Sea Change (22 page)

Chapter
Nineteen

John stood at
the bus stop with Sal and Simon, waiting for the clattering red and
blue bus that would take him back home, back to the normal life of
mum and dad, and a school that was now nothing more than a school.
He had said his goodbyes to Laura back in the shop, so she didn't
have to close up to walk to the bus stop with him.

Simon had
dribbled a football all the way up the hill from the village, and
now he was kicking it into the air, playing keepy-up, ball off his
foot, his knee, his foot. Then he misjudged it, and it bounced off
his shin and went bouncing down the street, Simon in pursuit.

John and Sal
laughed, shaking their heads.

"Bus'll be here
in a minute," Sal said.

"Yes," said
John. "Guess it will." He shifted from foot to foot, knowing he had
so little time left, so much that he wanted to say, so little
ability to say it. "It's been an amazing time. All of this."

"For me too,"
Sal said.

"I'm coming
back, you know," John said. "I've decided, talked to Laura about it
and she's more than happy. I'm going to be back in the summer
holidays, help her out in the shop. Maybe I can be here for a
couple of months."

"Good, I'm glad
you're coming back," Sal said, and there was a moment of awkward
silence, and John wanted to say something else but he couldn't find
the words to say it. Then the bus rattled around the corner, and
Simon ran back to them, and the moment was gone. Simon slapped John
on the back.

"Did well for a
townie," he said. "Next time, try and not fall in the water so
much, eh?"

John laughed.
"I'll try."

Simon walked
away a few steps, and the bus shivered to a halt, its doors hissing
open.

"Well, I'll see
you then," John said to Sal. She grinned, stepped up to him, put
her arms around him and gave him a long hug and the world changed
again.

"You will," she
said, and for a long moment she didn't let go. Then she said very
quietly, "Come back for me." Then she let him go, and stepped back,
Simon looking at the bus as if it was the most interesting thing
that he had ever seen in his life, and John grinned at her, and
grinned at him, and got on the bus and grinned at the bus driver
while he paid for his ticket, and kept on grinning even when the
bus moved off, and Sal and Simon waved goodbye, Simon running
alongside the bus for a few metres, grinning even when the bus
picked up speed and turned the corner, driving out of the village,
grinning even when he could not see them anymore.

He sat back in
his seat, working out in his head how many days there were until
the next time he would see Sal again.

The bus hauled
its way up the hill and away from the village. As it turned to head
inland John looked back out at the cliff top, the sea shimmering
silver and endless beyond it. He saw movement beside the bus, and
looked down into the field next to the road.

A large black
dog raced along, keeping pace with the bus for a while, and then it
veered away into the field, running back towards the village,
faster, faster, and then it was gone.

###

ABOUT THIS
BOOK

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