Page 55 of Common People

‘I have.’

‘And?’

‘She’s really upset. She trusted you with something personal and you betrayed that trust. You need to give her space to get over this, if she ever does.’

‘Fair enough.’

There was a slightly longer than usual pause in the conversation, which threatened to become awkward, before Hope spoke. ‘Can I ask you something?’

‘Sure.’

‘Have you ever spoken to a therapist?’

‘You mean like one on one?’

‘Yeah.’

‘No. I tried group grief therapy once, but it wasn’t for me.’

‘Look, I’m not trying to push anything on you, but therapy has been a huge part of my recovery. I still see my therapist every other week, and she’s brilliant. I honestly don’t know how I would have got through the tough years without her. We sit, talk, and it makes such a difference to my life.’

‘You think I need to see her?’

‘I’m just saying, mate, it’s good to talk. You can’t keep things bottled up, or things like yesterday happen. If we don’t really understand what’s happening inside our minds, and if we don’t know how to handle it, we’re always going to stumble and fall through life. Therapy gave me the knowledge and the tools to understand why I drank, and how to stop and stay sober. I can give you my therapist's number if you want, but it’s up to you what you do with it.’

‘OK, thanks,’ said a disconsolate Max.

‘Look,’ said Hope, standing up. ‘I know this probably feels like a real kick in the teeth, but I hope you use it as inspiration to get better. If there’s one thing I hope you learnt from Common People is not to give up. Life can always get better, Max. I’m proof of that. Joe, Anita, Eve, Charlie and Bethan are all proof of that. Don’t let this one mistake get you down, OK?’

‘OK,’ said Max, standing up to say goodbye.

‘The future hasn’t been written yet. Remember that. I’ll text you Grace’s number, she’s my therapist.’

‘Thanks, Hope, for everything.’

‘You’re welcome,’ said Hope, before Max showed her out, and then he was left alone in the flat, thinking about everything she had said. The future hasn’t been written yet. He knew this was true, and yet at that moment, everything felt so set in stone. His relationship with Bethan was doomed, Common People was gone and the group of friends that came with it, and without his parents’ house, any connection to them was lost. The sandwich shop was opening soon, but that was Robbie’s future not his. It was hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when everything good he’d had so briefly was suddenly gone, and everything in the future was muddied by the events of the past.

As he sat on the sofa, unsure what to do next, a text pinged into his phone. He opened it, and saw a text from Hope. It wasthe number for her therapist. Maybe talking was the answer, or maybe it was at the bottom of another bottle. He had been down one of those roads before, and it had only led to him losing everything he loved. Perhaps it was finally time to try the other one. It was time to talk before he lost anything else.

PART THREE

The wake-up call

Rab’s Sandwich Shop was finally open, and it had been quite the day for Robbie, who had been at the shop since four a.m. baking bread. Max had taken the day off work, and had spent the morning serving customers, and helping Robbie wherever he could. Eve had also been there, an important part of the team now, as Robbie’s official girlfriend, which was a little awkward for Max after everything that had happened at the weekend. Bethan still hadn’t replied to any of his messages, and he had tried calling her, but she hadn’t picked up. For an opening day, the sandwich shop had been busy with a steady stream of customers from the moment they opened until the minute they closed. There had been numerous social media influencers, desperate to try the newest sandwich shop on the London scene, and lots of happy customers, delighted with the sandwiches. The Scotsman had been by far and away the best seller, which made Robbie happy. There had been quite a few Scottish people coming by and trying the food, as well as grabbing a cold can of Irn-Bru, of course.

As soon as Robbie turned the sign on the door from open to closed, Max, Robbie and Eve, all sighed with relief. It had been busy and stressful, but ultimately rewarding, especially for Robbie, who had been a bag of nerves all week.

‘I’ve never opened a sandwich shop before, but I think it went well,’ said Eve.

‘Aye,’ replied Robbie. ‘Everyone seemed happy with the food.’

‘It was amazing, mate, well done,’ said Max, who couldn’t get as excited about it as he probably should have been because his life felt so up in the air. He was still thinking about asking work for a three-month sabbatical, potentially going away travelling and also talking with Hope’s therapist. He knew he needed to make some big changes, and after agreeing to sell the house, it felt like the right time. His life felt like it had reached a tipping point.

‘Thanks, Max, and Eve for all your help today. I don’t know how I’m going to manage on my own tomorrow.’

‘You’ll be fine,’ said Max.

‘You will, and if it gets crazy, call me and I’ll come in to help out,’ said Eve.