She knew I wasn’t busy, she would have checked with the other elderly ladies of town, the church and the school if I was working for them today. It was a very quiet Monday.
“What’s his name again? Jim? Jack?” Beca asked.
“James, silly.” Glynis said, then turned to me. “You remember James, don’t you?”
I racked my brains - I had vague memories of Glynis’ grandson coming to the village when I was younger - was he a couple of years younger than me? I was sure that he was. He was a skinny little guy, and his parents had always seemed like they didn’t fit in, much more buttoned up than the rest of the village. They must have stopped coming after a while, because I couldn’t remember him around in my high school years.
“You won’t have seen them for a while,” Glynis said, confirming what I thought. “Once they moved properly to London they insisted on me meeting them half-way for Christmas, in Cardiff or Bristol. Been busy the last couple of years though. Even changed their last names to Evans to ‘fit in’.” Glynis looked downtrodden at that, her usually stoic face showing signs of sadness.
“What’s brought him down now then?” I asked.
“Oh, he wouldn’t say. Said he would tell me when he got here, but he should be here until Thursday at least.”
“He’s gay like you, Llyw, isn’t he?” Beca said. I had just taken a gulp, and almost spit out my tea.
“How should I know?” I spluttered, perhaps too indignantly. “I haven’t seen him in twenty years.”
“Yes, he is,” said Glynis. “He grew into quite a handsome man too. Looked awful stressed last I saw him though, I told him he should take a holiday up this way.” She looked smug as she spoke, the air of a grandmother who’s always right.“Nothing like a bit of sun and sea.”
“And a town with more men who fancy men than you can shake a stick at,” muttered Beca under her breath.
I stood up quickly — maybe too quickly. “When was it you wanted me to pick him up, Glynis?” I asked.
“His train will be at Aberystwyth at about 2 in the afternoon, that OK love?”
“Yes, fine.” Aberystwyth was about 10 minutes drive away, so I could fill my day with whatever I wanted until then.
“Oh, and Llywelyn?” Glynis beckoned me closer to her and I took a step forwards. “Thank you.” She stuffed a ten pound note into my pocket before I could complain.
???
Hours later I pulled down the mirror in front of me in the van and tried my best to look presentable. It wasn’t that I was all that worried about how a stranger thought I looked, but…it couldn’t hurt to make a good first impression. I straightened the collar of my tartan shirt and pushed my beanie hat upwards. My beard wasn’t savable at this point. I had left it grow just that little bit too long for a few days and a quick comb right now wouldn’t possibly make it look all that much better.
I checked my phone. The train was 2 minutes late, but that was par for the course. I had parked up 10 minutes early on the off chance it would be early. As I put my phone back into my pocket the train pulled into the station. I hopped out of the van to greet our new visitor. It was a windy, cloudy day. I pulled my shirt at the front like it would help me warm up.
Only one person got off at the station, and my heart thumped. I hadn’t expected him to look so lost, or vulnerable. Or beautiful. He was shorter and thinner than me, and wore a denim jacket and jeans. He had mousy brown hair and green eyes that sparkled even on this cloudy day. He looked around himself as if unsure, and when his eyes landed on me he looked almost taken aback. Or scared? I instinctively wanted to protect him. But that was stupid.
He walked slowly toward me, as if unsure I was who he should be meeting.
“James?” I asked. He smiled hesitantly and nodded.
“I’m Llywelyn. YourNainasked me to come and get you.” I crossed the distance between us and held out a hand for him to shake. He took it after a moment. His hands were smaller and smoother than mine like they hadn’t ever done much manual labour. I felt a bit inadequate and scruffy immediately.
Now I was closer, I could see the a light shadow along his jawline, along with what looked like yellowing bruises. “What happened?” I asked, and immediately felt stupid. It wasn’t my place to ask.
“You should see the other guy,” James said quietly and with a grim smile. I smiled back tightly, but for some reason felt angry more than anything else. I wanted to find out who had hurt him and hurt them. “Is this your van?” he asked, pointing.
“Um, yes. Do you have luggage with you?”
“No. I don’t have anything with me.” James went straight to the passenger side of the van and climbed in. I felt embarrassed looking at him in my shoddy work van. He looked very out of place in the passenger seat. I jumped in and turned the engine on. It was cold, not yet spring, so I pumped up the heating. James shivered lightly. After making sure he was belted in I drove from the train station and down the little country lane that would lead back to Hiraeth.
After a minute, James spoke. “I think I remember seeing you here when I was little. My parents weren’t entirely for me socialising with the kids in the village, so we never played. You look the same, though.”
“Not sure I do,” I snorted. “I’m older, hairier and uglier than I was when we last met I’m sure.”
“Not uglier,” Jamie muttered under his breath. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been back to Hiraeth. Must be at least fifteen years. Has it changed at all?”
“Not really,” I said. “If anything, it’s quieter. A lot of the old businesses have closed down and no one is coming in to replace them. A couple of the shops are boarded up.”
