She hugged both of her nephews tightly.
‘Thought I would surprise you,’ Liam said with a smile.
Callum, who was approaching fifty, was thinning slightly on the top of his head, but Liam, who was a couple of years younger, still had a good head of light-brown hair.
‘Well, you have certainly done that,’ she said, thrilled that both of her nephews were standing in front of her. ‘Are you coming in?’ she offered. ‘Or are we heading straight out?’
‘We will get going if you like,’ said Callum, clutching some keys in his hand.
Once outside, Alice was surprised to find Callum pressing a key to unlock the doors of a shiny-looking Porsche.
‘You are driving? I assumed we would be getting the train,’ said a perplexed Alice. Especially as the train station was just around the corner.
‘I thought you might enjoy a spin in my new motor,’ said Callum proudly.
‘It is very smart,’ said Alice as she eyed the car with the new number plate. It seemed Callum really was doing well for himself these days.
She settled into the journey, passing the familiar sights along the Dock Road as she had so many times.
One of the city teams had recently had a new stadium built, the huge outline visible in the distance. She imagined the supporters descending trains and heading there on match day. She had done the same thing herself with George, once upon a time, who had been a keen football supporter. She only went the once out of curiosity, though, as she preferred to watch the horse racing.
Soon enough they had headed down towards the Liver Building and parked up at a car park not too far from Water Street.
‘I thought I would treat you both,’ she said as they arrived outside the restaurant with the impressive entrance. ‘I know you both enjoy a good steak.’
‘You don’t have to do that,’ said Liam.
‘I know I don’t, but I insist. If I can’t treat my own nephews, then who can I?’ She smiled.
‘You forget how many marvellous restaurants there are around the city these days,’ said Liam as he glanced around the beautifully decorated restaurant.
The grade II listed building was inside a former banking hall, and boasted high ceilings, marble pillars and original timber panelling.
Their server quickly and politely showed them to their table and handed each of them a menu.
‘I hope you enjoy it,’ said Alice.
‘This is some place,’ said Callum, glancing around. It reminded him of a place down south near the river that he took his wife to on special occasions.
‘The décor is beautiful, isn’t it?’ said Alice. ‘Apparently the inspiration for this restaurant came from tango clubs in Argentina. They serve the best quality steak too.’
Alice recalled the evening she came here with George, not long after it had opened. They had sipped mojitos beneath the soft lighting and listened to Latin American music in the background. She remembered how George had loved its mixture of flamboyance and intimacy, and they had enjoyed the most magical evening. Six months later he had died but she would cherish that evening in her heart forever.
‘Gaucho is a chain of restaurants now, but they still manage to retain that personal touch, I think,’ said Alice. ‘And, of course, they serve the best food.’
‘I bet not many of them are housed in such a stunning building,’ said Liam.
‘I agree,’ replied Alice. ‘Did you know this restaurant was recently featured in a BBC series?’ she informed them.
‘No, but I am not surprised,’ said Callum.
‘So, Liam, are you still enjoying being a teacher?’ she asked as they placed a drinks order. ‘I imagine it must be quite a challenging job these days.’
‘It can be,’ agreed Liam. ‘And some days, I won’t lie, I dream about early retirement,’ he revealed. ‘But I love seeing how some of the kids can succeed, given the right guidance,’ he told her. ‘One of my ex-pupils is studying to become a doctor, against all the odds. There is no greater feeling than seeing that happen.’
She knew that Liam was head of the maths department at a school in a not-so-great part of town. She was impressed that he still felt the passion for his career after so many years. It was important to be happy in the workplace.
‘The lad just had a real talent for maths and science,’ Liam continued. ‘But also a very unstable home life. I helped him to gain a scholarship to a good private college, and it opened up a whole new world. He just soared,’ he said, feeling a moment of pride.
