Smile

"Why not just blurt it out?" I suggested.

For the first time she raised her head and looked directly at me. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears. "Going to give you a laugh, okay? Big joke—I've fallen in love with you, Annie. I love you. Get that? Now isn't that funny? Miserable fucking Irene has fallen in love with you! And I was scared to tell you which is why I ran off. So now you can have a good laugh about it and tell the others at the club and they can all have a fucking good laugh too!" Irene pushed away from the booth and ran to the door.

I followed. Charlie raised a puzzled eyebrow as if to say: "What's up?" I shrugged and went after Irene. She was a damned sight fitter than me and I only managed to catch up because she stopped to lean against a lamp-post, hands covering her face, shoulders quaking.

"Irene!" She flinched back slightly, head down, lifting her hands in a defensive gesture. I caught at them, holding her lightly. "Irene, look at me! Look at me!"

She raised a tear-stained face and I said: "Do I look as if I'm laughing at you? Okay, it could be something to laugh about but it'd be happy laughter, not the sneering kind. Maybe you'd like a laugh? Then I'll give you one." I pulled her into my arms and kissed her forehead. She stiffened for a second then relaxed and buried her head against my chest. "I love you too, Irene. Have done for a while now but I didn't want to scare you off or make you feel pressured. As for the people in the club, I reckon they'll be happy for us.

"Irene, the whole world isn't against you. Your father's doing time for his misdeeds—and even when he gets out you need never see the disgusting little toad again. Most of your problems now are what you've allowed to continue festering inside you and you need to let go. Easier said than done, maybe, but you really need to let go. I'll be here for you, supporting you—I won't let you down. Okay, so you had a shit upbringing because your mother died young and your father was a load of crap. And you were unlucky with your girlfriends. On the other hand, though, think of your Aunt Rose. She loved you right to the end and that's got to be worth a lot. Think of people like Nellie and Jack Matthewson and their unconditional caring for you.

"Thousands of others have bad starts in their lives—they get over it. Maggie's mother died of cancer when she was twelve and her father a year later in a traffic accident. She spent her teen years in a children's home and not one of the better ones. That's why she became a cop, so she could try to help people. My mother had MS and my father was working all hours trying to build up his business, helped when he could but mostly the care fell to me. We didn't curl up all bitter, we got on with it. Love can get you through the worst of situations. All those thousands who've had shitty lives, most of them face life and they smile. Remember smile? Where the lips turn upwards?"

Pulling back slightly, Irene scrubbed at her face to wipe away tears. Her lower lip trembled. "You love me? Honestly?"

"Yes, dammit!"

"Why? How could someone like you love me?"

"For fuck's sake!" I practically shouted, earning a resentful glance from a passing cyclist who wobbled and almost lost his balance, "What do you mean, how could I? Why does the sun come up in the morning? Why is it cold in winter? Why do flowers bloom in springtime? Because these things happen, that's why! Now, are we going to stand here all night trying to find the answers to life's mysteries or are you going to come back to Charlie's with me and have the hot chocolate I think you need?"

"What'll Charlie think?"

"Bugger what Charlie'll think," I said, "Charlie's a good bloke and he'll mind his own business. If he does say anything, I'll just tell him it's women's troubles. That shuts most men up... And when you've had your hot chocolate, we're going home, not my home but our home... And when we get there we're going to sit down and have a serious talk about what happens next..."

Epilogue: several years later

There were a lot of graduates to get through the formal ceremony and quite a crowd milling about outside the City Hall, mostly proud parents although there must have been a few like myself. I slipped through the mob and up the broad steps to where Maggie was waiting for me at the ornate doors which were not officially open for another five or six minutes. I wanted to be sure to get a good seat immediately behind the graduates and Maggie finagled our way in, courtesy of a security man who was a retired police colleague. The graduates were already all seated and having located Irene we gave her a wave. I reckoned we owed the security man a drink as getting in ahead of the others was a good move—once allowed in everyone scrambled, trying to make a dive for the best seats.. We got a few glares but just smiled sweetly at them. I saw my dad who was there as official photographer and he gave me a big grin and thumbs up. He and Nicole had spent the morning taking portrait photographs of the graduates and now they were preparing to record the ceremony.

A massive shadow loomed over us unexpectedly. "I couldn't miss this," Malcolm beamed, "It's great that Irene has achieved something worthwhile at last. Always knew she could do better than the club. Guess it's thanks to you, Annie—you gave her the love and the push she needed. Catch you later." He went to take a seat at the very back of the hall so that his bulk wouldn't obstruct other people's view. Ever thoughtful, that was Malcolm.

Shortly before the ceremony was due to start, a well-built middle-aged woman approached us and looked from Maggie to me and back again. "Is one of you Ms Truscott?"

"That's me," I said.

"My name's Sally Lane, I work at the City Hospital. I've been told you're a friend of Irene Wetherill."

"I'm her wife," I corrected.

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't told that. Well, the thing is that Irene came top in all of her classes throughout the nursing degree course and her tutors have commended her highly. I understand that she's interested in working as a children's nurse. Is that right, do you know?"

"That's what she's always hoped for."

"You know, it takes a special kind of person to deal with sick children and sometimes the job can be heart-breaking. Do you think Irene could hack it?"

"I'm sure she could," I said.

Sally Lane handed me a business card. "I'm a Senior Charge Nurse in the Paediatric Unit. I've got a vacancy coming up on my team within the next month and Irene's training record is very impressive. Get her to give me a call as soon as possible. If she'd like the job I've got sufficient clout to fix it for her. She'll need to carry out extra studies for a paediatric nursing diploma but judging by her record she should ace that." Sally hesitated then added: "You must be very proud of her."

There was sudden lump in my throat. "I am," I managed.

The stage began to fill with academics, all of them wearing gowns and caps with trimmings in various colours denoting their universities and specialisms. Those with doctorates looked especially splendid in their scarlet robes. A number of eminent guest talkers gave their speeches and eventually the ceremony began. It was an hour or more before they reached the thirty or so nursing graduates and because they were summoned forward in alphabetical order, Irene was among the last three or four.

Eventually she was announced. "Ms Irene Wetherill, the degree of Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours." I clapped so hard my hands hurt and Maggie whooped loudly. Clutching her diploma, Irene waved to Malcolm then turned towards where Maggie and I were sitting and smiled.

Her smile lit up the auditorium—along with my heart.

The End