“It’s not much—a jigsaw puzzle with dinosaurs, a German Shepherd plushie, and a copy of Dickens’A Christmas Carol.”
“Oh… you know the way to his heart! He’ll love them all. Thank you, you’re very kind.”
The sun is setting over the hills to the west. It’s clouded over a bit, and the sky is the color of a deep bruise, maroon, green, blue, and yellow. The Met office has said it’s likely to rain tonight, although it should clear by tomorrow.
“Penny for them,” she says.
“I was wondering whether Jack’s up there somewhere, watching us.”
“Are you religious?”
I think about it. “My mum’s Anglican, but my dad’s an atheist. He didn’t want us to go to church and said we should make up our own minds as to what we believed as adults. But Mum used to tell us Bible stories in bed, and we used to say our prayers, and sing carols.”
“That’s not an answer,” she teases.
I chuckle. “I guess not. I think I have faith. Just not religion.”
“Even after what happened with Jack? I thought you were going to say absolutely not.”
“It left me puzzled, I suppose. Maybe I’m more agnostic now—I think we can’t possibly know.”
“Mmm. Me too.” She sips her whisky. “Are your parents still alive?”
“Yes, they’re in Hamilton. I see them a couple times a year, and call every few weeks.”
“You said your mum used to tell ‘us’ stories. You have siblings?”
“Two sisters. They still live in Hamilton.”
“You’re not close to them?”
I look into my glass as I swirl the whisky over the ice. “Not as close as I should be.”
“They know what happened?”
“Yeah.”
“And they’re worried about you?”
“Yeah.”
She leans her head on a hand. “You said you’d lived with someone for a couple of years, but it didn’t work out.”
“Yeah. It was a few years ago now.”
“Why didn’t it work out?”
“I was away too much. The job was very demanding. She found someone else. I don’t blame her.”
“Did you love her?”
“I was… fond of her, I guess. I’m not sure Cupid ever got involved.” I watch her sip her drink as she looks out to sea. “How are you feeling about talking to your husband today?”
“Ex-husband,” she corrects, her gaze coming back to me.
“Ex-husband,” I say softly.
“I mean it,” she says. “I’m not going back to him. Ever. We’re done. I want you to know that.”
