The Reunion

Chapter 1It’s funny how life can throw a spanner in the works just when you’re least expecting it. Just by making one small decision and a chance encounter my whole life has changed course irrevocably..... My tale starts in St. Ives on the north Cornwall coast one hot sunny Saturday afternoon early last summer (June to be precise). This place has been my second home for the last couple of years, ever since my sister Mel (or Melanie when I want to annoy her) split up with her husband leaving her to bring up three kids (Emma 13, Cayden 10 and Laura 9) by herself. I live and work in Truro but then most weekends drive down to St. Ives and stay with Mel at the weekend doing all the things that she needs a man to do around the house. This isn’t a situation I would have chosen but as the saying goes, s**t happens and there’s no way I could bear the thought of her struggling all alone when I’m free, single and have plenty of spare time on my hands. Not when I consider all of the support she has given me over the years, but that is a story for telling another time. I sat outside my favourite cafe on the harbour front, with a cup of coffee in front of me and people-watched (always a favourite past time of mine). In that moment I felt complete what with the sun beating down on me, the sound of people going about their business and the raucous cries of the sea gulls, just like I always did whenever I was by the seaside. I slowly sipped my way through my coffee willing the afternoon to last forever knowing that when I left my spot I would be going back to Mel’s to continue painting the garage doors. I had intended on having just the one cup but when the cute young waiter stuck his head round the door and asked if I would like another with a cheeky grin I couldn’t resist in agreeing to another cup of coffee, all the while undressing him in my mind! And that was the first of the small decisions which started the chain of events. While I was drinking the second coffee I grew bored of people watching and paid more attention to the activity in the harbour, by now the tide was in and boats were now able to enter once more. Something about the yacht caught my eye, at the time I couldn’t say what it was but it kept drawing me back each time I looked away. Unable to bear it any longer I left my unfinished drink behind and made my way down to the harbour’s quay in an attempt to discover what it was that was attracting me so strongly. I casually leant against the harbour wall and watched passengers disembark from a local fishing boat all the while discretely surveying the yacht. Closer now I realised what had caught my eye, the yacht some twenty feet long had seen better days, the sails looked new but the paintwork was faded and peeling while the woodwork clearly hadn’t seen varnish for many years. I could just make out the yacht’s name “Pride of Lelant”. My feet had a life of their own and before I knew it I was crouching down beside the boat studying it’s disrepair in closer detail. On reflection this perhaps wasn’t the politest or most discreet course of action as I hadn’t waited for the owner to disembark. Sure enough I was caught slap bang in the middle of my studies by a gruff “Can I help you?” I looked up sharply in response to the voice, straight into his big brown eyes. Time stood still. Eventually I dragged my gaze away and I studied the rest of his face. Windswept chestnut hair framed his handsome masculine face accentuated by a thick but short cropped goatee beard. “Well?” He asked with an expression displaying both amusement and impatience. Shaking my head to bring me back to my senses I stammered “N-n-no, I don’t think so not really. I was just admiring your yacht. Sorry if I’ve caused you any concern.” He c****d his head studying me closely then clapped his hands, burst out laughing and exclaimed “Well I never, as I live and breathe. You’re the last person I expected to bump into this part of the country! God, how many years has it been since we last saw each other?” He paused before continuing “You don’t remember me do you?” At a loss by his outburst I simply shook my head while I frantically searched my memory banks for his face to no avail. Still grinning he said “I remember now, the last time we saw each other would have been July 1997 in the main hall at school when we collected our GCSE A-Level results. We then went our separate ways both hoping to go to University. Does it ring any bells yet?” “Umm. Sorry no. Are you sure you know me? What school are you talking about?” I replied, still confused. “Absolutely. You are Luke Farando, the school we went to was Stoneleigh Comprehensive in Reading and we were in the same class for Maths and Chemistry. Do you need any more clues?” The proverbial light bulb lit above my head and the connection was made. With a theatrical groan, I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand. “Duh! Of course..... You’re Gary Huggwell. How could I forget you? We used to be good mates at school but we lost contact when we went to University. I feel awful now; I should have made more effort to keep in contact.” The last statement was said in all sincerity considering the fact that he had gone from spotty geek to handsome god. “Oh, don’t worry yourself.” He smiled in response “I could have made more effort too but you know what it’s like.... hey, what are we doing yakking like this. We need to catch up properly. What are you doing tonight? How about going for a bite to eat and a pint?” “I’m sorry I can’t tonight, I’ve really got to go back to my sister’s house and continue with the painting I’m half way through. But if you’re free tomorrow I’m definitely up for it.” I replied hoping that I hadn’t blown it. “No that’s cool. I will have to do some work tomorrow on the old girl here” he said patting the yacht’s handrail “and take her out for a spin. Why not join me, I’ll show you that she’s not as rough as she looks and we can take a trip up the coast and stop for a bite to eat.” Trying to disguise the obvious relief in my voice I agreed to his proposition and arranged to meet him on the quay the following morning. Walking back to Mel’s house I had a definite spring in my step and as I painted the garage door I laughed and joked with Cayden who was doing his best to help me. More than once Mel gave me an odd look from the kitchen window but kept her thoughts to herself. Over dinner I casually mentioned the events of the afternoon and that I would be out most of the day tomorrow, I tried to keep my voice as casual as possible but I had the distinct impression that Mel saw through my act. With a twinkle in her eye she asked who I was meeting, I replied that it was just an old school friend and that I’d tell her all about it tomorrow evening. I then swiftly changed the subject.