‘This is for you.’ Rupert handed him a piece of paper, his hands nothing more than lightly wrapped bones. His blue eyes crinkled as he watched Fin read.
Dear Fin,
If you are reading this, I can only assume that I am no longer of this world. I wanted to make sure to thank you before I embarked on my next great adventure. You gave me what can only be described as the most wonderful send-off. Now Rupert can look at those pictures and know that he made me just as happy at the end of our time together as he did at the beginning. He came through on his promise beautifully and for that I am eternally grateful. He was there. Loving me until the end of my forever. Thank you once again. You made this dying woman very happy to say farewell.
Yours truly, Rudi.
Fin closed his eyes and allowed the tears to fall silently down his cheeks.
‘She was always one for dramatics,’ Rupert said kindly, coming to sit next to him.
‘She definitely had style.’ Fin laughed.
‘That she did.’ He sighed sadly.
‘These are the pictures, by the way.’ Fin held the book out again and this time Rupert took it carefully from him.
‘Thank you.’ He opened the cover and gasped. ‘Wow. Would you look at that.’ He caressed the page. ‘We don’t look half bad, do we?’
‘Rupert, if I look half as good as you do at your age then I’ll count myself very lucky.’
He turned the page and burst out laughing. ‘Oh my.’ He placed his hand on his chest. ‘There’s my Rudi.’
Fin hadn’t been sure whether to include the extra pictures – the ones that were slightly blurred, the ones where the couple weren’t posed in position and perfectly lit – but as soon as he saw them, he knew he had to. The look on their faces, the laughter erupting out of them both. Rudi ordering Rupert around, pulling faces and pointing at Nurse Clara, who was bent over giggling. That was who they were, at their core.
‘She told me about the original photo. Why it was such a special night.’ Fin looked up into the lined face of the old man next to him. ‘You must have pulled out some very good moves to get a marriage proposal on date one!’
Rupert let out a loud, husky laugh. ‘I wish I could pretend that I was smooth enough to have moves.’ He stroked the face of his wife’s photograph tenderly. ‘The only thing I knew was that I couldn’t walk out of that room without knowing she was going to be coming with me for the rest of my life. I made her promise that she’d never leave me.’ He chuckled. ‘I guess she’s gone and broken it now.’ A tear fell on to the photo between them.
‘I reckon she’s still with you, in some way, shape or form. Rudi didn’t seem the type to break her promises.’
‘She always said if she went first, she’d haunt me until I gave up and came and joined her.’ He snorted at thememory. ‘Thank you for these, Fin.’ He closed the book and brought it up to his heart.
‘I’m glad you like them.’
‘Ilovethem, Fin. And she would have too.’
Eleanor
‘Oh, hi.’ Eleanor looked up from her screen at Sal’s hand, which was waving furiously in her face.
‘Hey!’ She smiled. ‘You want to grab a coffee? I’m bored of this budget already.’
Sal looked behind her, throwing her head back and forth wildly. ‘Who, me?’
‘Yes, you. Why are you being weird?’ Eleanor frowned.
‘I just wasn’t sure if you knew who I was any more. Now you’re so caught up being busy inlove,’ Sal drawled sarcastically.
Eleanor picked up her pen and threw it at Sal. ‘Don’t be like that. It wasyouridea to set us up, remember!’
Sal laughed loudly, causing Doreen to tut disapprovingly. ‘I know, I know. I’m only messing. But you can buy me a coffee for being such a negligent best friend, OK?’
Eleanor rolled her eyes and stood up. ‘Fine.’
‘It’s going well then, I take it?’ Sal asked, her eyes twinkling with glee.
Eleanor looked around anxiously as they walked towards the lifts.
