by Cherry Kay
“The Grange.” She read the large, gold letters on the bottle green background of the sign above the pub. “I had no idea what the pub was called when I walked in last night.”
She looked at Finn who was smiling. He put the hamper down and outstretched his arms.
“Welcome to The Grange Public House. It's been my home for almost a year now and now it will be yours for Christmas or for as long as you want it to be.”
She looked across the road and back at Finn.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked.
“Because I think you're a nice person and I think you need a friend right about now.” He picked up the hamper. “Come on.”
He gestured with his head to cross the road. He unlocked a side door and they entered a narrow corridor. Straight ahead were a flight of stairs. She walked towards them, behind him, and realized that they were at the back of the pub. Just before following him up the stairs she turned to see the back of the L-shaped bar and the dim, quiet pub with the familiar smell of spirits and beers that she remembered from last night. She could not smell the wood fire burning but suddenly felt the warmth of it on her face, the way she had when she first sat in front of it.
“Welcome to Finn's place,” he said at the top of the stairs.
They were standing on a small landing with several doors leading off. One was slightly ajar and she could see this was his bedroom.
“Can I get you a tea before we set off?” he asked as they walked into the kitchen.
“We're setting off straight away?”
“London is a big place. We won't even touch the surface in a day. So, tea or no tea?”
His smile was infectious, she couldn't help but smile too.
“Let's just go,” she said.
He set the hamper on the kitchen table and took Marsha's hand, leading her back down the stairs. She looked over her shoulder again at the foot of the stairs and saw the lonely pub interior.
“Who's looking after the pub today? Janey?” Marsha asked as Finn unlocked the door to the street.
“Yes, Janey and Fred will be on duty today.” He hurried her across the road and extended his hand as a red bus approached.
“Does Janey live at the pub?” Marsha asked as casually as she could. He guided her to the back row of the bus.
“No, Janey lives in Fulham, with her parents I believe.”
Marsha looked out of the window at the passing tall apartment blocks as the bus climbed a hill.
“Why don't you ask me the real question?” Finn said as the bus came to another stop.
“What's the real question?” she looked innocently at him.
“Whether I have a girlfriend or not.”
“Well, do you?”
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Not anymore.”
“Then we're just two lonely hearts, passing through time, sharing life's journey for the holidays.”
“Sounds good to me. Where are we going?”
“You'll see.”
They chatted all the way, Finn pointed out as many tourists’ spots or places of interest as he could. Brampton Road, South Kensington, Westminster, and finally they arrived at Waterloo. She had heard of many of these places and with an increasing feeling of letting go, she was enjoying every second of Finn's company.
They got out of the train station at Waterloo and as Marsha looked around it came to her, she had guessed Finn's surprise.
“The London Eye!” she was as giddy as a schoolgirl. She practically jumped up and down and clapped her hands. “I always wanted to go on the London Eye. Is that it, is that the surprise?”
“You guessed it. Are you ready?” he said.
“Of course I'm ready.”
They were holding hands again, and getting closer to their destination.
“If I didn't know better, Finn Brady, I'd say you were reading my mind or that you'd read my diary.”
“You keep a diary?”
“Not anymore. I don't have much to write about these days. My life has been pretty boring lately.”
“So the guy you just ditched was pretty boring?”
“In many respects, he was. Actually, in all respects he was. He lives here in London, as you may have guessed, and when we met up in New York, he pretty much had a one track mind.”
“That's a shame. I'm sure you would have had lots to show him in your home town.”
“Problem with him is that he thought he knew it all.”
“I know something he didn't know.”
“And what's that?”
“He didn't know what he had when he had you.”
“Finn!”
All she could do was say his name. The sound of it seemed to echo around in her head as they stopped at the ticket sales office, just staring into each other's eyes.
“Are you two waiting to go on or not?” Someone behind them asked. Still they didn't move.
Without turning his head to look at the person asking the question, Finn said, “You go ahead, mate, we're in no hurry today.”
“No, Finn,” Marsha shook herself out of the trance he seemed to have put her in. “We have a lot to do. I don't have much time here.”
“True.”
They purchased tickets and waited their turn. It seemed like forever before they were able to go up in a capsule. It was a beautiful late morning, perfect for a trip like this, Marsha thought. There were lots of tourists in the capsule with them, she could hear the different languages being spoken and a few American accents. Rising slowly and taking in the picturesque sights of the city, Marsha instinctively held Finn's hand.
She looked out at the London skyline as it traveled by her in slow motion but she could feel Finn's eyes on the side of her face. He eyes never left her until they had almost completed the rotation.
