Maisie Cooper, my lovely missis. And now I'm removing her so she can meet somebody interesting.' He guffawed and began to move away but found she wasn't coming with him.
'I have already met someone interesting,' said Maisie Cooper deliberately, 'and I thank him for his help.'
'No problem at all,' Harvey muttered and was appalled to find himself blushing again. He moved quickly on into the foyer, and she allowed herself to be steered off by her husband. Not looking back, Harvey took several deep breaths and gazed for a long moment at a photograph of a 1980s hockey team. It was only after he had realised just how un rewarding this was that he noticed Bleeder had gone.
'Shit.' Without any noticeable change in mood, Harvey knew what he wanted to do: needed to do really. He ran out of the two sets of double doors that fronted the school and into driving rain.
Chapter Four
The school had allowed the weekend visitors to park their cars along the forecourt and the drive that led down to the road. One of these cars was revving and its lights were on in the gathering afternoon gloom. Harvey ran to the car, heedless of the fact that he had left his coat behind in the foyer, and tapped on the window. Bleeder leaned across and wound down the window. 'Hello,' he said. 'Need a lift?'
'Yeah,' Harvey had to shout against the wind, 'thanks.' He grabbed the door of what he realised was one of the nicest cars he'd ever entered, and climbed aboard.
'Thanks,' he said again. 'I came without a coat. It was all right earlier.'
'Yes. Cornish weather.' Negotiating the driveway, Bleeder seemed to have other things on his mind. They sat in silence for a few moments until the car had pulled out of a difficult blind turn and onto the main road. Then came traffic lights, which were red.
'Which way are you heading?' Bleeder broke the silence and Harvey waved his hand vaguely.
'Oh, into town. I just wanted to get out of there really. It's a bit . . . I don't know.'
'Yes, there are better ways to spend an afternoon.' Again, Harvey was astounded by the change from boy to man. He was articulate, precise, engaging, competent. All the things he hadn't been at school.
'I guess for you it's very hard.' Harvey only realised he'd said this aloud as he heard it echo to the backbeat of the rain.
'Me, why?'
'Well, I guess you had a rough time here. At school, I mean. I mean, didn't you? I seem to remember you getting a bit of stick and stuff . . .' A bit of stick.
Bleeder smiled, he actually grinned. 'Did I? Yes, I suppose I did, though I was hardly aware of it at the time. I had other things going on in my life.' He put this last sentence in slightly ironic parentheses and then added with even greater emphasis: 'I had issues.'
'Right, yeah. Well, I guess we all do at that age.'
'Do we?' Bleeder looked across at him with genuine interest. 'Did you?'
'Er, well, yes, I guess.'
'What were your issues?' Jesus . Harvey had the strange sensation of suddenly wanting to get out of a conversation he had been waiting twenty years to have.
'Um. Well, you know, teenage stuff and home was, you know, tricky.'
'Yes? Can you say more about that?'
Christ. 'No, no not really . . . I mean, it's kind of my stuff, I guess, water under the bridge and so on.' What was he supposed to say?
'OK. I can understand that.' Bleeder was nodding. 'But it can help to talk that stuff through a little bit, engage with it and let it sort of unpick itself, don't you think?'
'Oh sure, yeah, I talk about it a lot. I just don't really want to now.' 'Sure, that's fine.'
'Thanks.' Harvey found himself literally mopping his brow with his sleeve, though whether it was rain or sweat he wasn't sure. He went on quickly, 'I mean, so, you know, what's up with you being here? I mean, you said inside that you just happened to be passing. But, I don't know why, I don't get the impression you pass through town that much or that often.'
'No I don't.' They were driving down the main road to St Ives,
'I have already met someone interesting,' said Maisie Cooper deliberately, 'and I thank him for his help.'
'No problem at all,' Harvey muttered and was appalled to find himself blushing again. He moved quickly on into the foyer, and she allowed herself to be steered off by her husband. Not looking back, Harvey took several deep breaths and gazed for a long moment at a photograph of a 1980s hockey team. It was only after he had realised just how un rewarding this was that he noticed Bleeder had gone.
'Shit.' Without any noticeable change in mood, Harvey knew what he wanted to do: needed to do really. He ran out of the two sets of double doors that fronted the school and into driving rain.
Chapter Four
The school had allowed the weekend visitors to park their cars along the forecourt and the drive that led down to the road. One of these cars was revving and its lights were on in the gathering afternoon gloom. Harvey ran to the car, heedless of the fact that he had left his coat behind in the foyer, and tapped on the window. Bleeder leaned across and wound down the window. 'Hello,' he said. 'Need a lift?'
'Yeah,' Harvey had to shout against the wind, 'thanks.' He grabbed the door of what he realised was one of the nicest cars he'd ever entered, and climbed aboard.
'Thanks,' he said again. 'I came without a coat. It was all right earlier.'
'Yes. Cornish weather.' Negotiating the driveway, Bleeder seemed to have other things on his mind. They sat in silence for a few moments until the car had pulled out of a difficult blind turn and onto the main road. Then came traffic lights, which were red.
'Which way are you heading?' Bleeder broke the silence and Harvey waved his hand vaguely.
'Oh, into town. I just wanted to get out of there really. It's a bit . . . I don't know.'
'Yes, there are better ways to spend an afternoon.' Again, Harvey was astounded by the change from boy to man. He was articulate, precise, engaging, competent. All the things he hadn't been at school.
'I guess for you it's very hard.' Harvey only realised he'd said this aloud as he heard it echo to the backbeat of the rain.
'Me, why?'
'Well, I guess you had a rough time here. At school, I mean. I mean, didn't you? I seem to remember you getting a bit of stick and stuff . . .' A bit of stick.
Bleeder smiled, he actually grinned. 'Did I? Yes, I suppose I did, though I was hardly aware of it at the time. I had other things going on in my life.' He put this last sentence in slightly ironic parentheses and then added with even greater emphasis: 'I had issues.'
'Right, yeah. Well, I guess we all do at that age.'
'Do we?' Bleeder looked across at him with genuine interest. 'Did you?'
'Er, well, yes, I guess.'
'What were your issues?' Jesus . Harvey had the strange sensation of suddenly wanting to get out of a conversation he had been waiting twenty years to have.
'Um. Well, you know, teenage stuff and home was, you know, tricky.'
'Yes? Can you say more about that?'
Christ. 'No, no not really . . . I mean, it's kind of my stuff, I guess, water under the bridge and so on.' What was he supposed to say?
'OK. I can understand that.' Bleeder was nodding. 'But it can help to talk that stuff through a little bit, engage with it and let it sort of unpick itself, don't you think?'
'Oh sure, yeah, I talk about it a lot. I just don't really want to now.' 'Sure, that's fine.'
'Thanks.' Harvey found himself literally mopping his brow with his sleeve, though whether it was rain or sweat he wasn't sure. He went on quickly, 'I mean, so, you know, what's up with you being here? I mean, you said inside that you just happened to be passing. But, I don't know why, I don't get the impression you pass through town that much or that often.'
'No I don't.' They were driving down the main road to St Ives,
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