‘How’s things?’
‘Good.’ Oliver spoke sharply.
‘How’s Tasha?’
‘Good.’
Nick closed his eyes, without the energy tonight to
navigate the silent pauses that littered their conversa-
tion like rocks in a river. Not only was he tired, but he
321
Amanda Prowse
wanted to go over the business plan one more time before
tomorrow.
‘I’ve been sorting some of Mum’s things.’
‘What things?’ Oliver fired, instantly on the attack.
Nick exhaled. ‘All of her things really. Some of her
clothes and bits and bobs are going to charity; she had
rubbish in drawers and that’s going to the tip.’
‘Are you getting rid of everything?’ The boy swallowed.
‘Not everything, Olly, no. For example, I’ve wrapped
her dressing gown and put it in a box for the loft; she’s
had that since she had you. And her wedding dress, that’s
going into the same box along with the blouse she wore
when she came out of the hospital carrying you – I’ve
got loads of photos of her in it, holding you. Her school
report cards, her netball medal, all the cards and pictures
you made her at nursery and school and of course all of
our photos. They are all being packed and stored in the
loft. And anything else I thought might be important or
that you might want, some books and bits and pieces.’
‘Okay. Good.’ This time the words were offered in
a whisper.
‘That’s why I’m calling really. I’m sitting here with
her watch in my hand and I thought you might like it.’
‘Oh!’
‘Her wedding ring and the little bits of jewellery she
got for her twenty-first are yours too, but I’ll hang on to
it all for you for now. But the watch … I was just think-
ing, and it’s only a suggestion’ – he paused – ‘that you
might like to give it to someone important in your life. I
know your mum would like that. And I’m not suggesting
Tasha, although that would be fine.’ Nick drew breath
and rubbed his tired eyes, knowing he wasn’t being that
clear. ‘I guess what I’m saying is that when you find a
322
The Light in the Hallway
woman who is going to be a permanent fixture in your
life, someone you think worthy of it, then you can give
her your mum’s watch.’ Nick cleared his throat. ‘That’s
all I’m saying. I’ll put it in a padded envelope in your
room, in your drawer for safekeeping.’
‘Thank you, Dad.’
‘No worries.’ He smiled. ‘I’ll let you go. I want to go
over my business plan one more time before bed.’
‘Nanny Mags said you were nervous.’
‘Did she?’ He exhaled. ‘She’d be right, but you don’t
know if you don’t try, eh?’
‘Yep. Good luck.’
‘Thanks, Olly. Night, night.’
‘Night, Dad.’
1992
Will Pearce stood in the garage and stared at Half Bike,
shaking his head.
‘I don’t understand.’
Nick sighed. ‘It’s not hard to understand, Will.’ He
tried to explain again. ‘Me and Eric and Alex built this
bike together, but Eric went to live with his mum a week
ago and so we are looking for someone to take his place
in our bike gang.’
‘More of a bike club than a bike gang,’ Alex clarified.
‘But what would I have to do?’ Will continued to stare
at the bike with a look that suggested he was a whole lot
less impressed with their bike than they were.
‘You don’t have to do anything,’ Alex explained,
exasperated. ‘Just come out on bike rides and time who-
ever is trying to break the record for flying down Cobb
Lane and help polish the frame and put oil on the chain
and the sprockets. That kind of thing. We have another
323
Amanda Prowse
game called Petunia but we can show you how to play
that later if you want.’
‘What’s a sprocket?’ Will asked eventually.
Nick and Alex exchanged a look. This was hopeless.
‘Look,’ Nick tried again. ‘We are offering you a half
of a half of the bike.’
‘A half of a half?’ Will looked even more confused,
if that was possible.
‘Yes,’ Nick explained. ‘I own half the bike and Alex
and Eric have the other half split in two, so half of a half.’
Will laughed loudly. ‘That’s a quarter! Not half of a
half! You mean Alex and Eric own a quarter!’
Nick didn’t like the way the boy laughed, hated that
there were things he was clueless about while others
seemed to know them with such ease.
‘Well, you might be like maths Jesus, but you don’t
know what a sprocket is, Marjorie!’ he yelled.
Will looked as if he might cry before picking up his
backpack.
‘I don’t think I want to ride your bike or play Petunia
or be in your bike gang—’
‘It’s not a gang. It’s a club,’ Alex interrupted.
Will shook his head. ‘Whichever. It’s not for me.
Thanks, though.’ He opened the side door seemingly
keen to make his escape when a familiar voice yelled
through the door.
‘Did someone say Petunia?’
‘Eric!’
Neither he nor Alex noticed Will sidle along the path.
‘What are you doing here?’ Alex bounced on the spot.
‘Have you come to visit?’
‘Nope.’ Eric beamed. ‘I moved back. Yesterday!’
