Page 89 of The Vintage Dress Shop in Primrose Hill
Charles came with Sophy as far as Paddington. Her hair was still wet and she was wearing one of his t-shirts (though Sophy was amazed that Charles had anything as run-of-the-mill as a t-shirt) because she didn’t want to check in wearing a t-shirt with pasta sauce splattered on it that looked a little like blood and get put on a no-fly list.
She was also grateful that Caroline had texted to say,
I’ve put clean knickers in your hand luggage, you dirty stop-out!
Plus several of the lady-holding-up-her-hands-in-despair emoji, so Sophy guessed she was almost forgiven.
‘I will see you again,’ Sophy told Charles as they waited for the next Heathrow Express train to be announced. It wasn’t just to make him feel better; it was also a promise to herself. ‘And until then we’ll FaceTime and WhatsApp and Zoom. Even Skype.’
‘We will.’ Charles nodded gravely. ‘But not too much, because I want you to have adventures and new experiences without worrying that we agreed to FaceTime while you’re currently mid-bungee jump.’
‘I’m absolutely open to new adventures but not bungee jumping. Never bungee jumping,’ Sophy said, as she eyed the departure boards to see that the Heathrow Express was now waiting for people to board. ‘But we’ll keep in touch, unless you fall in love with some impossibly elegant French fashion editor who dresses exclusively in Dior. Then I won’t stand in your way.’
Sophy was only half joking, or, more accurately, a quarter joking. If Charles fell in love with anyone, she’d be devastated. He seemed to understand that because he pulled her close again and kissed the top of her head.
‘And if you fall in love with a ranch-hand or an actor fromNeighboursthen absolutely go for it,’ Charles said so Sophy was still half laughing, half crying as she leaned in for one final kiss before she boarded her train.
She got to Heathrow at eight twenty but of course, of course! Caroline and Mike were already waiting for her and had already checked her in online, so they could all have slept a bit more and got there for ten.
Not that Sophy was going to point that out. She suffered a ten-minute tongue-lashing from her mother, which she absolutely deserved, then it was time for one last breakfast together.
‘You are the most annoying girl,’ Caroline said as they were lingering over coffee. ‘It’s a wonder that I’m not completely grey.’
‘I’ve said that I’m sorry. I amreallysorry,’ Sophy said again.
‘But I adore you and I’m going to miss you, and Soph, please, don’t fall in love with an Australian,’ Caroline said, clutching hold of Sophy’s hand and putting it on her heart. ‘I know they’re very tanned and strapping, those surfers, but strapping isn’t everything. Look at Mike.’
Sophy looked at long-suffering Mike, who wasn’t strapping but was steadfast and kind and considerate as long as you didn’t want to use his computer. ‘You’re going to look after Mum for me, aren’t you?’ she ordered him. ‘Though without me around, you’re going to be the one she gets aggy with.’
‘What’s that meant to mean, young lady?’
Mike smiled. ‘I’m counting on it.’
It was Mike who stepped in at passport control and finally led a weeping Caroline away so that Sophy could go through to the other side.
The point of no return.
Stepping through the security barrier to pick up her handbag and put her shoes back on felt weighed down with significance. Sophy couldn’t help but feel sad. But she decided that she was allowed to feel sad. Then, when she got to Kuala Lumpur for the changeover, she’d allow herself to start feeling excited. Also a bit panicked about the final leg of her journey. A five-hour two-bus ride from Adelaide to that small coastal town with the fibreglass shrimp. Then a taxi to take her to the sheep station and hope that Bob and Jean would be delighted to see her. But Sophy would worry about all that on the plane from Kuala Lumpur to Adelaide.
Normally she loved the downtime in an airport before her gate was called. Loved stocking up on magazines and spritzing herself with perfume she couldn’t afford in the duty free, but this morning she was happy to find somewhere quiet to sit so she could go through every message on her phone that Charles had ever sent her. Including the very last one, which had arrived five minutes earlier.
Missing you already. Now go off and have some fun! x
It wasn’t long before her gate was called. There was just time for one last wee on British soil, then Sophy was making her way along the motorised walkways, jittery with nerves and stopping every now and again to make sure that her passport and her boarding pass hadn’t mysteriously disappeared since the last time she checked them.
When she got to the gate, she could see the sleek nose of the plane that would carry her away. There was already a queue of people waiting to board but Sophy sat down and it couldn’t do any harm to make sure that her passport and her boarding—
‘Fancy some company, love?’
With a deep inward sigh, Sophy looked up, all ready to tell whoever it was to hop it and hope that they weren’t assigned the seat next to her—
‘Johnno! What the actual hell? Am I seeing things?’
She blinked but he was still here. Johnno, with a massive backpack that he must have sweet-talked someone into letting him have as hand luggage, grinning down at her.
‘Surprise!’
Sophy stared at him. ‘Again. What the hell?’
