Same Time Next Week

Chapter 60

Six weeks later

There was a capacity crowd in Pogley Working Men’s Club to see The Change. And the audience knew what they were about because the lead singer, Joss had told them: that they were a group of old birds doing what they should have done thirty-plus years ago, but better late than never, eh? And that the band name was on point because they’d all gone through big changes in their lives but were here, still standing, still rocking. So grab your chances, she said, make your changes while you can because we only get one crack at this life lark. And if we sweat on stage, at least we can blame the lights, and the drummer has to jiggle a lot to ease her sciatica.

Yes, the crowd loved it because it was real and it was honest and it was actually very good.

They covered a Mock Turtles hit and it was while they were singing into their mikes about how big and strong they’d grown and were standing on their own that Mel noticed him at the front in a mad swirly paisley shirt when the lights did a circle over the audience. Standing in the ‘mosh pit’ just as he said he would be when she did her first gig. It threw her and she momentarily lost her concentration, thought she’d hallucinated him, but he was still there when they broke after the first half for the raffle draw and for a young lad called Jason Jepson to have a guest spot.

‘All right,’ Postman Pat said when Mel hopped off stage without any accompanying noises of pain, because her knee was having a lot of good days at the moment. She shook the heat out of her red hair and wished she could shake it out of the leather trousers.

‘That were proper good, that.’ He had such a great accent.

She was full of beans anyway but the adrenaline that came with performing wasn’t wholly responsible for the width of her smile.

‘It’s great to see you again, Pat. How are you?’

‘Good, good. What about you?’

‘I’m good, what about you?’ She’d just asked that, he’d shaken her up like a snow globe. ‘Sorry, I—’

‘You look really good.’

‘Well, you can see for yourself how big and strong I’ve grown,’ she semi-trilled because she was a bit stuck for what to say and nervous enough to make a fool of herself.

‘Don’t know about big, you look pretty trim to me.’

She’d lost two stone since their first meeting on the front step. Her dodgy knee had been much better for it too.

‘It’s called the divorce diet.’

‘Divorce? You didn’t get back together again?’ He hadn’t been expecting that, from the way he asked.

‘For about three hours,’ she said. She didn’t say it might have been for slightly longer if she’d changed her sheets. Someone nudged past her and sent her into Pat, close enough to smell the cologne that had lodged on her pillows and in her brain because it triggered off a rush of serotonin.

‘I thought it was nailed on that you’d… I’d have… If I’d known,’ he stuttered and she filled in the gaps for herself.

‘So you… didn’t… you… either?’ she stuttered back.

He made a face, shook his head. ‘Not a chance. Not even for five minutes. Couldn’t.’

‘Right.’ She wondered if it had anything to do with her.

‘Listen, I’m going to have to go because I’ve got an early start—’

‘Of course,’ she said, talking over him. ‘I know you have and it’s totally fine. Thank you for coming at all, I—’

‘Shut up, will you, and let me get a word in. I’ve got some tickets to see a band in Manchester Arena. I thought you might want to come wiv me. Be a shame for ’em to go to waste.’

She was fifty-four years old and her brain had just yelled ‘Yippee’.

‘Great. Who?’

‘Whoever you want to go and see.’

‘When?’ She tried not to let the smile gush out and drown him.

‘Whenever you’re free. I thought we could make a night of it. Have some dinner. Maybe get a hotel, couple of rooms.’

‘Or just one room with twin beds… be cheaper,’ she said.

‘Yeah. Although I don’t mind sharing a big bed.’

‘Neither do I really.’ She grinned like a teenager. He grinned back.

‘Great then. I’ll be in touch. I kept your number.’

He leaned forward, kissed her on the cheek and her knees crumbled in a way that had nothing to do with wear and tear.