Page 26 of One More Day
‘I’ll check out bus times,’ I chirp.
‘You can’t take a dog on the bus,’ says Rusty. ‘Plus, that would be a four-hour trip.’
‘Right, well, I guess I’ll just have to wait a while.’
‘When I say quite a w-while … I’m not hopeful for this side of Christmas to be honest,’ Rusty stammers, biting his lip.
‘What?’
My eyes widen.
So do Charlie’s.
‘W-well, there’s a major backlog in supplies and everything is slow at this time of year.’
I see Charlie’s jaw clench, before he exhales. He almost looks as if he might punch something. I feel a bit dizzy.
‘How about … how about you drive me back down to Dublin, Rusty?’ I suggest, pacing the floor as I speak. ‘I’d pay for the fuel and your time, and you’d be up and down in oneday, or you could … you could even stay the night to break up the journey?’
Rusty rubs his chin and scrunches up his face, looking at the floor and avoiding me and Charlie all the way.
‘Sorry, Rose, you know I would if I could,’ he whispers.
‘Rusty, please?’
‘I’ve already mentioned … things aren’t good at home with me and Marion right now,’ he says, as if the words are being forced from him, ‘and without going into any more detail, that’s putting it very mildly.’
I stop pacing. I’m out of ideas already.
‘So, it’s not a good time for me to go away,’ he explains. ‘Not to mention the weather. It’s not ideal driving conditions either. Sorry, love.’
We stand there, all three of us blankly staring at the floor in silence until Charlie launches his attack.
‘Well, I’m not sure what options are left, but if you don’t mind, I came here for a break and I’d really like to get on with it,’ he says, with more than a pinch of anger in his usually mild-mannered voice. ‘This has been an absolute shambles since I got here.’
Ouch.
‘So, if you two don’t mind quickly coming to some sort of arrangement and sticking to it, I’d really appreciate it.’
‘We’re trying to,’ says Rusty, his own voice a little bit clipped as he pushes back his shoulders. He isn’t tall compared to Charlie, but I’ve a feeling he’s well able to stand his ground amongst the big boys. ‘This was adoublebooking, don’t forget.’
‘I know – and mistakes happen. We’re all human. I know you were equally looking forward to staying here for Christmas, Rose.’
Charlie takes a deep breath, holds his forehead and shifts from one bare foot to the other. What is it with him always in his bare feet? It’s cosy in the cottage, yes, but it’s the middle of winter.
‘Why don’t you just stay, Rose?’ says Charlie, rinsing out his cup now and putting it on the dishrack. ‘I’d offer to leave myself but quite frankly, even this unconventional arrangement is more appealing than going home. And I can’t be bothered with any more of this faffing around and wasting time.’
‘Excuse me?’
He lifts the cup before it gets the chance to drain, dries it as he speaks and puts it back in the cupboard, pushing the handle to the right to match the others.
‘Just stay until your car is sorted, but I’ll expect a further discount, Rusty.’
‘Of course, I can honour that,’ says Rusty. His eyes light up. He stands up straight, as if he’s just been offered a long-awaited lifeline.
‘And I’ll pay half of it, of course,’ I say quickly.
The air feels lighter. Rusty is already offering Charlie a handshake.
