Bridge Over the Atlantic (14 page)

When her breathing and heart rate finally resembled normal, she looked at her clock: six forty five. She lay back and tried to recapture the dream but it was no good. A whirlwind of emotions swept through her mind, scattering her thoughts like torn pieces of newspaper on the breeze. She tried to replay the dream in her memory; thinking and rethinking the conversation, but decided her attempts were futile and so she went downstairs. Ruby followed.

Mallory ate breakfast on the patio, in her checked pyjamas with un-brushed bed hair. The sun warmed her skin as she drank her freshly brewed coffee and looked over the jungle that, at some point, she was sure, used to resemble a cottage garden. It certainly needed work.

She had found an area of ground near the workshop, yesterday, that had been formerly used as a vegetable patch. There were a few pegs with seed packets attached still remaining, pointing out where potatoes and other veggies had been grown. That was a project she quite fancied attempting, she decided.

She heard a thudding which she eventually realised was coming from the front door. She checked the kitchen clock which read eight o’clock.
Who would be calling around this early?
She huffed making her way through the house to find out.

“Morning! Am I too early? Just thought I’d call in as I was out and about so…shall I have a look at that tap?” Greg stood there in a sleeveless T-shirt and combat pants.
It is too early and it’s
not that bloody warm
, she mentally rolled her eyes at his attire and his persistence to turn up in front of her uninvited. She guessed he was trying to be friendly but he apparently had no social skills whatsoever.

“I’m not exactly…er…” she gestured at her pyjamas, hoping he would get the hint.

He trailed his eyes down to her attire and back up to her face. Smiling he said, “Oh, no bother, they’re very fetching. Get the kettle on, eh?”
Good grief, this man takes no hints
; she pursed her lips at the smiling buffoon in front of her. Reluctantly she let him in with his large metal tool box. “Shall I just go away up there? I know my way,” he said walking past her.

“Why not, you probably will anyway,” she chuntered under her breath.

Greg paused and turned to her. “Sorry? I didn’t catch that.”

She mustered up as much cheeriness as she could manage. “Yes, sure go on up, it’s open. I’ll get the kettle on.”

When the coffee was made she trudged up the garden, with minimal enthusiasm to the workshop. When she had made the suggestion to Greg, she had expected a little notification of his intention to call round, or for the visit to at least be at a more sociable time of day. She felt guilty for being so negative; he was doing her a huge favour after all. She pushed the door open with her bottom and found Greg lying on the floor under the sink. She placed the coffee down and leaned against the work surface.

“How bad is it?” she enquired, hoping the answer would be a positive one.

“Hard to say at the moment, the nuts are all seized…and there’s nothing worse than seized nuts!” He laughed heartily at his own joke. Mallory chuckled. It was quite funny after all.

She switched on the portable CD player and stuck in a
Foo Fighters
disc. Greg began to sing along as he worked. She stood and drank her coffee in silence as he faffed around with spanners, hammers and bolts under her sink. She realised she had a very clear view of his tattoo now. Something she had been curious about since her first encounter with Greg. She had always had a fascination with ink, but had never dared go under the needle herself. Greg’s tattoo was puzzling. The image showed the alphanumeric ‘K2’ wrapped in barbed wire.

“That’s an interesting tattoo on your arm, Greg, what does it mean?”

Greg stopped working and sat up. He pretended to examine the mangled bit of metal in his hand.

“Ah, it’s just something I had done last year,” he said glancing up at her. His expression told her he wasn’t going to elaborate.

“Oh right. Why K2? What’s the significance?” she pushed, figuring he had been personal so why couldn’t she?

“Maybe it’s a story for another time, eh?” He rose to his feet, scraping his hair back off his face. He came to where she stood, took a gulp of his coffee and went back to work.
That’s the end of that conversation then
, she surmised. She decided to take the empty cups back into the house and jump in the shower.

“I’ll be in the house if you need anything, okay?” She didn’t wait for an answer.

She felt refreshed after she had showered, towel dried her hair and applied moisturiser. When she was dressed she went up to the workshop again where Greg was just finishing up. He stood wiping his hands.

“You finished already?” Mallory enquired, hopeful.

