Chapter 2

You’re not expecting anything to happen here, you’ll deliver the small package that you’ve been told is important and then you’ll leave. You can do it quickly because you can remember the back roads and the shortcuts and then you’ll return. So when you hear your name being called you only let it slip through your mind but barely notice it otherwise. Then there’s a hand on your shoulder and you’re turning to face a young man with strong eyes.

“Ayeston look at you.”

The man still has his hand on your shoulder and there’s a smile on his face. You try and count the years since you last saw him but your mind has become muddled and you can’t.

“Well, you gonna even say hello?”

You smile for the first time. “Hello. How are you Geoffrey?”

“Good of course mate. Come on, where are you going, I’ll walk with you.”

You start moving off. You’re still in shock, unsure of what to say. It’s been years. Now this narrator knows it has been 6 years 18 days 3 hours 8 minutes 15 seconds and 1 millisecond (though of course you wouldn’t know about the millisecond for that is a concept this world does not have),  since you last saw him. However this is not something you know, for the time has been so long you can no longer remember if your hair was long or short then, or if you’ve grown three centimetres in the last four years or centimetres in the last three. But you know it’s been a long time and that is enough.

“What are you up to these days, last I saw of you you were off to wipe some lady’s a*s.” He laughs and it’s such a barrel of a laugh that tinge of longing comes to your mind. You’ve missed this.

“Not anymore. I’m a runner now.” If you were elsewhere that might be all you do in the day but the household you’re in does not have as many errands to run as others so you do the odd job where it’s needed. You like it and you do not miss your past. But then there’s him.

“Where are you at then?”

The man smiles, of course he smiles you know he always smiles.

“Nowhere that’s worth talking about.”

You think there’s something almost shifty about the tone in his voice.

“What are you doing?” You say it sharp and it’s a tone you haven’t used in awhile. There hasn’t been anything you want to know from someone for awhile.

“Nothing, nothing mate.” He laughs. “My life ain’t interesting. It’s yours that’s really to talk about.” He slings his arm across your shoulders but you shake it off.

“I don’t want to hear you’ve done anything, you know-”

He stops you and turn to look at him. For once there’s no smile on his face.

“When would you ever hear anything about us? You haven’t heard anything for six years are you gonna start listening?”

You know that every word he said is the truth and you know you should feel ashamed but you don’t. You know of course that that hole let no sound through. You knew it and you know it and you can’t feel ashamed. But you wish he hadn’t said it.

“Do what you want Geoffrey.” You have no right to say anything else. “I’m late.”

You begin to walk again and he follows.

“Look Ayeston, if I’m going to hurt someone it will be myself.”

You nod, it’s as much assurance as you will get and you must take it. This is your glimpse back through the hole but you cannot go through.

“I’m going near Madams,” you tell him. “Will you come with me?”

You talk about places you used to walk and people he knows but you’ve forgotten. You joke a bit and laugh and his smile returns and almost forget there’s a cloak on your back or a purse by your side. You forget you have somewhere to go back to and you forget you have someone to leave.

“There’s Madams.”

You both stop.

This is where you could awkwardly say see you around, or good luck with a manly yet teary handshake. But you don’t say that, you say the one thing you didn’t say when you left.

“It was nice knowing you.”

He smiles, just as he always does.

“I’ll see you up there one day.”

No more is said and you watch him walk past you and off down towards where the cotton shop that used to be owned by the sprite man who you just found out died last month.