Page 63 of A Secret Cornish Wish
‘I think this is where we part company,’ Eddie says, pausing on the pavement. ‘I assume you’re going straight to your parents’ house?’
‘Yeah, I’d better go and see how they’re getting on.’
‘Not many of us left that have family here now, are there?’ he says. ‘My mum moved away ages ago, and Suzy and Rob’s parents have gone now too. There’s only you, Claire and Mandy, I think?’
‘Yes.’ I pause on hearing Mandy’s name mentioned for the first time. ‘Oh, God, Eddie, tomorrow is going to be awful, isn’t it?’
Eddie nods. ‘It is. I have no idea what I’m going to say to Mandy, or her parents.’
‘I know. What can you say other than I’m so dreadfully sorry? It just sounds so banal. Without meaning. When really what we want to say is, “This is heartbreakingly awful. We all feel absolutely terrible, so we have no idea how you must be coping.” ’
‘Perhaps we can say that to Mandy if we see her before?’ Eddie says. ‘Save the polite condolences for her parents. Mandy was always honest with us, wasn’t she? Maybe we should be honest with her?’
I nod. ‘Mandy was never one for polite chit-chat. She always got straight to the point.’
‘Often with honest brutality.’ Eddie smiles. ‘But at least you knew where you stood with her. She never had anything to hide.’
‘You’re absolutely right. Mandy will appreciate us telling her how we really feel – not fudging over the truth with niceties.’
‘What are you doing later?’ Eddie asks. ‘Fancy a drink at the pub?’
‘I’d love one,’ I reply eagerly. ‘Can we get the others to come too? I mean, not Mandy, obviously; she’ll want to be with her family. But I can ask Claire, and do we know what time Suzy is getting here?’
‘She said evening, I think. Blair has some big function or something on today, so she couldn’t get away early. But apparently, she’s getting the train down as soon as she possibly can from Westminster tonight. I’ll text her and tell her our plans.’
‘Great. I’ll text Claire too and see if she can come.’
‘What about Rob?’ Eddie asks. ‘Do we know what time he’s getting here?’
‘Is he even coming?’ I shrug, even though I know he is. ‘Surely, he’s too busy being famous in Hollywood, isn’t he?’
‘Claire said he was going to try to come.’ Eddie raises his eyebrows at me. ‘I think he was as shocked as the rest of us when he heard.’
I feel bad. ‘Yeah, I guess so.’
‘Right, I’m going to go before this raincoat stops being waterproof and I get soaked through! I just hope the Merry Mermaid rooms are centrally heated or I’ll freeze to death.’ Eddie stares at me and pulls an anguished expression. ‘God, that was terribly bad taste in the circumstances.’
‘Don’t worry about it; it’s only me. I guess we’re all going to feel a little on edge during this visit. It’s not quite like the old days, is it?’
He shakes his head. ‘No, sadly. We’ve all grown up now, and we have to deal with grown-up things. Tomorrow is just one of those.’
The rain suddenly starts getting harder. ‘Right, let’s go and get dry; this rain isn’t getting any better. I’ll see you tonight in the bar at the Mermaid, say about eight o’clock?’
Eddie nods. ‘I’ll be there. We’ll just have a quiet little drink, a bit of a catch-up.’
‘Sounds perfect.’
But little do I know as I scurry along to my parents’ house, dripping rainwater as I go, that our little drink tonight will be anything but quiet.
Sixteen
It’s strange to see someone other than Rob’s parents behind the bar of the Merry Mermaid but Rita and Richie, the new owners, seem jovial and efficient as they serve both us and the mix of early holidaymakers and locals out for a drink this evening.
Eddie and I are the first to arrive. We quickly find a table big enough to accommodate the others when they come, and we sit down with our drinks feeling like we’ve never been away, as the familiarity of the Merry Mermaid on a busy Thursday evening envelops us like a warm and comforting blanket.
‘You know what you were saying earlier?’ I ask Eddie as we sit on the same side of the table watching the comings and goings at the bar. ‘About our parents all gradually moving away?’
‘Uh-huh,’ Eddie replies, sipping on his lager.