“Na. You’ll need a new tap. I’ll pick one up and come back to fit it tomorrow if that’s okay?”

“Sure, if you don’t mind. I don’t want to keep you from anything.”

“It’s fine. I’ll squeeze it in. It’s not a massive job. I’ve got to go now ‘cause I’m working on my boat this afternoon and I need to get lunch before I go.” He tucked the dirty cloth into his back pocket and closed his tool box.

“Oh I could’ve made you some sandwiches or something to take, it’s the least I could do.”

“I’m quite capable of making my own sandwiches, thank you,” he snapped.

Seriously, what is his problem?!
She opened her mouth to snap back, but thought better of it.

“Fine. See you later then.” She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to have done wrong.

“I’ll see myself out. See you.” He walked away. As he did so his mobile rang. “Aye, what is it? No I’m just finishing a job…where did they find it?” He froze. “Aye, okay. Thanks for letting me know.” He shook his head as he hung up the call. He turned to look at Mallory, “See you tomorrow.” There was a hint of sadness to his gaze. Before she could ask if he was okay, he was gone. Mallory wondered what the call must have been about. It sounded serious judging by his reaction.

After lunch, Mallory decided she would go for a walk with Ruby. This had become somewhat of a daily routine now and she enjoyed the fact the weather was improved of late. This time she decided to take a slightly different route, avoiding the bridge for once. As she walked past the houses one of the neighbours waved to her. She seemed to remember her name was Aileen. She had called around with a pot of Irish stew which Brad had devoured in one sitting. It was a good job Mallory had no appetite at the time as she didn’t get a look in.

“Good afternoon! Good to see you out and about, hen.” The neighbour called. Mallory waved back and smiled. It brought tears to her eyes when people she hardly knew showed such kindness.

The walk took her past the pub which was closed. She wondered how Greg was. He had been impolite on leaving this morning, but he seemed to be upset by the call he had received. Perhaps it had been bad news. She’d have to try and cut the guy a little slack, after all she knew there was something painful in his recent past and she could understand what that was like.

She called into the little shop to get a bottle of water. The shop owner, Colin, greeted her with a huge friendly smile.

He came around the counter to give her a hug. “Oh Mallory, it’s so good to see you out.” He stepped back holding her at arm’s length. “I know we don’t know you all that well, but if you need anything, anything at all…” he didn’t need to finish the sentence.

She smiled and nodded, biting her cheek to halt the tears that threatened. He was such a kind, thoughtful man.

“I was wondering, Colin, I’d like to get some fresh air and see some nice views. Where’s the best place to do that without having to go by car?”

Colin tapped his chin as he thought. “You know what? You need a boat trip.” He proceeded to give her directions down to the marina where there was a daily outing run by one of the locals. He said that she would get to skim the coast and see some stunning views and maybe even some seals. It sounded perfect.

She set off with a renewed enthusiasm, following the directions in her mind and hoping that she hadn’t ‘missed the boat’ already.

When she arrived at the little marina she stood for a few minutes to take in the view. There was a scruffy old chalkboard displaying the words,

BOAT TRIPS ON LITTLE BLUE,

£10 PER PERSON,

DOGS FREE

She looked around for the captain. She spotted someone with their back to her. He was wearing a woolly hat which was odd considering it was now May and it wasn’t cold. He turned and spotted her and a grin spread across his face. Greg.

“Hey, you’re out again. It’s becoming a habit.”

Why did everyone greet her as if she had been in prison?
And why is he so mercurial?
She wondered. She strolled toward the boat.

“This is you then, eh?” she asked gesturing at the boat. She wondered how many jobs this guy actually had. “I hadn’t twigged that you did excursions when you said you were working on your boat this afternoon.”

“Aye, it’s my day job.” He smiled. “You up for a trip out?” he asked.

She thought he almost looked hopeful.

“Why not? I could do with a bit of fresh air. How many of us will there be?” She wondered where the other passengers for the trip were.

“You’re it.” He carried on making the boat ready. “Bit of a slow day. I was just about to give up and go out by myself.”

“Are you sure you want me to tag along?” She suddenly felt a little uncomfortable, remembering his attitude toward her earlier.

