Brad hugged Mallory. ‘Take care of you, Mal, right?’ He kissed the top of her head.
Clinging to her friend, she closed her eyes. ‘Thank you both for everything. I really don’t know what I would have done without you. I’ll miss you.’
‘That’s what friends are for, Mally,’ Josie said through her open van window. Brad climbed into the van and they drove away. Josie hung out of the car waving frantically until they were out of sight.
Mallory walked back into the eerie silence of the house. She looked around the room at her old brown leather sofa that had seen better days, her burgundy rug complete with worried-looking dog, the solid oak sideboard displaying photo memories, the widescreen TV that Sam had insisted they needed, the beautiful artwork on the walls, some that Mallory had before Sam and some that they had bought on visits to Scotland together. And there, above the beautiful inglenook fireplace on the mantle, sat the urn.
She touched the cold surface of the container. ‘Oh Sam, what do I do now? I feel so lost. I miss you so much and I can’t imagine the rest of my life without you. Why did this have to happen to you?’ She wiped away a tear as Ruby jumped up, stretching her little fuzzy body along Mallory’s thigh.
‘Come on Ruby-doo, let’s go get some fresh air eh? Want to go for a walk?’ She picked up the little dog and nuzzled her spikey fur. Ruby wagged her little stumpy tail in excitement at her second favourite word; her favourite being dinner.
Mallory clipped on Ruby’s lead, grabbed Sam’s old fleece and set off out into the afternoon sunshine. It felt surprisingly warm compared to the chill of recent weeks. The pair strolled along, stopping at the same place she always did when crossing the bridge. She loved the view and the memories that it evoked, no matter how painful. As they continued on a Land Rover pulled up alongside them and stopped.
‘Hey, Mallory,’ Greg shouted through the lowered window. ‘How are you doing?’
She smiled. ‘Oh hi, Greg. I’m okay, I think. Having my moments.’
Greg climbed out of the vehicle and came around to where she stood. ‘Look, I wanted to apologise for that night in the pub.’ He ran his hand through his hair. ‘If I’d have known…’
‘Look, don’t worry, you had no clue. How could you have? I’d had quite a bit to drink too which I don’t think helped. Really, please don’t worry.’ She smiled again, hoping to reassure him.
‘I just felt so bad. I came around the day after.’
‘Yes, Josie said so. You don’t need to worry, honestly.’
He cringed. ‘Aye, but I just feel that every time I speak to you I put my foot in it.’
‘Well, if it’s any consolation, up to that point in the evening I thought you were really good,’ she enthused.
Greg blushed; he actually blushed! Mallory found it quite amusing that this surly, skyscraper of a man could be a little shy about his talent.
‘Really? Thanks. I’m hoping to do it again soon. You should come along. Are there any other songs I should avoid?’ he asked cautiously.
Shaking her head, she replied, ‘No, just that one.’
He saluted her. ‘Okay, noted. Keep a lookout for the blackboard at the pub… well that is when I’ve made one. Right, well, I’d better go. I’m off to fix a leaky tap at Colin’s. He tried to do it, but I think it’s something a bit more serious than he thought.’ He walked back to the driver’s side of the car and climbed in. ‘I’m glad you’re okay… well, as okay as you can be, eh?’
He fastened his seatbelt and looked back to where Mallory still stood. ‘Anyway, you should come up to the pub for some food sometime. Stella makes the best steak pie and you look like you could use a good meal.’ He clamped a hand over his mouth as soon as the words had fallen out. ‘Fuck. I really should just not talk to you, eh?’ He shook his head as if he was annoyed with himself and drove away quickly without another word.
Mallory frowned and smoothed Sam’s baggy fleece down her body. She didn’t care if it was too big. It still smelled of Sam. She tugged on Ruby’s lead and they continued their walk.
