Chapter 8 #2
‘You don’t have to deny it,’ he said, cutting me off. ‘I honestly can’t account for my behaviour the previous times we’ve met Skylar, but I can apologise for it. I’m truly sorry for my less than warm welcome and I really hope it hasn’t put you off visiting Prosperous Place.’
I hadn’t been expecting him to say anything to me, but if I had attempted to guess the words that were going to come out of his mouth if he did, I wouldn’t have reckoned on any of the ones he’d just said.
He was quite transformed, in both conversation and looks.
His features had softened and the expression in his eyes told me he was in earnest. In fact, he looked almost desperate that I should accept his apology.
‘In that case,’ I relented, ‘how about we completely forget about what’s gone before and I buy you a drink to prove it’s behind us?’
‘No,’ he grinned, his eyes attractively crinkling at the corners. ‘I’ll buy you a drink. It’s the least I can do.’
‘All right,’ I smiled back.
‘What will you have?’
‘I’ve just finished a half of the local bitter, so the same again would be great.’
‘I think I’ll go for that, too and some chips. I’m famished,’ he said and headed to the bar.
It took a few minutes before he came back, because everyone seemed to know him and wanted to have a word with him and I got the feeling that it was down to more than just recognising someone you sometimes saw in a pub.
I hadn’t forgotten that I had previously thought I knew him from somewhere, too, and given that we were now on a friendlier footing, I decided to outright ask.
‘Thank you,’ I said, when he put my drink in front of me and sat in the chair opposite.
He was so broad, his bulk effectively blocked my view of the entire place.
‘I hope you don’t mind me asking, Erik, but I can’t shake off the feeling that I recognise you, but I’m pretty certain that we hadn’t met before last week. ’
He took a mouthful of his pint and ducked his head.
‘I used to play rugby,’ he said self-effacingly. ‘Some people know me from that.’
‘Of course!’ I said and clicked my fingers as the penny dropped and his image fell into place. ‘You’re an international player, aren’t you? I’ve seen you on TV and in the papers. My former boss was a huge rugby fan. How did I not twig before?’
Given his fame and talent, I thought the way he’d expressed his hugely impressive career was very modest, but I’d rather he was that way inclined as opposed to someone who bragged and became big headed.
‘I used to be an international player,’ he said with emphasis. ‘I had to retire from the sport entirely at the end of last season because of a recurring knee injury.’
‘Oh crikey,’ I swallowed, wishing I’d known that before I’d gushed. ‘I’m so sorry. That must be really tough to get your head around, especially at your age,’ he looked taken aback. ‘Sorry,’ I winced. ‘I shouldn’t have said that I—’
‘Yes, you should,’ he interrupted. ‘In fact, I’m thrilled that you did.’
‘You are?’
‘Yes,’ he said again. ‘It’s what people I meet in public are always thinking but they hardly ever come out and say it, and to be honest, I wish they would because it is tough. So tough, and it would be great to be able to talk about it without making anyone feel awkward.’
I was relieved that I hadn’t put my foot in it but also sad that he felt that way and that he was having such a difficult time.
‘I guess you thought playing rugby was going to be your entire career, didn’t you?’ I sighed.
‘I did,’ he nodded. ‘And even though it wouldn’t have lasted much longer at international level, I thought I’d got a fair few years left playing at club standard.’
The barman came over with Erik’s chips, and we didn’t pick up the conversation until he’d gone.
‘So,’ I said, having given some thought to what Erik was currently doing in terms of work at Prosperous Place, ‘if you don’t mind me asking?’
‘Ask away,’ he said and dipped the end of a chip into the bowl of ketchup before popping it into his mouth.
I had to look away as he licked the salt off his lips.
‘How is it that you find yourself working as the unofficial property manager and maintenance guy at Prosperous Place? That’s as far removed from playing rugby as you can get, isn’t it?’
‘That’s kind of the point.’ Erik nodded as he reached for another chip. ‘Dive into these if you want some, won’t you?’ he offered.
‘I’ve already had a small bowl,’ I confessed, ‘but that one does look rather tempting,’ I added and reached for one of the biggest, which made him gasp in protest, but good humouredly. ‘So, Prosperous Place?’
‘Well,’ he started to explain, ‘I had a very rough of time of it, mentally I mean, when it came to adjusting to the changes when I stepped away from rugby. Or rather, limped away, given the nature of my injury.’
‘I can appreciate that there would have been a lot to get your head around.’
‘It wasn’t just the eighty minutes on the pitch that disappeared, but literally the entire structure of every single day,’ he recollected and shook his head. ‘In the early days, I felt completely adrift.’
I wondered if he had family who had supported him but didn’t want to ask in case that wasn’t the case.
‘It was when I was at my lowest that someone recommended this mental health charity and it was through them that I met Luke,’ he carried on. ‘Have you been introduced to him yet?’
‘No,’ I said. ‘Not yet.’
‘He’s an amazing guy. He’s always been really open about his mental health challenges and he and the therapist I worked with helped me so much while I clawed my way out of the deep pit I’d fallen into.’
‘Jeez, Erik,’ I swallowed, as a lump formed in my throat.
I thought he was extremely brave to talk so honestly about what he’d been through, especially given that I barely knew him, but I supposed that was the point.
It was high time these sorts of conversations were normalised. ‘That sounds really bad.’
‘It was for a while,’ he nodded. ‘But once I was able to start thinking about what had happened as an opportunity to try something new, I gradually began to feel hopeful again. I’d been channelled in one direction for so long, that it was quite a revelation when I started to look around for something different to do. ’
‘I see,’ I said, as I started to join up some of the dots. ‘And because Luke and Kate needed someone to look after…’
I stopped talking as Erik shook his head again.