Page 61 of A Secret Cornish Wish
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He went to America after Claire’s wedding, stayed there and had not returned to university. I know he kept in touch with some of the others because they were the ones who would tell me what he was doing. The other mermaids think we’ve not spoken to each other since the night of Claire’s wedding.
Which isn’t exactly the truth . . .
Because not only have Rob and I spoken to each other, last New Year’s Eve we did a little bit more than just talk . . .
Hogmanay is a big thing in Scotland. I didn’t realise quite how big until I lived in Glasgow. I left art college with the degree I worked so hard for and lots of hope for the future. But it very quickly became clear that having an art degree and actually getting work as an artist were completely different ball games, ones I was not equipped to play at all well.
I took jobs in cafés and shops – always temporary positions, because I thought that my big break in the art world was going to be just around the corner. But when two years passed and the corner kept getting further and further away, I finally admitted to myself that not only did I need a more permanent job, but I also needed a place of my own. I was still house-sharing at the time and I was starting to crave my own space, some peace and quiet, and somewhere I could paint and create my own artwork. Not with a view to selling anything or creating a portfolio, but simply for me, without being constantly interrupted or watched over by my housemates.
I managed to get my first permanent job in one of the larger art galleries in Glasgow, and that is where I’ve been for the last five years. I started as a gallery assistant, and I’ve now progressed into more of a curator and managerial role.
So when friends of mine persuaded me to go to a fancy-dress party in Edinburgh for Hogmanay last year, I gladly accepted. I had no ties, no current boyfriend, I was still relatively young, free and single.
I thought I’d have a fun night, that’s all, and I’d see in 2004 in style in one of Edinburgh’s elegant and expensive Georgian townhouses. I didn’t think I’d be introduced to a Hollywood actor that night, and I especially didn’t think that actor would be Rob.
When Rob first went to the States, he had a few minor roles in television commercials to begin with, and then he got a small, but regular job on a daytime American soap opera, which the writers made into a much bigger role as time went on. He was in a few low-budget movies too, but I never saw him in anything and, to be honest, at the time I wasn’t too bothered if I ever did.
Rob was a schoolgirl crush and an almost-dalliance at my friend’s wedding. He was nothing more than a distant memory. The only time I ever thought about him with any concern was for a few seconds when I heard about the 9/11 terror attacks in New York a few years ago, but I quickly remembered that, although Rob originally went to New York to meet Jenna, he was now based in Los Angeles.
But on New Year’s Eve, for the movie-themed party, I was dressed as Catwoman, an outfit that didn’t go unnoticed by many of the male guests at the party. When I’d just about had enough of men lusting after their own Catwoman fantasy, and I knocked back not only a stream of advances, but an even larger number of glasses of champagne too, one of my friends thought it would be hilarious if I was introduced to a guest dressed as Batman. This guy was not the cartoon-esque Batman of sixties TV with tights and a dodgy codpiece, but the full ‘Dark Knight’ Batman of the movies and even I had to admit as I prepared to give another kind but firm rejection, that he did look quite sexy in his all-black outfit and mask.
‘Hey,’ he said after we were pushed together. ‘Nice outfit.’
I was about to reply the same, when I paused, looked closely at him then simply said, ‘Rob?’
Rob, like me, drank a fair amount that night. And as the clock struck twelve, I expected to find myself batting away offers of a midnight kiss. But, instead, I found myself sneaking out of the party still dressed as Catwoman, running through the streets of Edinburgh hand in hand with Batman, towards one of the best five-star hotels in the city.
Where two superheroes spent a rather enjoyable New Year’s Day together. Until Batman had to return to his Batcave in LA, and Catwoman had to get a train back to Glasgow, and neither of them has ever spoken of the event since.
I sigh as I look out of the train window. I know Rob is going to be at the funeral in a couple of days’ time – Claire told me he was coming. But I really hope I won’t have to speak to him that much, not for any length of time, anyway. What had happened in Edinburgh, although lovely at the time, quickly turned into something I now deeply regret.
The train pulls into St Felix station, and with the rain still pouring down I alight alongside all the other passengers.
As I’m debating whether my waterproof coat is going to be enough, or whether I’m going to need the addition of my umbrella, I hear a familiar voice calling my name from further along the platform.
‘Frankie!’
‘Eddie!’ I say as a man wearing a bright yellow mackintosh comes charging up the platform towards me. ‘Oh my God, were we on the same train?’
‘It seems so. I can’t believe it!’
We try to hug each other, but with all our waterproof clothing it’s not easy, and quite squeaky.
‘I see you’ve brought the rain down with you from Glasgow,’ Eddie says, looking up at the grey clouds. ‘It was fine when I left London – even some spring sunshine!’
‘I can’t deny we do have our fair share of rain up there,’ I admit. ‘This is crazy – what time was your train from Paddington?’
‘Twelve thirty-five. What about you?’
‘Same! Man, we could have travelled together and caught up. I can’t believe we’ve been on two trains from London together and not seen each other until now.’
‘Especially with me in this coat!’ Eddie says. ‘Are you blind?’
I grin. ‘Come on, let’s walk together. Where are you staying while you’re here?’
‘B and B at the Merry Mermaid,’ Eddie says as we walk alongside each other, pulling our suitcases behind us.
