the renewal he'd imagined. But as they danced, surrounded by the echoes of their shared past, a different kind of wonder settled over him.
Perhaps the second chance wasn't about a grand event, but about the enduring magic of their ordinary love, a dream they had already lived, and were living still, in the quiet rhythm of their intertwined hearts. And in that moment, a single tear traced a path down his weathered cheek.
Sam awoke to the gentle rocking of the ship berthing into port.
He looked over towards the large window of their cabin. The morning light streamed in, illuminating her face. But it wasn't the familiar, beloved face etched with the wisdom of their years that greeted him.
Sam jolted up and took in the fantastic view of his beloved Ellie and the rosy cheeks of the girl he'd first seen across the crowded dance floor at the Chatham Locarno. The bright, eager eyes that had sparkled with youthful dreams. No longer lined with age and no silver hair, now replaced by the rich, dark waves he remembered so vividly. She was humming softly, a tune he couldn't quite place, but it held the melody of their early days.
He blinked, his heart hammering against his ribs. “I’m dreaming” he said out loud. He looked again. The youthful visage remained, a ghost of the past made momentarily real.
Ellie turned from the window, her gaze meeting his. "Did you sleep well, my dear?" she asked, her voice the warm, familiar timbre he cherished.
Sam could only nod, his mind reeling. What had he just witnessed? Was it the dream the corsage had promised? A fleeting glimpse into the past, a reminder of the vibrant young woman he had fallen in love with. Or was it something more?
As they disembarked, the bustling Portsmouth port was a stark contrast to the quiet magic of their cabin, Sam couldn't shake the image of young Ellie at the window. Had the cruise ship, in its subtle, unseen way, offered them more than just a final voyage? Had it allowed them a brief return to the very beginning, a chance to see their love in its first bloom before they faced the quiet stillness of their final years?
They set off to return home after a beautiful experience he took her hand, his grip a little tighter than usual. Ellie looked at him, a question in her eyes. He simply smiled, a profound sense of wonder and a touch of lingering tears welling up within him. “We should carry on girl” he said.
What do you mean “ it’s easy “ he sang in a John Lennon way. “All you need is love, love is all you need “
He knew he didn't have an answer to growing older but as they walked towards the house and thanked the chauffeur for the ride home, the world seemed to shimmer with a fragile, beautiful possibility. Sam opened the door and leaned to kiss his wife; she was wearing the corsage. Maybe, just maybe, the dreams they had shared were still unfolding in ways they couldn't yet comprehend. As he walked in the kitchen to make tea, he said, “Alexa play boom radio” he began to sing with the song.
The music filled the kitchen, Ellie’s soft laughter floated in from the living room. Sam peeked around the doorway, tea in hand, to see her swaying ever so slightly to the tune. The corsage, still pinned to her dress, caught the light, glinting like a tiny star against the fabric and she looked the way he remembered on their first ever meeting in Chatham.
“Frankie Valli, is it?” she called, her voice carrying the warmth of their shared history.
Sam grinned. “Thought it might take us back a bit,” he replied, stepping into the room and setting the mugs down on the table.
Ellie reached for his hand, pulling him gently towards her. “You always did know my favourites,” she teased, though her eyes held something deeper—a gratitude for the countless little moments they’d woven together.
They danced there, in the quiet intimacy of their home, the world outside fading once again. The years seemed to peel away, not in a fantastical, dreamlike way as on the ship, but in the soft, reassuring rhythm of their movements. It was as though time itself conceded, just for a moment, to the enduring truth of their connection.
“You know,” Ellie murmured, her cheek brushing against his shoulder, “I think the best parts of life aren’t behind us or ahead of us. They’re right here, in the moments we make together.”
Sam kissed the top of her head, his heart swelling with a mix of love and wonder. “You’ve always been the wise one,” he said softly.
The song ended, and they lingered for a moment longer before breaking apart. Ellie returned to the sofa, a peaceful smile on her lips, while Sam retrieved his tea. The house seemed to hum with a quiet magic, an unspoken understanding resting between them.
As they settled into the evening, he thought of the corsage, a gentle token of a life that gave them that second chance of a love that continued to grow, even as the seasons changed.
Or was it something more?
The Sunday morning came, Sam opened the kitchen blind and asked Alexa to play 'Boom Radio' and it played Frankie Valli's refrain again he heard “Well you're ready now, oh, you’re ready now, You're ready now, girl, you're ready now Come on near me, (come on baby)." Sam stirred the builders tea and took it up the stairs - to Bedfordshire.
Author's Epilogue
The Searchers will end nearly 70 years of touring with their debut at the Glastonbury Festival in 2025
The Merseybeat band, formed by Mike Pender and John McNally, have performed with different line-ups since its formation in 1957.
Known as the "longest-running band in pop history", the Liverpool band had three UK number ones, including with their version of The Drifters' hit Sweets For My Sweet.
The Searchers' Final Farewell Tour will conclude at Glastonbury on 27 June, which the band said will be its "last ever show".
McNally said: "A Glastonbury debut at 83, can anyone top that? I don't think life gets any better, does it?
