‘Hello.’ She waved weakly at him from the bed.
‘Hey,’ he murmured glumly.
‘I heard about Rudi.’
Fin dragged himself over to the chair and slumped down. ‘I still can’t believe it. She seemed fine the other day.’
His mum gazed away into the distance. ‘She was very sick, for a very long time.’
‘Yeah, Nurse Clara said.’
Fin’s stomach churned with guilt. All this talk of death probably wasn’t the nicest for someone heading down the same road.
‘The nurses said something about you taking photographs for Rudi and her husband?’ his mother enquired.
‘Yeah.’ He sat up taller in his seat. ‘It’s a long time sinceI’ve taken pictures like that, but they looked so happy.’ He paused. ‘It’s my job back home, you know? I’m a photographer. I have my own company.’
He hated how childlike he sounded, how even after all this time there was still the little boy inside him, desperate for approval.
‘I know.’ Her voice was small and somewhat sad. ‘You’ve taken some beautiful photographs, Fin.’
Fin’s look of complete and utter confusion must have spelled out the question that was racing through his mind.
‘Angela,’ his mother answered. ‘She helped me find your website on the internet. I don’t have a clue how the whole thing works, but she shows me from time to time.’
‘Oh,’ Fin replied meekly. ‘I see.’
‘You were always an artistic thing. Even as a young boy.’ Her eyes glazed over a little. ‘I’m glad you did something with it in the end.’
‘What, and broke Dad’s heart by not becoming a lawyer?’ he sniped. ‘I’m sure he’d be glowing with pride.’
‘You know what your father was like. He just wanted the best for you.’
An uncomfortable silence planted itself between them. Fin knew he should try to fill it but he was finding it hard to in his current mood. Why, if she’d known where he was and what he was doing, had she not tried to contact him?
It works both ways, you know …
‘Angela said little Kate Crossley got married the other day,’ his mother chirped.
‘She did.’
‘Angela said you went?’
‘Yeah … I was a bit of a last-minute guest,’ he added sheepishly.
‘That must have been lovely. I’m glad you still keep in touch. She was a nice girl. Her and Eleanor. Always such nice girls,’ she remarked dreamily.
‘Yeah, they are.’
‘And …’ His mother hesitated. ‘I don’t suppose there are any other nice girls in your life?’
Her attempt at subtlety was far from successful and Fin couldn’t help but laugh. Was this what normal mothers and sons talked about? For the briefest of seconds, he wished he had something more exciting to answer with.
‘No. Not at the moment. I actually broke up with someone before I came over here.’
‘Oh.’ Her wispy eyebrows shot up. ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’
‘Don’t be. It was for the best,’ he assured her.
