‘It’s very quiet. I’d forgotten.’
‘Yeah. It is. Quite quiet.’ Nathan’s mind was utterly blank. He couldn’t think of a single thing to say. Across the room, he saw Ilse glance towards them, then immediately look away. She was being talked at by an older woman who Nathan didn’t recognise.
‘Anyway,’ Melanie said. ‘Listen, I’m so sorry about Cameron, and I completely realise this isn’t an ideal time, but I wasn’t sure when I might run into you again so I wanted to say hi. I mean, I don’t know if you’re ever in town –’
‘I’m not. Hardly ever.’
‘Oh.’ She blinked, then recovered. ‘Well, if you ever were and wanted to catch up for a drink or something, let me know.’
‘Oh. Okay.’
‘You can call me over at Atherton. And it’s Melanie.’
‘Melanie. Yeah, I know. Got it.’
‘Good. Okay then.’ She smiled, and as she turned to move away, she touched his arm lightly in a way that no-one had touched Nathan for a very long time. The heat of her fingertips lingered on his skin, so clear and sharp it was almost painful. He watched her blend back into the crowd, then jumped as Harry suddenly appeared at his side.
‘I’m going to be honest, mate, I’m not sure you’re in any position to play hard to get.’ Harry handed him a fresh beer.
‘Jesus, Harry. I don’t even think that’s what she was –’
‘Well, you’ll never know if you don’t try, will you? You should give her a call. Start showing your face in town a bit.’
‘She’s been away. She won’t know –’
‘About all that business with Keith? She will. If she’s based at Atherton, they’ll have said something. No question.’
‘Still. I dunno. I’ll think about it.’
‘Do. Because you’re not making it easy, mate.’
‘Easy for who?’
‘Anyone. Them. You.’ Harry nodded at the crowd. ‘At least give them a chance to forgive you.’
‘I did my begging ten years ago. It didn’t work out well.’
‘No-one’s asking you to do that. Just meet them halfway. Or a bit more, maybe. A lot of time has gone by.’
‘Same faces.’
‘Some. Some not.’ Harry dropped his voice. ‘And a couple of them have been asking about you. Young Tom. Geoff. Asking what you’ve been up to. Look at them. They know that could’ve easily been you we buried out there. Still could be one day soon, if they’re not careful. And that’d be something they’d all have to live with. This kind of thing brings things into perspective, puts people in a forgiving mood.’
‘Yeah? Well, good on them.’
‘I’m just saying, mate.’
Nathan shrugged. Across the room, he could see Bub chatting to a group of blokes about his age. Over in the corner, Ilse had escaped the older woman and was now talking to Steve.
They were standing apart from the other mourners, in the no-man’s-land under the painting. Ilse had her head close to Steve’s and looked to be speaking in a low voice. She was saying something, her face unusually agitated, while Steve pursed his lips. When Ilse stopped, the nurse shook his head. He opened his mouth to respond but she cut him off and started whispering again, more urgently this time. The crowd shifted and resettled and Nathan lost sight of them.
He leaned back against the wall. It was hot in the room and the chatter suddenly sounded loud. Nathan put down his beer and reached for the water jug on the nearest table. It was empty, as were two others he could see.
‘I’m going to fill these up,’ he said to Harry.
Harry shrugged. ‘I’m telling you, mate. You’re not doing yourself any favours, hiding away today.’
Nathan didn’t reply.
