“Harry,” she said to him. “Another drink?”
Harry shook his head. “No thanks, I’ve given up.”
Steph looked at him in bewilderment. “What since five minutes ago?”
Harry nodded and grinned. “It seems like longer, but yes I have. Time to start living my life in better ways.”
Steph seemed genuinely happy. “Good for you, Harry.” Then suddenly her expression flipped upside down and she seemed very sad. “Does that mean you won’t be coming in here anymore?”
“Maybe,” said Harry. “Which is why I wanted to know if you’d come to dinner with me on your next night off.”
Steph’s face lit up. “I’d love to. I’m free Thursday night.”
Harry reached out and took Steph’s hand. She seemed embarrassed but he could tell that she also liked the feel of the two of them touching. “Then it’s a date. You can tell me all about this pet grooming business you’re going to set up.”
Steph was surprised. “How did you know about that?”
“I don’t know,” said Harry, “but I want to learn all about it, and all about you. Right now I have to go, so I’ll be back tomorrow night to arrange with you.”
Harry left Steph in a fluster behind the bar and moved towards the exit. Damien was lay across the coach, enjoying the fire. As Harry got closer Damien noticed him staring. The boy stood up.
“The fuck you looking at?”
Harry smiled. Finally he could see through Damien’s hardman disguise and see the lost boy beneath it. “Hey, Damien. I just wanted to ask you something.”
“What?”
“Well, I used to have a successful business, but I sold it. I was thinking of starting up again, though, so I need a partner – someone young and smart. Guess I’m looking for an apprentice, but I don’t have a son. I used to but he died. His name was Toby.”
Damien’s eyes flickered back and forth, as if he expected a sneaky attack to come at any moment.
Harry continued. “I know you’re a busy guy, but I don’t think you enjoy selling drugs. You’re better than that and I’d really like to help you be successful in a less dangerous way. I need a man like you. I think we can make a lot of good honest money together.”
For a while it seemed like Damien was going to strike out and hit him. Harry wondered for a moment if he’d misjudged the boy and was relieved when his demeanour finally softened. “You serious?” he said.
“Very!” Harry went for a handshake. “Deal?”
Damien smiled and shook Harry’s hand. “Yeah, deal.”
“Great, I’ll speak to you about it soon.” Harry walked away, but Damien stopped him.
“Harry?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks. You know, for the opportunity and everything. Most people just think I’m a thug.”
Harry nodded. “You and I are going to change their opinion.”
He made it over to the pub’s door and prepared to leave. There was a lot to do in order to get his life back on track, but first he needed to find a phone. Harry was going to make a call to the Police and tell them about a rapist named Nigel. The sicko’s truck was parked off the main road right now and if they came quickly they would find enough evidence inside to put the man away for a very long time.
Harry was going to start living his life, putting the world right and making things better, one thing at a time. For the first time in a long time, he was finally looking forward instead of back.
SPECIAL EDITION BONUS CONTENT
TALES FROM THE FINAL WINTER
And
THE PEELING OF SAMUEL LLOYD COLLINS
CHANCE OF SNOW
“I can’t believe this!” Richard turned away from the window and faced his family, each of them huddled beneath a blanket. “I know it’s winter, and everything, but this is Florida.”
Richard’s family, daughter and wife, said nothing. They knew better than to converse with him in the state he was in. He wasn’t angry at them, of course – wasn’t angry at anyone in fact – but he’d built the vacation home in Florida purely to get away from home during the winter months. He expected snow like this in England, but not here.
Richard looked back out of the window and stared out over the lake that edged his second home. The water was starting to freeze over and snow banks had built up around its edges. If there were any alligators currently in there then he held little hope for their survival.
Least I’m not them, thought Richard.
“Why don’t you come and sit down, honey,” said his wife. “I’m sure they’ll be a weather forecast soon. They’ll tell us what to expect.”
Richard huffed. “Well, they didn’t bloody-well tell us to expect this, did they? Would have stayed in England if I knew there was going to be all this snow.”
“Miriam said it’s the same back home,” his wife stated. “I called her this afternoon. They’re completely snowed in.”
“It’s like this everywhere,” Richard’s daughter chimed in. “They said on the Internet that every country in the world is covered in snow. There’s a group on Facebook that say it’s all down to aliens.”
“Don’t be so stupid, Charlotte.” Richard went and took a seat beside his wife and wrestled the television remote from her hands.”
“Don’t snatch,” she said meekly.
Richard ignored her and flicked through the TV stations. He hated American channels; they were filled with so much dross. How he longed to flip on BBC One and get some straight-forward news. Eventually he found a station that seemed to be discussing the weather and he settled on it, resting back into the sofa.”
“…temperatures expected to drop further in the coming hours and are likely to remain there,” the weather report informed. “Be sure to wrap up warm, Florida, and enjoy the snow while we have it. It’s once in a lifetime.”
“Enjoy the snow,” Richard grimaced. “Who comes to Florida to enjoy the snow? They certainly don’t spend half-a-million building a house here to enjoy the snow.”
Richard’s wife stood up from the sofa and headed off. “I’ll go make a pot of tea and turn the heating up. I wish you’d stop stressing. We’re still on holiday and together, aren’t we?”
Richard let out a sigh and rubbed at his cold forearms. He turned to Charlotte who was sat on the armchair beside the sofa. “Am I being a bit of an ogre?”
Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “Little bit. Just chill out, dad. You’re upsetting mom.”
She was right of course. Richard was not unaware of how tightly-wound he could be. That was why he’d built the holiday home sixty miles north of Miami. It was supposed to be their place to relax and spend some quality time together.
Good job you’re making of it!
Richard stood up from the sofa and made for the kitchen.
“Where are you going?” Charlotte asked him.
“To apologise to your mother.” He headed through a door that bordered the lounge and entered the family kitchen area. It was a large, modern room with a breakfast bar at its tiled centre. It was his wife’s favourite part of the house. Currently, she stood up against the oversized ceramic sink, filling up the kettle beneath one of the chrome taps. He went up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. She did not jump so she must have expected his arrival.
“You calmed down yet?”
Richard squeezed her shoulders gently and began rubbing. “When do I ever calm down? The best you can hope for is that I realise when I’m being insufferable.”
“And have you?”
“Have I what?”
“Realised that you’re being insufferable?”
Richard turned his wife around to face him and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. “Yes, I realise, sweetheart. I’m sorry, okay?”