324
The Light in the Hallway
‘You moved back?’ Nick screamed. ‘No way! He
moved back! He’s come back!’
All three boys jumped up and down before running
out into the back garden and racing around the edge of
the lawn like corks popped from a bottle, flying with
their arms outstretched, bundles of pure energy that
had to run until they calmed. This was the best news
ever, ever!
‘Eric’s back!’ Nick yelled up to the open window,
through which his mum popped her head out.
‘So he is.’ She blew him a kiss. ‘Bacon, Eric?’
‘And eggs, please!’ he yelled over his shoulder, as he
tore around the lawn.
The three boys giggled and chattered as they ate, sit-
ting close together around the kitchen table while Eric
filled his face and his stomach.
‘Why did you move back?’ Alex asked, going to work
on a Jammie Dodger.
Eric kept his eyes on his plate. ‘I spoke to my dad and
he said I could go to cubs if I wanted and that he’d get
me the uniform and everything, so I came back.’
‘Oh. Good.’ Nick didn’t care what the reason was;
he was just so very happy to have his best friend back in
the fold.
‘And you’ll be staying here tonight, love; your dad
called and he’s on a late shift.’
Nick smiled at his mum, feeling a bubble of happy
that filled him right up.
‘You’re back
then? That didn’t last long,’ Jen sighed
from the doorway.
‘Yes, I’m back. So you can stop missing me!’ Eric
laughed.
325
Amanda Prowse
‘I didn’t miss you, you dweeb!’ Jen yelled angrily
before flouncing from the room, but the slight smile on
her mouth suggested otherwise.
‘What’s first?’ Eric asked. ‘We should definitely go
up to the Rec and see what’s changed and then go to the
Old Dairy Shed and have a poke around…’
Nick agreed. It had been a whole week since they
had last patrolled these places, and a lot could happen in
a week.
That night his mum rolled out the bed-in-a-bag and
switched off the big light. ‘Now I know you two have a
lot to catch up on, but you’ve got school in a few days, so
an early night would be good, no chatting till all hours.’
‘Night, night, Mum.’
‘Night, night, darling, and night, night, Eric, and
welcome home.’
‘Night,’ Eric whispered. ‘I brought the multi tool
back.’ Eric reached out and placed it in the gap between
their two beds.
Nick was happier to see it than he could have said.
He hadn’t felt half as comfortable going to sleep without
his weapon of choice nestling close to hand just in case.
‘I wish this was my home,’ Eric whispered.
‘You can come over any time you want to; my mum
and dad have already said that.’
‘Nick…’
‘What?’ He didn’t question why they were both sud-
denly whispering.
‘I didn’t come back because of the cubs uniform,
although I might still join cubs. My dad did say I could.’
Nick heard him swallow.
‘What did you come back for then?’
326
The Light in the Hallway
Eric took his time responding. ‘My mum didn’t want
me there anymore.’
Nick stayed silent; he couldn’t think of a single thing to
say. Couldn’t imagine his mum not wanting him near her.
Eric drew breath. ‘It was horrible at their house. They
haven’t got any carpet anywhere and her and Dave were
always rowing or kissing.’
‘Yuck!’ Nick managed.
‘Yes, yuck!’ Eric agreed. ‘And I wasn’t allowed in the
lounge because Dave couldn’t be disturbed when he was
watching telly, and so I just sat in the bedroom, and if
I came downstairs he shouted at me or she did and so I
went back upstairs, but there was nothing to do and no
Sega. And then yesterday she came up to my bedroom
and she was smiling and I thought maybe she was going
to start being nice to me and I was quite happy, but then
she said that it hadn’t worked out and it was probably best
if I came back here to stay with my dad.’
‘What did you say?’
‘I didn’t say anything. I just got up off the bed, opened
up my bag and started to put my clothes in it.’
‘I bet your dad’s happy to have you home.’
‘He is – we went up to the chippy last night and I had
two large battered sausages.’
‘Nice.’ Nick pictured the bubbly batter-covered feast.
‘I think my mum is a fucking cow!’
Nick was shocked. This wasn’t language they used
or heard, although he suspected Eric might have picked
it up from Dave or his mum. Even hearing it made his
tummy flip.
‘I don’t think you can say that about your mum,’ he
whispered.
327
Amanda Prowse
‘She is, though! She only cares about Dave and the
stupid new baby. I don’t even care, though – you were
right, Derby is rubbish! And they can forget it if they
think I will ever go back, even if they actually get me
that Sega.’
Nick thought it unlikely that they would get him that
Sega, thinking that if they had meant it they probably
would have had it waiting for him when he arrived, but
he didn’t say it out loud.
‘We should take Half Bike apart tomorrow and give
it a really good clean, oil it up and check the chain and
the like.’ Eric yawned.
