Chapter 50 Bardy
BARDY
Action is eloquence.
Tay and Bardy are on a bench on the quayside, ice cream cones in hand. Mint chocolate chip for Tay. Vanilla for Bardy.
“Who’s JoJo Rose?” Tay is asking. “Can’t see what all the fuss is about.”
“It was years ago now. A range, a bit like Cath Kidston, but teacups covered in flowers.”
“Doesn’t sound like Kate to me.”
Bardy doesn’t think so either. Was it really her? Why hadn’t she just said? That does worry him. Why hide it?
“She’ll have her reasons.” Red ocher is now a mind reader. He greedily takes in the color. Trying to store it in his mind, even though he knows it doesn’t work like that.
“Have you seen her?” Tay asks, nibbling now at the cone.
“Not yet.”
“She’ll be feeling shit.”
“She’s not answering texts.”
“I am on the group chat, you know.” Tay rolls her eyes.
“Yeah, well, Linda came to see me.”
“About Kate?”
“Sort of.”
Tay grins. “She rip into you?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Good.”
“Thanks.”
“Well, no offense, but you are a complete arse sometimes, Bardy.”
“Yep. Don’t worry, Lou said the same.”
Tay eases up. “Look, we do all get it. Family and all that.”
“You understand?”
“I’m not thick, Bardy. Toni may be shit, but I could always see what you lot had.”
“Which was?”
“Proper family stuff. When I was little, I used to pretend that we would discover I was really related to you and Hana.”
“Oh, Tay. You do know we love you.”
“Oh, fuck off.” She feeds her last bit of cone to a passing seagull. “So what’s this all about? The I want to meet. I want to talk. Got things to do.”
She never could sit still for long.
“Okay. Why is it you hug Hana?”
“And not you?”
“I guess. And it’s okay. We’re cool the way we are.” He points to the gap between them on the bench. Close but not too close.
“You really want to know?”
Bardy nods.
So Tay tells him.
Ten minutes later, she bounces up from the bench. Bardy is still staring out beyond the fishing boats to the channel leading to the sea. He shakes off his preoccupation and rises.
“I guess this is goodbye, then,” Tay says.
Bardy can’t speak.
Tay nudges him. “Go on, you know you want to.”
He opens his arms, and she walks into his hug. He can feel her skinny arms hugging him back, and it is pure red ocher. And he had been right; in that beautiful ruby color, there is so much hope.