Time Changes

Part Twenty

Peter stared at the man, in the few seconds before he glanced up at him and smiled, and almost stumbled with shock. Oliver looked dreadful, he’d lost loads of weight, not that he was hugely overweight, but he was a formidable presence in any room, now he was pale, feeble and looked a step away from death. Rosa said he was getting better, just how ill had he been?

"Peter!" even his voice was softer than normal. "Didn’t expect to see you! Great though! You look well."

Peter shook himself out of his shock, "I’m working in Australia for a while, can’t help but look well with the sun, the lifestyle...you know? I’m in London for a few days and was just passing; honestly, I didn’t know you’d been unwell."

Oliver gestured to the chair opposite, "well it’s always a tonic seeing you! If nothing else to remind me of times when I was a lot younger!”

“You’re hardly old now!”

“I feel it! Been a rough few months!”

Whilst he talked, his eyes showing the animation of old, even if the body wasn’t exactly willing! And Peter hated seeing this man so fragile. To him he was an icon, an inspiration, he could only try and imagine how hard this had hit the family as he watched Rosa fuss over hot drinks.

The phone rang and Rosa excused herself.

                "Lex was here, she’s good in a crisis." Oliver threw randomly into conversation, his voice loud and clear in the suddenly quiet room.

Peter gulped, not able to discuss her with her father of all people, so he remained silent.
                "God you have got it bad!" Oliver laughed, "look at you!"

Peter’s head snapped up, "I don’t know what you mean!"

Oliver laughed, "You can’t even talk about her. I know that you’ve always known she was special, and I suppose in my fallibility of being ill, I realised that I put both of you in a difficult situation."

Peter shook his head, "It was strange to see her again after all these years.”

Oliver laughed, “did you think about her a lot?”

Every day! How could he tell her father that? “Oliver she was a child, I was well into my twenties, you were right to tell me the relationship was inappropriate. I should not have let her get so close to me. That was my fault"

Oliver shook his head, “not really. Even back then she was more mature than most. I’m not saying it was right, that I’d have agreed....

Peter shook his head and waved a hand in his direction,                “Right? Agreed? You said you’d call the police and have me on indecency charges if I as much as danced with her.”

Oliver’s eyes widened in shock,                “What?”

Peter slumped into his chair, “on her birthday, I’d come to see you, explain I was going to take her to her party...but as I got to your office I could hear you, talking to Chris the Intern. The two of you...you were disgusted...you said you’d get me registered as a sex offender if I looked at her.”

Oliver turned paler than his resting shade of pasty white, “I...” He shook his head, “I don’t remember that Peter. Really?”

Peter nodded, “you’re not the type to issue idle threats, and it put the fear of god into me.”

The older man sighed, “I wouldn’t have done that, maybe I was just agreeing with Chris? He was always cocky and opinionated. I mean I couldn’t have approved of anything happening, not really. But I think I knew that there was something special between you both. That was why I was glad you met up more recently...”