They were silent as they left the London Eye, walking slowly among the many tourists, circling them until they got to the London Eye Pier.
“Come on,” Finn said. “You're not cold are you?”
“No, actually it was colder in New York when I left, but this jacket is perfect, not to mention a perfect fit.”
“Good, because we're getting to our next destination via the river.”
They entered the pier, and as if it were already planned or just an amazing coincidence, there was a river boat about to depart.
“Finn, this is amazing. I'm sure I'd never have done this if...”
“If you hadn't met me?”
“Exactly what I was going to say.”
They found a place to sit. For a moment Marsha thought Finn was going to put his arm around her, she wouldn't have minded. She was feeling cold out on the Thames. They had chosen to sit in a part of the large boat with no protection from the elements and Marsha could feel the cold breeze blowing up the river sending icy tingles to her cheeks, the tips of her nose and her fingers, even though she was wearing gloves.
She looked at Finn, he was smiling, of course, but his cheeks were tinged with red from the cold and he was sniffing.
“Here,” she said. “I think I have a handkerchief.”
“Thank you. I think we both need to get warmed up. We'll get off at the next stop and find somewhere to have lunch.”
“Suits me.”
They made their way off the boat. Finn had done a good job as Marsha's tour guide as they passed more places of interest along the river.
“So where are we now?” Marsha asked.
“This is London Bridge, and if I'm not mistaken there's a lovely little pub that does traditional English Fayre very close by.”
“Are we talking fish and chips?”
“And more. Come on.”
The pub was small and crowded, again with tourists. Finn guided her to the busy bar and shouted out an order for fish and chips for two. The barmaid gave him a wooden spoon with a number seventeen on it and asked what they wanted to drink. He asked for two pints of beer.
They managed to find a table in a corner that j
ust became vacant.
“That was good timing,” Finn said as he placed the pint glasses down.
“Finn, I'm not sure I can manage to drink all that so early in the day.”
“Sure you can, I can always help you out if you get stuck.” He winked at her and raised his pint glass. “Cheers, Marsha. To impromptu holidays and serendipitous meetings.” He touched his glass to hers.
“I'll drink to that,” she said.
Marsha sipped some beer and became quiet.
“You warming up yet?” Finn asked.
“Yes, thank you.”
“Marsha, I can see it again.”
“What's that?”
“The sadness in your eyes. This is supposed to be fun.”
“I know, Finn, and I'm having a great time but...”
“But your heart is breaking.”
“You could say that.”
“If you want to talk about it, please feel free. I'm a great listener.”
“I thought you might be.” She gave a faint laugh. “Well, I'm sure you've figured most of it out already. But, there was this guy, Jonathan. I met him in New York and we kinda got this thing happening. It was just for fun, at first, but Jonathan started buying me presents, taking me to expensive restaurants and I was having a great time.”
A loud voice called out, “Number Seventeen!” from a doorway near the bar.
“That's us,” Finn said.
He waved to the waitress, who put down two over-sized plates in front of them. A large battered cod fish and a mountain of chips over spilled from each plate. Also on the plate was a small portion of mushy, green peas and a tiny pot of tartar sauce. Their knives and forks were wrapped in paper napkins.
“Sauces over on that table,” the waitress said, pointing a finger. They thanked her and she disappeared into the crowd.
“My God,” Marsha said. “The English eat as much as the Americans.”
“Enjoy it,” Finn smiled at her. “But, you were saying that this guy, Jonathan took you to expensive restaurants.”
“Yeah, but only in the first few months. After that I was lucky to see the outside of his hotel room or my apartment if you know what I mean.”
“I do.”
“Well, I was stupid. I let myself start falling for him and I guess I couldn't see that he was using me. I came here to surprise him only to have his fiancée open the door to me.”
“You're kidding me.”
“I wish I were. But no. She was beautiful, oblivious to everything he was doing, I could tell. But I kept my composure and I just walked away.”
“I'm sorry, Marsha, I really am.”
“And you know what? He even called me this morning saying it was over between them and he needed time to explain.”
“And you think there's any truth in that?”
“I doubt it and I'm too angry to listen to anything else he has to say.”
“So it's not completely over between you two.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you won't always be angry. You'll go back to New York and cool down and when he flies out again he might convince you he was telling the truth and that he had finished with her.”
Marsha's fork was part way to her lips. She returned it to the plate and shook her head.
“No,” she said. “I'll know.”
“So that means you'll speak to him again. You'll give him another chance.”
“You think I'm silly don't you?”
“It's not up to me to judge.”
“But you do. You think I'm one of these pathetic women who let men walk all over them and accept their lies.”
“I never said that.”
