‘Hey! The police are on their way!’ she hollered. Elvis was running at her side and barking. She let his lead slip from her fingers and he raced towards the group like a greyhound after a rabbit. ‘Look out, rabid dog!’ she shouted. The youths started running in all directions and quickly dispersed, leaving the victim crumpled on theground. Elvis stood nearby and barked loudly while Regan crouched down next to the person on the ground.
‘They’ve gone. Are you okay?’ she asked. The person rolled over and, despite the crumpled face, she could see who it was. She sprang upright in surprise and the youth on the floor looked startled. It was the one who had attacked Kevin and stolen from the market stalls. ‘You?’
‘I’m fine.’ He shuffled upright, wincing as he did so.
‘Sure?’ Her voice was clipped. He nodded. A noise from her mobile distracted her. She apologised to the emergency services operator and ended the call. ‘Elvis!’ She called him to her, but he was too busy barking into the street.
‘I know what you’re thinking,’ said the youth, clutching his ribs. ‘That I deserved it.’
‘I do believe in karma,’ said Regan, ‘but, no, that wasn’t what I was thinking.’
He looked surprised. ‘What then?’
Elvis trotted over. He sniffed the youth’s trousers, lifted his leg and peed on his trainers, oblivious to the youth’s shouted expletives.
‘That was what I was thinking,’ said Regan. ‘Exactly that.’ She picked up Elvis’s lead and they headed home, feeling that on at least some level, Kevin had been avenged.
She slowed down as she approached Charlie’s front door. This was it. It was all about Charlie, and yet she knew her own life was going to change the moment she walked inside.
Elvis pulled on the lead. Regan took a deep, steadying breath, unlocked the door and went in. ‘Hello?’ she called. There was no answer. Beanstalk wasn’t back. She sighed in frustration. How long was this torture going to last?
She flipped the switch on the kettle and turned around to see an envelope lying on the table. Beanstalk had scrawled on a sticky note ‘Read this. Gone for alcohol.’
Regan snatched up the envelope. Her name was written on the front. With shaking hands, she pulled out a letter written in Charlie’s handwriting. She read the first line and slumped into the chair.
My dear Reg,
I’m so truly sorry. If you’re reading this then sadly I’m no longer here because my gamble didn’t pay off.
Chapter Forty
Tears blurred her vision and she could read no more. Her heart was in pieces. Despair engulfed her, stealing her breath and stripping away her resolve. She slumped onto the table and sobbed. Great, heaving, blubbery sobs; but she didn’t care – there wasn’t much left to care about. Why had Charlie taken such a risk? She’d not even had a chance to say goodbye. Her tears overwhelmed her. Elvis whimpered and she briefly looked up to see his big sad eyes, level with hers. He pawed at her leg, and when she pushed the chair back he rested his head in her lap. He knew there was something wrong.
She clung to Elvis and cried. He was a comfort. Her world had imploded. She and Charlie had spent the best part of two months in each other’s company and it had been the best time of her life. And now it was over.
She heard the front door open and Beanstalk came striding in. ‘Oh, Reg.’ His voice was soft and he wrapped his arms around her, almost squeezing the air out of her. ‘It’s okay,’ he said.
‘Nothing will ever be okay again,’ she said, her face buried in his rock of a chest.
She felt him take the letter from her grasp. ‘Oh, shit,’ said Beanstalk. She pulled away to look up at him towering over her. She knew she must look a mess, but the way Beanstalk was scrunching his face up wasn’t really warranted.
He pulled another envelope from his back pocket. ‘Whoops. Really sorry. Wrong letter.’ He gave an awkward grin and shoved the other envelope at Regan.
She sniffed back the tears. ‘What?’ Her voice was barely a croak. The front of the envelope just had her name on – it was exactly like the first one. She slowly opened the envelope and unfolded the letter inside. Once again, Charlie’s words swam in front of her. She blinked hard to control the tears.
My dear Reg,
I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before about having the tumour removed, but I needed to do this alone. And if you’re reading this it means I’ve made it through the operation. It’ll be a few days until we know if it’s successful or if there’s any damage, but this letter means I’m alive.
God only knows what my future holds but I know I want you to be a part of it …
She couldn’t read any more. She dissolved into yet more tears, but this time they were happy ones.
‘Shitting hell, Beanstalk!’ she said, giving him a wallop as she laughed through the sobs. She took a deep breath to try to steady her shaking limbs. He handed her a length of kitchen roll and she could see he’d been crying too.
‘I am so sorry. I’m such an idiot,’ said Beanstalk. ‘Charlieleft the envelopes in my locker at work and his mum gave me instructions as to which one was which, but then I got a bit confused. When she rang with the news, I came straight here but you were still out, and I’d forgotten the alcohol so I left the envelope in a rush.’ He paused, his eyebrows knitted together. ‘I’m really sorry I upset you, but I got the best champagne the corner shop stocks.’ He held up the bottle proudly.
‘Get me a straw,’ said Regan, her heart feeling lighter than it ever had before.
