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to the seat behind the kid and kicking<br />
his seat to see how he liked it. He<br />
could just imagine how that would<br />
go down. Pervert On Train Attacks<br />
Small Child! Liam’s imagination ran<br />
wild as he visualized the headlines. It<br />
might even get on YouTube. Somebody<br />
would record it on their cell<br />
phone and upload it. Liam shuddered<br />
as he imagined the small clip going<br />
viral. His mother would never speak<br />
to him again. The nightmare had<br />
kept him occupied until the train<br />
disgorged the horrid child and his<br />
equally horrid mother at Ryde Esplanade.<br />
For the couple of minutes it took to<br />
get to Ryde Pier Head station, Liam<br />
leaned against the back of the seat<br />
and closed his eyes. Forget the last<br />
few days riding this God-awful train.<br />
Today was the day to fulfill Alex’s<br />
request. Then he could go home and<br />
get on with his life.<br />
His empty life.<br />
Mingling with the few passengers<br />
waiting for the catamaran that left<br />
from the pier, Liam got himself a<br />
latte from the coffee shop in the<br />
terminal building, taking it to sit<br />
outside on one of the benches. He<br />
sipped it carefully, having learned<br />
from previous experience that the<br />
baristas made their coffee extra hot.<br />
Liam’s bottom lip was still recovering<br />
from the last time.<br />
It was blustery outside of the protective<br />
shell of the terminal building,<br />
but Liam appreciated the feel of the<br />
wind and sun on his face. Alex was<br />
right. He had spent too long inside,<br />
not wanting to leave the sick man<br />
alone for any length of time. Digging<br />
inside his backpack, Liam drew out a<br />
small rosewood container and placed<br />
it on his lap. He stroked the box gently.<br />
The wood felt warm to the touch,<br />
as if it contained the spirit of the<br />
man within. Alex had wanted a small<br />
amount of his ashes to be sprinkled<br />
in the sea at Ryde after Liam had ridden<br />
the train. It was a simple request<br />
and one Liam intended to honor.<br />
He finished his coffee, taking his<br />
time to appreciate the rich flavor.<br />
Overhead, seagulls wheeled in<br />
circles, looking for scraps of food.<br />
Contrary to Liam’s expectations,<br />
it wasn’t raining. In fact, it hadn’t<br />
rained the whole time he’d been in<br />
England, a fact that seemed to dominate<br />
the news headlines. Seriously,<br />
two weeks without rain and there<br />
was a drought?<br />
It was the right time now. The sun<br />
was glinting off the water and there<br />
was a light gust of wind that should<br />
scatter Alex’s spirit far over the<br />
waves. Taking a deep breath, Liam<br />
went to the rail, intending to open<br />
the box and send the remains of his<br />
friend into the four winds.<br />
It was simple. He could open the<br />
box and then he could go back to his<br />
home in Michigan. His fingers fumbled<br />
at the clasp, unable to complete<br />
the simple task. Liam’s eyes filled<br />
with tears: frustration and anger at<br />
himself for being so useless, grief for<br />
the loss of his friend.<br />
The loss of Alex in his life was profound.<br />
For more than twenty years,<br />
Alex had been the mainstay of his<br />
world; not his lover but his friend,<br />
brother, partner in crime. Disposing<br />
of his ashes would leave Liam with<br />
nothing left of Alex. He would lose<br />
him all over again.<br />
The tears spilled over onto Liam’s<br />
cheeks, and he dashed them away<br />
impatiently. He fumbled at the catch<br />
of the box only to be thwarted by a<br />
large hand over the clasp.<br />
“I wouldn’t do that here if I were<br />
you.”<br />
Annoyed at being stopped when he<br />
had finally worked up the courage<br />
to open the box, Liam looked up to<br />
glare at the man, only to be caught<br />
by the sight of beautiful brown eyes,<br />
framed by long, dark lashes.<br />
“Why not? Is there a law against it?”<br />
Liam snapped.<br />
The man smiled gently. “Probably<br />
not, but if you chuck the ashes here,<br />
you’ll end up with them in your face.<br />
The wind’s blowing in the wrong<br />
direction. You need to move over to<br />
that side today.”<br />
“Oh.” Liam’s hostility faded in the<br />
face of such a reasonable explanation.<br />
Feeling like a complete idiot,<br />
he looked around for another place,<br />
where he wouldn’t get a mouthful of<br />
ashes. Alex would have loved that.<br />
“Do you want to go over there? I’ll<br />
look after your bags for you,” the<br />
man said helpfully, pointing to the<br />
other side of the pier.<br />
He had a kind face, Liam noticed.<br />
He was probably in his late twenties,<br />
although Liam was dreadful<br />
at guessing ages, with blond, wavy<br />
hair caught back in a ponytail. Not<br />
a stunner, but kind and gentle, with<br />
those amazing golden-brown eyes<br />
that were very expressive. At the moment,<br />
they were completely focused<br />
on Liam.<br />
“I promise not to nick anything,” the<br />
man assured him.<br />
Liam started to walk over to the<br />
place where he could throw the ashes<br />
and then stopped, his feet rooted to<br />
the spot. He couldn’t do it, couldn’t<br />
throw Alex away. It was too soon.<br />
Liam needed more time. He needed<br />
forever.<br />
119 ARIES / JUNE <strong>2014</strong>
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