‘George is near her,’ Vince reminds me, ‘and I could get to her if there was some disaster.’
‘And so could I,’ I add quickly, grateful for his support. We’ll always be close, Vince and I. If I accept this Glasgow job, I’ll be far away from him too, and my London friends, but now I think I’m pretty good at making new ones. And the thought of an adventure, in the city I knew only as a little girl, is thrilling to me.
‘Anyway,’ he says now, ‘are you all packed and ready?’ I can tell he’s putting on a brave face, being brisk and businesslike.
‘I think so,’ I say. ‘Just the basics really, if that’s okay with you. I can pick up the rest of my things when I’m more settled.’
‘’Course it’s okay,’ Vince says. I’d looked into taking a short-term let in London, but as soon as Tash found out, she wasn’t having any of it. So, just until I make a decision, I’ll be living in her little spare room.
‘It’ll be just like old times,’ she enthused, meaning our flat-sharing days.
Now Vince is helping me to carry two large cases out to the waiting taxi. As the driver loads them into the boot, Vince and I hug, standing there together for what feels like a very long time.
The hug might have felt awkward, especially with his arm in its cast – not to mention the fact that I am leaving. But somehow, it doesn’t. It feels like a hug between two close, old friends who love each other.
It’s only when we pull apart that I see that his face is wet, and realise mine is too. It’s a relief when Jarvis runs out, tail wagging, tongue out. ‘Hey,’ I say, bobbing down to fuss over him, ‘I’ll miss you, Jarv. Look after Vince for me, won’t you?’
I straighten up and smile and Vince has mustered a smile too. ‘Never mind that. I can look after myself, y’know!’
‘I know that,’ I say.
We stand there for a moment, then he nods towards the driver who’s back in his seat, waiting to leave. ‘So this is it then,’ Vince says.
‘Yep. This is it.’ I clear my throat.
‘Hope you can manage these cases on the train . . .’
‘I’ll be fine,’ I say quickly, spotting Deborah and Agata as they appear around the corner, both wearing tracksuits. Looks like Agata has got Deborah into running. ‘I’d better go,’ I add, ‘or it’ll be all round the estate.’
‘Probably too late to stop it,’ Vince says with a wry smile as I climb into the taxi. I wave as we pull away, catching Deborah and Agata’s looks of rapt interest as we drive past.
‘Catching the London train, are you?’ the driver asks.
‘Yes, that’s right.’
‘Holiday, is it?’
What can I say?No, I’ve just left my husband for a second time?Only this time, it wasn’t done on a wild impulse, but because really, it was the right thing to do. I think Vince knows that too. ‘I’m actually moving there,’ I say.
‘I wouldn’t want to live there,’ he remarks. ‘So busy and noisy and no one knows their neighbours.’
‘Oh, I’ve never felt like that,’ I tell him as I look out onto the bright winter’s morning. ‘It’s always felt like home to me.’
EPILOGUE
A month later
Tash was right. It was like old times, us living together again. But when Alice calls, asking if I’d like to flat-sit for her, I jump at the chance and transport my belongings across town to West Hampstead. We have dinner together, and next morning she waits for the taxi that’ll take her to Euston for her train north. She is spending a couple of months in Scotland, figuring out the logistics of how she’ll host groups of young people at Osprey House. I can imagine many long evenings spent with Morag, as they hatch plans.
‘Thanks for letting me stay here,’ I say as she is about to leave.
‘Oh, you’re doing me a favour,’ she insists. ‘I’m not crazy about this place lying empty, and of course Max is too busy to pop over more than once a week.’
‘I’m looking forward to meeting this elusive son of yours,’ I tease her.
‘You will, I promise. We’ll do something when I get back.’ There are hugs then, and off she goes with her two little dogs, leaving a cloud of her distinctive perfume in her wake.
I feel instantly at home in her flat overlooking the communal gardens. Unlike Osprey House, it’s small and cosy and everything has its place. I can see now that Alice leads a very orderly life. Meanwhile, I commute across town to the museum where I’m working on a freelance basis for now. The Glasgow job would start in April, if I choose to take it.You’ll make the right decision,Alice said. It could have seemed like a platitude but somehow, coming from her, I believe it.
