‘I am,’ she answered with confidence. ‘Is everything okay, Dominic? I guess I’m just wondering about the reason for the call.Not that it isn’t lovely to hear from you, it is, but I can’t imagine you just calling to congratulate me on the birth of Amelia.’
‘No, not the only reason, you’re right, but it felt like a good opportunity. The real reason is, I wanted to tell you something.’
‘What did you want to tell me?’ She held the phone close her face, listening intently.
‘I wanted to tell you thatFoula Girlis finished.’
‘Well, that’s, that’s really something. I know it’s been a labour of love for the longest time.’
‘She’s been more than that, actually. She’s been a lifeline, a distraction when I needed it most. Something to pour all my energies into, something that’s given me hope.’
‘I’m glad for you, Dominic, happy that you’ve had her to rely on.’At a time when you were lonely and struggling, something I entirely understand...
It was her unspoken words that rang louder.
‘That’s the thing about a boat or car or a plane when it’s a restoration project, it’s not only about the hours you spend completing fiddly, time-consuming and sometimes utterly draining projects, it’s not even about the nights you spend dreaming about how she’ll look or what it will feel like to travel in her. No, it’s much more than that. It’s about a promise, a promise of escape and the fact that the thing you’re lovingly investing your time in is the thing that will take you away from whatever it is you need to run from, whatever it is you’re trying to escape. And that car or that boat, they become intrinsic to the plan, to your dream. I’m sure I’m not the only one who tellsFoula Girlwhat’s in my thoughts, what my plans are, she knows it all.’
‘What are you trying to escape from?’ She asked the question already able to at least half guess at the answer.
‘My old life. The way I’ve been living for so long, the dissatisfying drudge. I’ve told you before, I’m sick of runningaway from everything, sick of hiding, sick of everything being just about good enough. Instead, I’m going to start running towards things, running towards the horizon. Running towards my future. Running towards a life that I believe I’m owed! A life I’m still young enough to enjoy.’
‘Well, I for one wish you nothing but success and happiness, Dominic. I hope you find what you’re looking for, and I hope all that running doesn’t tire you out so much that you don’t have time to enjoy the journey.’
A journey that I once thought I might take with you, oh lovely man. But one that I believe comes at a cost that is too high for our wonderful children to pay...
She heard the brief flare of his laughter and pictured him smiling in the way that he did, and her heart flexed at the memory of it.
‘Did you hear that Trish has met someone?’
‘Iris mentioned something. When did it... Is he... I mean, you don’t have to talk about it, don’t have to give me the details. It’s none of my business, after all, nothing to do with me.’ She wondered for whose benefit she had added the last sentence.
‘I want to talk to you about it. I want to give you the details, it’s important that you know.’
Enya listened intently as he quietly spoke words edged with emotion.
‘She’s seeing a guy she met online, met him not long after the kids’ wedding actually, but has kept things quiet, kept it to herself for obvious reasons.’
‘And how do you feel about it?’ She cringed, unsure if this was the right thing to ask. It felt like a loaded question.
‘I feel strangely sad, because it makes everything final. It takes us to that next phase, and an ending of anything is always a hard thing, even if it’s something you’ve longed for. Change isn’t easy for us humans.’
Enya made a murmur of agreement; wasn’t that the truth.
‘I feel happy too, because I want the best for her, she deserves happiness. It’s the new start we both need, the momentum we’ve been looking for. He seems like a reasonable man; he makes her laugh and sounds solid and decent. But there’s also this tiny bit of jealousy, which I know is ridiculous! I don’t even know if I should be saying it out loud, but he’s going to live in the house I designed and built, and even though our marriage is dead in the water, she’s been my wife for a very long time. She’ll always be the mother of my child, and so yes, a tiny sliver of jealousy. Is that odd?’
‘No, I think it’s honest.’ She liked his openness.
‘The point is, Enya, what I want to say is,’ he hesitated, ‘I’m going to run towards the life I want, and I want you to run towards it with me!’
She let out a burst of laughter, surprised, flattered and utterly unprepared for the sudden request. It was what he did, went from nought to a hundred with an enthusiasm that was infectious.
‘You want me to take your hand and you want us to figure it out...’
‘Yes! That’s exactly what I want. I’m launchingFoula Girlin the next week or so and then I’m going. I’m actually going! I can’t tell you how long this has been in the planning in my imaginings, and the fact that it’s arrived is like a dream come true. I feel happy! But I know I’d be a whole lot happier if you were to come with me. I think about you all the time, have done since the day in the car park.’
Her second snort of laughter was almost a visceral reaction. He made her self-conscious and elated all at once.
‘Please, Enya, please just say yes, lock up the house, let someone look after Pickle, pack a small bag and come and jump on this boat with me, come and jump on this adventure with me!’