“Aye, why not? I get sick o’ my own company. Get enough of it, day in day out.” He held out his hand to help her on board. She blushed as she took his hand, stepping on the ‘Little Blue’. She held out a ten pound, but he waved it away.

“Cute name.” She gestured to the sign, “the boat, I mean,” she clarified. “It has a cute name.” She watched as he tightened ropes and did a lot of other things that she didn’t really have a clue about.

“Aye, named it after my old dog; had him as a boy; he was a black lab; when he was a pup he almost looked like there was a blue tinge to his fur; hence the name.” Greg gestured to Mallory to take a seat which she did immediately.

“Aww, that’s sweet.” Mallory saw yet another new side to this man she hardly knew. She looked out into the distance as Greg started the engine and steered the boat away from its mooring.

“Do you want the running commentary that I give to all my passengers?” Greg enquired of the sole occupant of the boat trip.

She gave him a puzzled glance.

“You know,” he gestured out to sea, “…and on my left we have a seal and on my right, oh look there’s another seal.” He chuckled.

She smiled and rolled her eyes at him. “No, it’s okay. I just wanted to get some fresh air, to be honest. Colin in the shop recommended a boat trip. Feel free to pretend I’m not here.” Mallory sighed and closed her eyes as she faced into the sea breeze. Ruby’s front paws were propped on the side of the boat as she looked out too; her little tail wagging.

When they got far enough away from the coast Greg switched off the engine and took out a flask. He sat opposite Mallory and offered her an empty tin mug.

“Thought we could sit and chill for a bit here, is that okay? It’s usually a good place for seal spotting.” He poured coffee into her cup.

She wasn’t sure how she felt really. But she
was
enjoying being out in the fresh air.

“Yes I suppose. Am I not keeping you from anything? Another job perhaps?” She smiled

He shook his head and took a slurp of his coffee. “Na, Pub at night, boat trips three days a week and odd jobs two days a week…oh and entertainer at the pub on my nights off now, that’s me.” He sounded so matter of fact about the number of different things he had going on.

“Crikey! I’m not sure I could keep up with all that. I think I’ll just stick to making stuff, plain and simple.” The thought of juggling several jobs bewildered her.

“Aye, you should do that. It’s good to have something to focus on at times like this.” he said, knowingly. Her inquisitive streak was surfacing again. She wanted to pry about his situation but wasn’t sure if she should.

There was an awkward silence. She could feel Greg watching her. She suddenly felt sad again; lost even.

He leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees. “It sounds like a cliché, but it does get easier with time.” He looked down at his coffee. “You just need to keep busy.”

“Is that what you are doing with your gazillion different jobs?” she asked.

He looked up and they made eye contact. For a brief moment there was a sympathetic look in his dark gaze. But suddenly something changed in his demeanour, yet again.

“Na. I like the variety. Don’t get bored that way.” He straightened up in his seat and took another sip of his steaming drink. Why he kept reassuring her in one breath and putting up the shutters in the next one, she could only wonder. “Have you started eating properly yet?” he enquired, once again the question a little on the personal side.

“Why do you seem so interested in my eating habits?” She was frustrated by his insistence on being so direct and interfering.

“Sorry, I just see you wasting away, that’s all.” He looked out to sea. “You look different than when you first moved here.”

“Well, no offence, but that’s nothing to do with you.” She retorted harshly.

He held his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay. Sorry I spoke. It’s just that if my little sister was refusing to eat I would have something to say about it.”

“Well, thanks for your concern, Greg but I am not your
little sister
. I am a twenty nine year old woman with her own life and I am fine. Don’t be so bloody patronising.” It was her turn to avoid eye contact and look out to sea now. They sat in silence for quite a while.

“So, you made any other friends in the village yet?” Greg asked.

Mallory let out a surprised snort at his insinuation that
they
were friends and then immediately felt cruel.

“Sorry. That was mean. I was just surprised to hear you class yourself as my friend.” She explained. “We haven’t exactly got along very well since we met, wouldn’t you agree?” Greg looked hurt and she felt terrible. “Great, now it’s my turn to put my foot in it, eh?” He didn’t answer. She had clearly hurt his feelings. They sat in silence again.