The Day She Came Back(80)

She liked him very much and she liked the way the couple interacted with each other, taking note of how Sarah often looked to him for reassurance, as if he was her mentor, her protector, her good friend, as well as her husband. But it wasn’t overly deferential: there was balance. Sarah made him laugh, teased him.

‘Oh, hello, Mr Careers Advisor! How can you give her advice on university or studies? You were a nerd who wanted to be a lawyer since the age of five! Blinkered! There was no room for artistic expression, you were so focused.’ Sarah shook her head at him mockingly. ‘I bet you had a briefcase and a little suit when you were five too.’

‘Well, actually, I did!’ He laughed, and they all joined in. ‘But as for having no room for artistic expression, I take offence at that. Do I have to remind you that I chose the cushions for our couch!’

‘That’s true, you did, you did.’ Sarah wrapped her arm around his and rested her head briefly on his shoulder.

Victoria wished at some level that the woman could be as relaxed with her as she was with him, convinced it would make the whole walking on the bridge thing a lot easier. Hello, pot . . . Her interior monologue reminded her that this was a reciprocal thing. She knew Oslo had made its mark on her, but spending time with Sarah and Jens, this is where she had learned the most. Her grandpa had died when she was nine and, having spent the last ten or so years living alone with Prim, she was unschooled in what it was like to live in a house with a couple, a younger couple at that. It was very different to having Gerald pop in for a cup of tea and a shortbread petticoat. It gave a whole other dynamic to family life, and it was a life far closer to the one she had always dreamed of, where a mum and dad took her to the park and they ate together around a table. The trouble was, her spikiness made it hard to relax, and she still half expected someone to tell her this vignette of family life was not hers to enjoy.

‘What are you thinking?’ Jens asked as he drank his coffee. ‘You look thoughtful.’

Victoria didn’t know where to begin and, without overly censoring her thoughts, she spoke with an honesty that did not come easily. ‘I was just thinking it’s been nice to spend time in Oslo, and especially with the two of you.’ Jens and Sarah beamed at each other, clearly liking the compliment. ‘But’ – Victoria looked towards the park and spoke her mind – ‘I guess I feel wary, a little bit scared that someone is going to come along and shout, “That’s it! Time up!” because I don’t feel this is real, it’s like . . . too much sometimes.’ She sighed. ‘I . . . I don’t want to be abandoned again. I think it would be harder now because I’m older, less gullible and I don’t have Prim to rely on.’ It was then that she looked at the two people sitting opposite her, and the look on Sarah’s face was one of horror.

‘I won’t . . . I couldn’t . . . I mean . . .’ Sarah shook her head, choking on her own sadness, and Jens put his coffee cup down and wriggled forward in the chair.

‘Ah, I think what Victoria might have meant to say was . . . that this is so much a dream come true it feels unbelievable? Is that right, Victoria?’ He looked at her imploringly.

‘Kind of.’ She again looked away, but not before seeing Jens reach his hand under the table and gather Sarah’s hand on to his lap. He had done this throughout the day, acted a little bit like an energetic interpreter, a buffer, whipping out a verbal scythe greased with humour and platitude as he hacked away the brambles of awkwardness that tended to wrap any extended conversations between her and Sarah. He had a knack for it, knowing when to intervene or fill a silence with informed chat and kindly words of encouragement.

‘We should . . . we should probably be getting back.’ Sarah stood, and she and Jens followed suit. The walk back was sedate. Sarah, Victoria suspected, like her, was lost in thought about the fact that it felt very much like they took one step forward, two steps back, but what was she supposed to do? Sarah wanted honest, open conversation.

‘Hey!’ Vidar called from his balcony as the trio arrived at their apartment block.

‘Hey, Vidar!’ Jens waved.

‘I am on my way down!’ Vidar shouted, and before they had time to get to the top of the stairs he met them in the hallway. He was breathing hard and had clearly rushed.

‘Hvordan g?r det?’ Vidar asked casually.

‘Bra takk.’ Jens smiled.

‘So you want to get a coffee?’ He turned to face her, addressing her so openly, so publicly, that Victoria felt she had no option other than to agree – not that she minded, not at all, and in truth, she guessed that Sarah and Jens might be in need of a break from the intensity of their day, as was she.

‘What, like, now?’ She tucked her hair behind her ears, aware of her end-of-day state and wishing she could at least drag a comb through her curls.

‘Why not?’ He smiled.

‘I’m not sure if . . .’ She looked to Sarah for guidance.

‘You go! Be back by six.’ Sarah touched her fingers together, her manner excited. ‘In fact, it’s good you’re going out. We’re preparing a bit of a surprise!’ She beamed.

‘All right then!’ Victoria turned on the stair to follow Vidar back out on to Acker Brygge.

‘So, I’m Vidar – Vee-dar,’ he enunciated.

‘Yes, and I’m Victoria – Vic-taw-ree-aaah,’ she offered, with only the smallest hint of sarcasm, holding his gaze, and they both smiled.