Impossible to Forget(75)

Angie didn’t quite leap up, mindful of her painful back, but she stood as quickly as was wise and pushed her way through the crowd towards him, ignoring the protestations of those who were in her way. When she reached him, she threw her arms around his shoulders and pulled him tightly into her, inhaling the familiar scent of him, unchanged after all these years. He rested his cheek on the top of her head, and she could feel his arms encircling her. For the first time in forever, she felt safe and cherished. She hadn’t realised that the feeling had been missing from her life until this moment, and the thought brought tears springing to her eyes. She blinked them away, knowing that Tiger would only tease her for such a display of emotion and not wanting to give him the ammunition, not yet at least. There would be plenty of time for teasing later.

He was the first to break away.

‘Okay, okay,’ he said, his voice light and full of humour. ‘Put me down, woman. You don’t know where I’ve been!’

This was true.

‘Let’s go and get some food and you can tell me everything,’ she said, giving him one final squeeze before loosening her arms and letting him free.

He grasped her hand in his as they set off towards the exit. His skin felt dry, from hours in planes and trains, she thought, and she could feel his rough skin, his calloused fingers scratching against her smooth, strong ones. They both had working hands, but their work had left very different marks.

They had a brief discussion about what kind of establishment they wanted to go to. Tiger thought it would be funny to settle his scruffy, unwashed self in the lounge of the smart hotel next to the station, just to irritate the management. He really hadn’t grown up at all. Back in the day, this would have amused Angie too, but now she just wanted uninterrupted time with him without drawing any unwelcome attention. Also, she couldn’t help but think that his unkempt traveller’s appearance wouldn’t cause the consternation now that it might have done back in the eighties. The sensibilities of the world had moved on in the previous three decades, although not, it appeared, for Tiger.

They found an ordinary café instead and settled down in a corner. Tiger leaned his precious rucksack against the wall next to him, stepping his foot through the strap so that no one could take it without alerting him. Angie thought that this kind of precaution was probably unnecessary here, especially given the size of the rucksack, but Tiger had done it as second nature without even seeming to be aware of the movement. An ingrained sense of precaution came as a result of years of carrying your life on your back, she assumed.

‘So, where have you been?’ she asked. ‘Did you stay on in the Cayman Islands? That’s where you were the last time I heard from you.’

Tiger ran his hands through his hair. It was beginning to thin a little now, Angie noticed, his forehead more prominent than it had once been and etched with long horizontal lines.

‘God, no,’ he said. ‘Had to leave there in a hurry a year or so ago. Some local difficulty with the dive school owner’s wife . . .’

He pulled the ‘oops’ face that she had known for decades and she shook her head.

‘You’re fifty years old. Have you not learned to leave well alone yet?’

‘Christ, fifty,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘How the hell did that happen? But no, to answer your question, it appears not! Anyway, I hopped over to Jamaica for a season, but I didn’t like the vibe there and someone told me about a new eco-village in Costa Rica, so I’ve been there. You have to go to Costa Rica, Ange. It’s amazing. The people are so friendly and they’ve got the tourist/eco balance thing spot on. They haven’t even got an army.’

He chattered on, telling her about the village, built from sustainable sources deep in the rainforest, and about the wildlife.

‘And the bloody howler monkeys,’ he said. ‘When I first got there, I thought I’d never sleep again. They make such a racket. But it’s like anything else really. Eventually you get used to them and then after a bit you don’t even hear them any more.’

Angie listened to him, transported for half an hour or so to a place that she might never get to see, but just happy to be in his company. Then, when he’d finished telling his immediate news, he focused his attention on her.

‘And how are you?’ he asked. ‘How’s Romey, and the business?’ Then his eyes met hers, his expression questioning. ‘No. Forget them for now,’ he said. ‘How are you?’ he asked again. The second time there was concern in his voice. ‘You look tired, Ange,’ he said.

‘I look old, you mean,’ Angie said, wrinkling her nose.

Tiger shook his head. ‘No. It’s not that. You don’t look anywhere near your age. But you do look like you could sleep for a month.’

‘Oh, it’s just the bloody menopause,’ she said.

Tiger put his hands up, palms facing her, and dropped his head. ‘Okay! Too much information. Us blokes can’t be doing with all that gynaecological stuff. It sets our teeth on edge.’

Angie laughed at him. That was Tiger all over – emotionally intelligent enough to ask the question, but never prepared to hear the answer.

‘And to answer your other questions, Romany is amazing. Wait until you see her! She’s gorgeous and intelligent and wise. And gorgeous. Did I mention that bit?!’

Tiger grinned at her. ‘Of course she is,’ he said. ‘She’s your kid. Remind me. How old?’