‘Aha! There you are.’ Rudi held a small square picture aloft.
‘May I?’ Fin asked, leaning over to peer at the image.
‘Certainly, my boy. This is me and my husband Rupert. God, look at him, isn’t he something.’ She sighed, her voice heavy with emotion.
‘Wow,’ Fin exclaimed. ‘You two made a very good-looking couple.’
‘We still do, thank you very much,’ she retorted. They both sat and looked at the photo for a moment. A twenty-something Rupert holding a twenty-something Rudi, dressed up to the nines at what Fin could only assume was a dance. Everything about the picture sang of happiness and carefree youth, but there was something in the way they looked at one another that spoke of a deeper connection. An undying, everlasting commitment.
‘This was the first time we met,’ she said dreamily. ‘And the same night he got down on one knee and proposed to me.’
‘What! Are you serious?’
‘When you know, you know.’ She sighed hopelessly. ‘And boy, did we know.’
‘Did he have a ring?’
‘Pshht, we didn’t need one. He got down on one knee and promised me that he would love me until for ever. That was all I needed.’ She held the picture to her chest. ‘And look at us now. He’s never left my side.’
‘He sounds like one hell of a man.’
‘That man is the only thing I’m living for, kid.’ A lonely tear escaped down her cheek. ‘Do you think we could recreate this? Obviously with a few extra years added on.’
Fin looked down at the picture once more and a jolt of excitement fired through him. This was going to work. Ithadto work.
‘I’ll need him here on Wednesday, if that’s OK? I’ll sort the rest,’ he stated firmly.
‘So, it’s on?’ The old woman raised her eyebrows expectantly. ‘You really think we can do it?’
‘Rudi … I know we can.’
Eleanor
‘Come on, dry already, will you?’ Eleanor grumbled, twisting her curls around her fingers anxiously.
Why hadn’t she followed Sal’s advice and brought a change of clothes to the office? At the time, getting ready for a date in the work toilets didn’t exactly scream romantic or enjoyable, and so she’d decided to go home before dinner. An idea that now she regretted intensely.
She checked the time.
Twenty minutes to go.
Suddenly she heard her phone buzz.
He’s cancelling. Oh, please let him be cancelling …
Eleanor!
Her stomach flipped anxiously as she reached over to grab her phone. A mix of relief and frustration swept her nerves away. She didn’t even wait for Sal’s hello.
‘Don’t worry, I’m not bailing, although I am running late. Can you believe it?’
‘Eleanor Levy late? That’s two events on the trot. What is the world coming to!’ Sal cried.
‘The other night was not my fault. It was all Fin.’
‘He’s a fun guy,’ Sal remarked.
‘And that’s like a five-star review coming from you.’