“But you're implying it. I was taken in by him once, Finn. Once. And I never will again.”
“I'm not the one you have to tell that to, Marsha. Tell it to yourself.”
They finished their lunch in silence.
“You'll love the next stop of our journey.” Finn was his cheerful self again after helping Marsha back on with her jacket after they had eaten. “You'll stay warm and you'll have something to laugh about.”
“Now you really have got me curious. But how did you come up with all of this so quickly?”
“I've not planned a single thing – except breakfast that is. I've been winging it the whole time. Come on.”
“I suppose there's no point asking where we're going.”
“And ruin the surprise?”
Marsha loved the next stop in their tour.
There was a matinée on at the IMAX, the biggest cinema screen in London. It was a triple bill of Charlie Chaplin films and they arrived in time for the second.
They took their seats, Finn insisted on popcorn but Marsha begged him not to as she was still full from lunch. He didn't listen, of course. But for the next couple of hours they were spellbound by the comedy on screen and laughing so helplessly that when the lights went up, Finn leaned over to Marsha and said in quiet voice, “It's gone, Marsha, that sadness has really gone.”
They left the cinema holding hands. It felt like the most natural thing in the world for them to do.
“I'm taking you on a Red Bus Rover tour, next.” Finn announced.
It was late afternoon, there was a light drizzle in the air and the sky was gray.
“We have to hurry before it gets too dark to see everything.”
They climbed to the top deck of the open top bus. This time Finn was quiet and let the real tour guide take over. He put his arm around Marsha, it was growing chilly and she shivered.
“We can sit on the lower deck,” he whispered into her ear, just as they passed Buckingham Palace.
“And miss all this, are you crazy?”
Finn smiled and held her tightly. She almost felt as though he were about to kiss her cheek, but stopped at the last moment. She knew she wouldn't have minded if he had. The feeling of being with Finn was liberating to her. She felt relaxed and could be herself around him. She knew from the time they'd shared breakfast that she would want to stay in contact with this man.
She got out her camera for about the hundredth time that day and pretended to take a picture of the Houses of Parliament but really she snapped a picture of Finn. He was unaware he was the subject matter. He was relaxed and not posing with a wide smile, he just had the calm and comfortable look he had when he wasn't trying to keep her entertained. She liked that about Finn and she knew she'd always want to be his friend.
“Here,” Finn said, “This is where we get off. The Natural History Museum is just ahead, but we're not going there for the dinosaurs.”
“We're not?”
“No. Look.”
Just up ahead, Marsha saw the huge building that was the museum, but outside was a canopy of flags and lights that twinkled in the early evening sky. She could see two carousels lit up and humming out an enticing tune as they each went slowly around and around. She could see people moving around outside the museum as though they were gliding by each other in circles. As she got closer she saw that was exactly what they were doing. There was an enormous ice skating rink in front of the museum and hundreds of people, including children, were skating in the night.
“I hope you skate,” Finn looked at her
.
“You kidding? I was the regional under eleven's champion,” Marsha said.
“Let's go then.”
They sat and put on their skates.
“I've got a confession to make,” Marsha said. “I haven't worn a pair of skates since I was ten. So that means I haven't been on the ice for sixteen years.”
“Well that's okay,” Finn said, “I've never skated before in me life.”
They took to the ice and as soon as their blades touched the white surface, two skaters whisked by them, rotated in a professional spin and took off again. Most of the other skaters were beginners and Finn and Marsha laughed themselves silly as they tried to stay upright, spending the first twenty minutes pulling themselves along by the side
rail.
It was Marsha who ventured out a little further to the middle and found she'd remembered some of her old moves. Finn didn't want to be outdone so he copied one of the faster skaters by pushing off in a gliding motion and then putting out his hands as he slid with both legs slightly apart. Marsha knew he had no idea how to stop and saw his legs scoop out ahead of his body as he headed for the side rail. He put out his hands to stop against the side but his legs had already scooped backwards under him and he fell several feet away from the side rail, landing on his stomach, his arms and legs spread eagled on the ice. Several people jumped over him before Marsha could get to him and help him up.
“Thanks Marsha, but I think I've got the hang of it now,” he said as soon as he got to his feet but he immediately lost balance and came crashing down before she could save him and this time he landed on his behind.
Marsha looked down at him. He looked up in the boyish way he had earlier that morning. She couldn't help herself, she burst out laughing. She couldn't stop. This was better than Charlie Chaplin and of course, he knew it because in seconds he was laughing just as loudly too.
It was a good time to leave the ice and sit and have a hot chocolate at the café. They sat and watched the carousels going around, the painted horses on poles bobbing up and down, as the children and adults held on tight.
