Haywards Heath Summary

Attila, a middle-aged doctor, is startled by the radio in his rental car. Given his plans, he was already on edge, but this has only made it worse. He assumes it was the young clerk who left the radio on, and once he finds something better to listen to, he begins to relax. As he begins his journey towards Haywards Heath, he reflects on an inside joke between himself and his former lover, Rosie. Rosie, a Haywards Heath native, would ask the international students to try to pronounce the name of her hometown, which they always struggled with. Attila was one of these international students, and it was over this topic of conversation that they first connected over dinner. After meeting in their third year of medical school, the two became a couple for the remaining three years, until Attila had to move back to his home country following graduation. His plans for visiting Rosie began when a colleague at a hospital in London mentioned that she had taken an “early retirement.” From then on, his plans to see her after four decades consumed him.

Attila stops at a pub for something to eat in the middle of his journey. When he asks the pub’s manager for directions, the manager tells him it would be much easier to use GPS. Although Attila is reluctant to stop using his atlas and even defies the GPS’s directions in an attempt to trick it, he still uses it to get him to Haywards Heath. There, he finds Rosie’s retirement home. The nurses point him to the day room, where Rosie sits by the window. As they greet each other, Attila reflects on the end of their relationship; Rosie wanted him to stay in England, but because of his status as an international student, he insisted that he return to his home country.

As they talk, Attila comes to realize that Rosie’s memory has deteriorated. She remembers the younger version of Attila but does not recognize the man visiting her. This discovery overwhelms Attila, and he must take a moment to himself in the bathroom to calm down. On his way back to Rosie, he sees a male African nurse attentively caring for another resident. They make eye contact and part ways. Attila and Rosie then take a turn in the garden, continuing to make small talk about the birds and Haywards Heath. Though Rosie has grown older, Attila still finds her just as beautiful as he did 40 years ago. Before he leaves, Rosie asks him if he will visit her again, and he promises he will.

Two months later, he returns with Rosie’s favorite candies. He finds her taking part in an afternoon dance in the dining room. She dances with the African nurse he saw during his last visit, who, he now notes, resembles a younger version of himself. After the song ends, Rosie asks the nurse to do “another turn, Attila.” The nurse agrees, and Attila sits at a table and watches the two dance.