‘Yes, definitely.’
It was Nick’s turn to yawn and the conversation slowed
as fatigue set in.
‘I meant what I said, Nick. I wish this was my home
and I think I know a way I can be part of your family.’
Nick felt his stomach roll – not the blood brothers thing
again. Even the thought made his mouth fill with water.
‘How?’
‘I’m going to marry your sister and then you’ll be my
brother-in-law and we will be proper family, for always.’
Nick considered this. ‘But my sister is horrible, plus
she thinks you’re a total dweeb.’
‘I don’t think she’s horrible; I think she’s brilliant. And
I know she says it, but I don’t believe she really thinks
I’m a total dweeb.’
328
CHAPTER TWELVE
Nick parked outside Beverly’s house and closed his eyes;
he took a deep breath, trying to keep his nerves at bay.
He picked up the file from the front seat with a copy of
the business case nestling inside.
Beverly must have been looking out of the window
waiting, as she appeared on the pavement in her work suit
and with her hair set. She looked professional and smart;
her appearance gave him a flash of confidence.
‘Wow!’ She pulled her head back on her shoulders.
‘Well, look at you, mister! You scrub up well.’
He blushed; this was the first time she had seen him
in a suit. The suit bought for his dad’s funeral and also
worn to his wife’s and now, hopefully on the day he
would impress the bank manager.
‘All set?’ she asked as if they were about to head off
on a day trip and not to the bank around the corner in
Market Square where someone else, no doubt more used to
wearing a suit than he was, held his future in their hands.
‘Yep. I’ve gone over the numbers and practised the
pitch.’ They walked slowly forward.
‘Good.’ She took his hand and squeezed it. ‘Don’t
look so glum; this just might be a day we look back and
remember as the day our lives changed.’
329
Amanda Prowse
‘Yes.’ He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. ‘I’m
not glum, just nervous.’ He breathed out sharply. ‘Are we
mad even trying? Maybe it’d be easier to just…’
‘What, Nick? To not try? Should we fear rejection so
badly that we don’t even try? Is that what you’re suggesting?’ Her brows knitted. She meant business.
‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘It’s just that…’
‘What?’ She spoke quickly, whether irritated by his
suggestion or aware of the march of time he wasn’t sure.
‘It’s just that this is the first time I’ve ever done any-
thing like this.’ He bit his lip, wishing he could talk to
his dad, knowing that he was always full of good
advice,
steering him right. A memory filled his mind, clear and
detailed: the summer of 1992 – when he had first seen
Half Bike, knowing what he wanted but not sure how
to go about achieving it.
You will never know what you are capable of until you try, lad. The trying is good for you and the rewards great if you take the chance. But mark my words, you will succeed. If you want it badly enough…
Nick felt his face break into a smile.
‘Right. Let’s do it.’ He quickened his pace, march-
ing her along the cobbles and turning right into Market
Square. He spied a group of lads on the bench and smiled
in their direction; today, in this suit, with the business
plan under his arm, he felt like the kind of man who
could ask them to shift if he wanted to. He felt like a
bloody footballer!
He and Beverly sat on the padded green chairs outside
of the little office to the side of the main open-plan foyer
and waited. A young woman walked past with a silk scarf
in the bank’s colours tied in a jaunty bow at her neck.
‘Shouldn’t be too long now.’ She smiled.
330
The Light in the Hallway
‘No worries.’ Nick raised his hand. ‘We have an ap-
pointment with Mr Williams, the bank manager.’ He
rattled the file in her direction, feeling so out of place he tried to justify his presence.
‘Oh.’ The woman pushed her glasses up on to her nose.
‘You’re not seeing Mr Williams today – it’s our finance man-
ager you’re seeing. He handles all new business enquiries.’
‘Thanks, Joanne, we are happy to wait.’ Beverly winked
at her.
‘No worries, Bev.’ Joanne gave a sweet smile and
walked off.
‘Joanne?’ Nick turned to Beverly.
‘Kath Watson’s granddaughter.’
‘Poor thing,’ he whispered out of the side of his mouth.
‘Do you think Kath cooks at home too?’
The two giggled as the office door opened. And there
stood the rather portly finance manager in a grey suit and
with his hair swept to one side in a severe parting.
‘You have got to be kidding me!’ Nick stepped forward
and shook hands with the finance manager, none other
than Will ‘Piss Pants’ Pearce.
‘Now then, Nick. Long time no see.’
‘Yes, long time, Will.’
‘I guessed there couldn’t be more than one Nick
Bairstow in the area. I’ve been working in York, but I’m
back here now. Come in.’ Will pointed at two chairs in
front of the narrow desk. Nick saw a copy of their business
The Light in the Hallway (ARC) Page 36