They'd travelled quite a distance ahead of me, and feeling myself
tire, I shouted out, "Excuse me!" They stopped, turned, waiting for me.
I reduced my run to a power walk and was soon upon them.
Seeing them looking at me, waiting for me to give a reason for
stopping them, I began to gabble. "Erm – I didn't mean – I mean – what
I said – I meant – I'm sorry...."
Makeup-Man, seeing my struggle, helped me out, "There's no need
to say sorry for being a nice wee fella."
His words gave me focus, "No, I know; what I mean is, I didn't
mean to give you a notion that might take you away from your friends,"
I said, happy to get it off my chest.
The woman who said it piped up, "Don't worry about that; we'll
handle any notions he has." Both women linked their arms through his,
"We take care of each other, so we do, we have to."
"Are you sisters?" I asked.
"We are," said the woman, nodding to the other. She slapped
Makeup-Man with the back of her hand, playfully, "And he's as good
as," she said, causing all three to take to the road again, propelled by
peels of joyous laughter.
Wanting to wish them well, I shouted out, "I hope you find
something nice today."
Makeup-Man shouted back, "You never know; one man's rubbish
is another man's treasure."
Treasure. I liked that word. Watching them walk away, I treasured
the sight of them, for their unity filled me with hope that one day in my
future I'd find friends like Makeup-Man's. Friends who'd treasure my
intangible difference the way the two wise women treasured his visible
difference.
......
Before I returned to the Cathedral, I realised I needed a sit-down.
Hoisting myself onto a short wall, I felt a tingle in my tummy. It was
similar to the one I'd felt when Dad took me on a rollercoaster in Belle
Vue Amusement Park in Manchester. That day had been the happiest
of my life, and somehow, I felt this day was comparable to it. The fear
and despair I'd experienced only moments before in the room with
Maria were akin to how I felt as the coaster approached the pinnacle of
the hill. And the rush of excitement and exhilaration The Three wise
Women instilled in me was akin to the thrill I felt as the coaster raced
down the drop.
But on that day, I'd had Dad by my side to share those highs and
lows. Without his companionship, I knew this day would never hit that
level of happiness. It was with a modicum of hope that I set off to re-
YOU ARE READING
Secrets And Styes
Non-FictionI was seven the summer I travelled to Ireland with my brother and sister. Determined I was, to discover the identity of the tall-man, a ghost who appeared to Dad when he was my age - making Dad proud was a priority. Soon upon arrival, the whispering...
