Page 56 of Common People

‘But I cannae keep calling you, Eve, because what about when you’re not here? I have to learn to cope on my own. At least until we can afford to hire someone,’ said Robbie, who looked towards Max for help on that front. Max was in-charge of money, and all the administrative side of things. He would decide when they could afford to actually hire someone.

‘Let’s see how it goes,’ said Max. ‘I’d love to hire someone too, but we can’t afford it yet.’

‘Aye, I know,’ said Robbie, who started tidying up. ‘Why don’t youse guys go? Youse already done enough. I can close up on my own.’

‘You sure?’ asked Max.

‘Aye, go.’

‘Me too?’ asked Eve.

‘Aye, and I’ll see youse later?’

‘Definitely,’ said Eve, and they kissed before Eve joined Max, as they walked out of the door, standing together on the pavement. It was a little tense after what had happened at Anita’s Indian feast, and he could see it on Eve’s face.

‘How was run club last night?’ asked Max after a moment’s silence.

‘Weird. Hope told us that she’d spoken with you, and you wouldn’t be coming again. To be honest, I completely understand why you pushed Charlie, he was being a right feckin’ gobshite as usual, but what you said about Bethan.’

‘Was she OK, last night?’

‘She wasn’t there.’

‘Shit. I hope she’s all right. I’ve tried calling her and texting, but she’s ignoring me.’

‘Rightly so. Sorry, but what you said about her boyfriend was well out of order.’

‘I know. I feel awful.’

‘I know you do,’ said Eve with a faint smile. ‘So, what’s the plan now?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Look, Max, I know what happened to your parents was terrible, I do, and I’m not going to profess that I know what it's like to walk a mile in your shoes because I don’t. What I do know is that Robbie loves you, and he wants you to be OK.’

‘I know.’

‘So, you need to sort yourself out. Properly sort yourself out. There are no quick fixes to grief.’

‘I’ve been thinking about going away for a while actually, travelling for a bit, and Hope gave me the number for her therapist.’

‘Both sound like good solutions. The thing is, Max, when Liam cheated on me, I was broken for a long time. My husband, the man I thought I’d be spending the rest of my life with, slept with someone else, and it took me years to move on and get over it. The thing that really helped, that made me realise I had to stop living in the past, was when I knew I had hit rock bottom. I could either let this absolute piece of shite man ruin the restof my life, or I could stop letting him decide what was going to happen to me. I chose my future happiness over the pain of the past. I know our situations are different, I do, but you need to choose happiness, Max. You need to find out what will make you happy, and then do everything you can to get it. For me it was writing, creating a life in London, friends, career, and now love with yer man.’

‘You’re in love with Robbie?’

Eve smiled. ‘I am.’

‘And is he …?’

‘He is.’

‘Wow! Blimey.’

‘And it’s all thanks to you. So, Max, use what happened as a wake-up call. Whatever you do next might decide the rest of your life. You’ve got to be positive. Do something positive.’

Max looked at Eve, and he knew she was right. He had to choose happiness, and more importantly he had to discover what it was that made him happy. At that moment, outside of Rab’s Sandwich Shop, Max knew exactly what it was he had to do. It was the thing he should have done a year and a half ago, or even a year ago, but was too afraid, too caught up in his own sadness. He had fallen into a hole, and instead of fighting and clambering his way out of it, he had wallowed in it. He had sunk further instead of doing everything he could to get out of it. Eve had her pain, Bethan hers, but both of them were trying to move on and he needed to do the same.

‘Thanks, Eve, that’s just what I needed to hear.’