he’d needed. It had also transpired from their conversation that she still had the divorce papers that he’d signed. So he’d arranged to meet her to pick them up before going to see Charlie, but when she’d asked him why he’d wanted them he’d said that it was difficult to explain. It had been, but largely because he hadn’t known why he’d wanted them.
Matt had sat on the train from Birmingham New Street to London Euston feeling like a school boy again. He’d felt excited, but at the same time agitated. He’d found the journey incredibly tiresome, and the train had seemed to stop at every single station between Birmingham and London. He’d kept running through in his mind what he might say to Charlie when he saw her, but everything had seemed contrite and overly articulated.
He’d tried to make some notes, but that had seemed a bit ridiculous. What was he going to do he’d thought? Find her, sit her down, and give her a speech from his pre-prepared notes? He’d wondered if he should just kiss her, or maybe the first thing he ought to do was confront her about her memory. Yet maybe he should deal with that last he’d thought, or maybe he should just skip that part entirely and just tell her that he wanted her back.
Every which way he’d thought about talking to Charlie the conversation seemed fraught with issues, and he was terrified about how to approach the subject of his drug addiction. He’d felt irritated and he’d begun banging his fist against his head trying to think of the best way to deal with that, but he’d stopped when two businessmen in seats nearby him had stared at him.
When he got off the train at Euston, Claire was there waiting for him as promised. He gave her his overnight bag, which she’d agreed to take back to her flat for him, and she handed him his divorce papers which he put into his satchel styled shoulder bag that he was keeping with him.
“Matt, you need to relax a bit. You’re looking dishevelled and it’s not very you,” Claire said putting her hand on his shoulder and smiling.
Matt looked at her and knew that he was feeling incredibly anxious.
“Look,” Claire said; “I’ve got you an underground ticket already. You need to go down the escalators and get onto the northern line bank branch going south. Get off at London Bridge and take this,” she said giving him a hand drawn map. “When you get off at London Bridge, follow this map. If you get lost, honestly, you’re either blind or an idiot, but if you do just ask someone for Hays Galleria. Okay?”
Matt nodded, putting the map in the back pocket of his jeans.
“I’ve asked Charlie to meet me outside her offices at five. She’s agreed, but I had to twist her arm a bit as she doesn’t normally leave work much before seven. I figured this would give you guys longer to chat though. Also it’s a Monday night so the bars around there won’t be too busy. Plus it’s a nice day,” she said; “so if it is busy around there you should be able to sit outside and talk.”
Matt was taken aback by how much thought Claire had put into all of this and he said; “thanks.”
Claire laughed and said; “nice person remember?”
Matt smiled and Claire rolled her eyes at him.
“There are loads of places to eat or to get a coffee down there too, so you should be able to keep yourself occupied till five. If you haven’t got a book or a paper or anything, there’s a WH Smith over there,” Claire said pointing towards the back of the station.
“I’ll be fine,” Matt said.
“Okay, well then I guess I’ll see you later. Hopefully,” she said crossing her fingers and smiling at him before kissing him on the cheek.
Matt watched Claire disappear into the crowd, and once she was gone from sight he headed for the underground.
It only took him twenty minutes to get to where Claire had said Charlie’s offices were, and he looked at the postings of all the businesses in the building to make sure that he was in the right place. He spotted the name of the firm that Claire had told him that Charlie was working for, and satisfied that he was where he was supposed to be he walked into the nearest pub and ordered a pint of shandy.
He took his drink from