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‘He was sick for a long time so we were expecting it, but still, well ... it’s been a rough time to say the least.’ They resumed walking. ‘I got the call while I was at work, that night you were there, actually. I caught the first available flight, and since the funeral, I’ve been back and forth to Mum’s as often as I can.’
‘Yeah, the hospital staff said you had a family emergency.’ Miranda shaded her face with her hand, squinting as they strolled into the path of the sun. ‘How’s your mum doing?’
Matt slid on his sunglasses. ‘She’s much better now, it was really hard at first, as you can imagine. She’d spent so long looking after Dad, then all of a sudden, he wasn’t there to look after anymore. Along with the grief, it was quite a shock to the system.’
‘I bet. Well, she’s lucky she’s got you. Have you got any brothers or sisters?’
‘A sister, she lives in Melbourne with her husband and kids. They came over as soon as they could, but went back after the funeral. They’re coming back again this Christmas, along with my aunts and uncles. We’re all staying at Mum’s. What about you, have you got a big family?’
‘Not here. My relatives all live in the States, except my maternal grandparents, and my mum. My father died too, when I was eight.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry. Such a young age to go through something like that.’
‘Yeah, it was hard, still is sometimes. But Mum and I – we stick together.’ Miranda smiled, then bit into the rewarding crispiness of the ice cream cone.
‘So, did the others take good care of you after I left?’ he asked.
‘They did. I was discharged a couple of days later. Haven’t gone back to work yet, I’m enjoying my final bit of freedom before I do.’
‘When do you leave Byron?’ Matt asked.
‘Tomorrow. And, as soon as I get home, I’m cooking a big juicy steak!’
‘Can’t hide the carnivore within, hey?’
‘Nope. And I’d kill for a pizza.’
‘There’s a great pizza place over there.’ He cocked his head to the side. ‘Are you up for an early departure from your health regime?’ A smile teased its way onto his lips, and attraction surged inside Miranda’s belly.
‘Well, I guess six days out of seven ain’t bad,’ she reasoned, agreeing to meet him for dinner at six. ‘A supreme pizza with extra cheese sounds very good to me.’
‘Ditto.’ Matt smiled. ‘As long as there’s no pineapple. I’m really not a fan.’
Miranda tried to hold back her grin. This holiday was turning out even better than expected.
TWENTY-NINE
Grandma Joy’s Words of Wisdom:
‘Tomorrow is a brand new day. Things will always be better in the morning.’
‘There you go,’ said T-Shirt Man as he handed two containers to Gina. His t-shirt said: ‘How do you feel today?’ and had pictures of various emojis, with a cursor hovering nearby.
‘Thanks.’ Gina went to turn away, but paused. ‘That one.’ She pointed to a smiley face on his t-shirt. Over the past two weeks she’d progressed through all the various emotions on his t-shirt, and had finally arrived at a smiley face. Not that she was overly happy, just at peace with her decision, and positive about the future.
‘Good for you!’ T-Shirt Man responded, after looking where she pointed. ‘Another customer pointed to the angryface earlier today. Life’s too short to be angry, don’t you think?’
‘I think you’re right,’ Gina replied. She’d wasted the last five years being angry. Anger without resolve was degenerative, and no longer would she allow herself to wallow in its pit of fire. ‘I’m Gina, by the way.’ She held out her hand, half expecting him to say ‘Hi Gina, I’m T-Shirt Man, nice to meet you.’
‘John,’ he said, and they shook hands.
John. A good, simple name. Heaven help her if he’d said his name was Marvin. That would have changed the whole dynamics of her lunchtime routine.
‘It’s nice to be properly introduced,’ she said.
‘It is. I’ve seen you here many times. Have you just returned from a holiday or something?’
‘No, why do you ask?’
