The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
She tried for quite a while to find out what happened to me but I never got in touch. She presumed I was dead
Fiona and Pete broke apart from their kiss and sat down on the bench.
She lifted the cricket bat up. “What’s with the bat, Pete?”
“Present for Jamie, remember I always said I’d bring him one from Aus.”
Fiona was silent.
He looked into her eyes. “I know, I know, what the hell was I doing running off there anyway. Okay, here goes.”
She looked down at his hands. They were shaking. “So you told me that night the review was coming out in the paper.
“Good for me professionally and for the hotel of course, but terrible on a personal front.” “Why?”
“I suddenly realised they’d see it online back in Tassie. They’ve been Googling me for ages, trying to find me.”
“Who?”
Pete’s shoulders relaxed and he stroked Fiona’s cheek and pulled the scarf round her neck as the breeze got up.
“My mum died 11 years ago, I never told you.” “Why?”
Pete clenched his trembling hands together. “My dad killed her. Suddenly went crazy, smashed her head with a hammer. It affected me pretty badly. Well, obviously.”
He glanced at Fiona, who was glowering at him.
Forgive
“I left home soon after Mum’s funeral, had to get away. My sister thought I’d died, killed myself, with the grief and...”
“What? Why would she think that?”
“She tried for quite a while to find out what happened to me but I never got in touch. She presumed I was dead.
“She even put my name on Mum’s gravestone, no dates or anything, but just so folk would think, like her, that I was dead.”
Fiona swallowed.
“So, once I knew that she would see my name online, I had to go to Tassie and see her, explain – which I did, courtesy of, sorry to say, our savings.
“I don’t suppose you’ll ever forgive me for that and why should you. Anyway, I slowly got everything sorted between us.
“But I had to come back here, I had to see you and Jamie again.”
Pete raised his hand and caressed Fiona’s cheek. She flicked his hand away and sat back, scowling.
“I don’t understand any of this, Pete. Why would you pretend you were dead?”
“I’m not proud of any of this, but, being back there, I had a bit of a breakdown.
“I needed some meds to set me right, and my sister helped me out, took care of me.
“By the time I was better, so much time had passed, I thought it would be better to apologise in person.” “Pete, what’s your sister’s name?”
“Her name? Sam, my wee sister Sam.”
Fiona snorted. “Of course, your sister.” She shook her head.
“Why the hell could you not have told me about her – and about your mum being dead?”
“I know, I know. To be honest, I was kind of ashamed. Christ, Fi, my dad’s a murderer.” “What happened to him then?”
“Prison, in for life.”
Fiona sighed and looked straight at Pete. He looked so vulnerable.
“Okay, so you used our savings to fly there, you saw your sister Sam. But how does Debs fit into this?”
“Debs?”
Family
“Yeah, Debs from the Old Chain Pier in Edinburgh. I met her and she told me you slept with her, then she took a photo from your passport when you got really angry with her and...”
“Why on Earth would you think we slept together?” “Well, why did you spend time with her?”
“I didn’t. We were colleagues, that’s all.”
He tucked her hair behind her ear, brushing her cheek.
“But she had a picture of yours. It looks like he’s your son.”
“What, you think I’ve got another family or something? Don’t be daft, Fi. You and Jamie are my family.”
He tipped his head back then nodded. “I had a photo in my wallet of me as a wee boy.
She stole all the money in my wallet one night when she was drunk and she must have taken the photograph too.”
Fiona leant her head on to his shoulder and inhaled.
It was so good to smell his wonderful smell again.
“Please, Fi, please believe me, I’m not a lying, thieving bastard.”
He turned to look at her and smiled.
“Fi, the only bad thing I did was taking the money from our account for the fare, but I was desperate.
“It was terrible and I should never have done it. I can’t imagine you’ll ever forgive me.”
“Did you fly first class? I mean, all that money?” “No, I didn’t fly first! I spent nearly a thousand on the fare then saved the rest.
“And I got some temping chef jobs while I was away so I’ve brought it all back – and a bit extra.”
Fiona frowned. “But if you were just doing something as, well, worthy as you say you were, at last letting Sam know you were alive, why the hell could you not have got in touch?
“Emailed me to say: ‘Sorry, Fi, I stole all our savings and here I am back in Australia reconciling with my sister, but I’ll be back soon.’”
“I know, I handled it all badly, I’m rubbish. Sorry.”
Deep breath
He stroked her hand. “I should have got in touch. Thing is, Fi, the breakdown meant I had to see a shrink a few times, but I’ve got myself totally sorted out now.
“I felt ashamed of that too, like I wasn’t coping well, so, kind of, unmanly.”
He took a deep breath. “But when I was fit again and ready to come back, I got in touch with Dot and then your dad died.”
He turned to her. “I’m sorry about the funeral. It was me there at the back, but I just wasn’t ready for the talk with you and I didn’t think it was a good time for you.
“But I wanted to be there, he was a great guy your dad, a legend.”
“So how come Dad said you got really angry and shouted at Jamie one night when you were online?” Fiona scowled at him.
“Oh, Christ, did he bring that up? What an idiot I was. I’d been trying to find my sister online and I just got so stressed out about everything.
“I think I made up something about Facebook to Stru, I was so ashamed I’d bawled at Jamie. Sorry.”
More on Monday.