Page 47 of A Miracle on Hope Street
‘Really?’ says Michael. ‘Ruth, that’s exactly what this is all about, isn’t it? Just a little kindness can make such a difference to someone’s whole life. It’s amazing what you are doing. That’s such a nice thing to hear.’
‘I’m telling you, it made my day,’ I say to him. ‘I like Marian already, and then I met Nicholas who is just a delight. I wonder will we ever hear from Paul though? He’s the only one I’m waiting for now. Poor guy could be in trouble.’
I realise I haven’t really greeted Michael properly but he doesn’t seem to mind.
‘Hopefully not,’ says Michael, indicating out onto the busy road into the pre-lunchtime traffic. ‘It really takes all sorts to make the world go round, doesn’t it? I’m looking forward to the whole personality dynamics on the day more than anything, actually. We should probably think of some ice-breakers, you know, to get everyone talking so they’re not just depending on or listening to our dulcet tones the whole afternoon.’
I’m regretting wearing my coat in the car and so I remove some layers. Michael pulls the sleeve of my coat to help me out of it.
‘Thank goodness you did that,’ I say to him. ‘I was beginning to think I was going to suffocate.’
‘You’ll find that in this little machine it’s either tropical temperatures or sub-zero freezing. There is no in-between,’ he says, patting the dashboard of the car. ‘But apart from that, for a few hundred quid this car has given me no bother and it’s so good to feel independent again. It’s the simple things in life, isn’t it?’
I nod in agreement, even though he can’t see me do so as he has his eyes firmly on the road. It is the simple things all right. Simple things like Nicholas playing his music, Marian venturing outside . . . I’ve learned so much today and it’s really made me think of my own life and all the things I take for granted, like my job, my house and my car. Things people need in life but don’t always have. Now, here is Michael who has clearly fallen from grace from a previous life as a chef, a partner, a father, a provider and now his soul is warmed from having the independence of this humble little clapped-out car with a door on the passenger side that won’t open from the inside and no radio to entertain you as you travel. I feel like I’m being told to strip everything back in my own life and realise, once and for all, what really matters.
Seconds later we sit at a junction for what feels like forever, waiting for the traffic lights to change.
‘So, where are we going on our adventure?’ I ask him, honoured now to have been invited along on such a spontaneous trip. ‘Thanks for inviting me, by the way, and hello, by the way. I didn’t realise how much I needed a change of scenery until you suggested it. It feels great already just to be heading out of town away from all the everyday monotony and hustle and bustle. Sometimes we need to step away from what we have to appreciate all the goodness in our lives, don’t we?’
Michael raises a smile and in a way I sense he is trying to reinforce that message to me, just like he said on the day outside my house when he told me he was the homeless man from Hope Street. He wanted me to realise then how good I had it all, and I’m slowly beginning to realise that all now.
‘You’ll see where we’re going when we get there,’ he tells me, looking across with a smile and then the lights change to green and we start to move again. ‘Unless you hate surprises and the idea of going somewhere you don’t know drives you batty. I’ll understand if it does. Do you want to know?’
‘No,’ I say to him. ‘I’ll wait and see.’
A mystery tour, so. A surprise location. I like it already. I’m nervous, yet I feel safe with him and I trust him to get me there, wherever it might be, safely.
‘So, how did you come to have the day off from the cafe?’ I ask him. ‘You never mentioned it yesterday.’
‘That’s because I didn’t know of it yesterday,’ he says to me.
‘Oh.’
‘I rang Gloria after I got back from seeing you last night,’ he explains, ‘and I asked her would she mind if I took a day’s leave. I’ve a few days off built up in the bank and some of the casual staff are hanging out for extra hours coming up to Christmas, so I knew she’d get cover.’
I nod. ‘Gloria always gives the local students a few shifts over Christmas. She’s so thoughtful, really.’
‘Then, when I told herwhyI wanted the day off, she didn’t hesitate for a second,’ he continues. ‘She thought it was a fab idea, just like I do and I hope, just like you will too when we get there.’
‘Wow, I’m intrigued,’ I reply in wonder. ‘So Gloria is in on this too? You pair are quite the little schemers, aren’t you?’
He laughs in response. ‘I suppose you could say that,’ he tells me. ‘I think this trip will be good for us both, Ruth, in many ways. Sometimes to get your head around some situations, it’s good to take a break from the old routine. It makes us see things a little bit clearer. At least, I hope it will. It’s worth a shot, no?’
‘Absolutely,’ I agree. ‘A change is as good as a rest, as my father used to say. My goodness, I sound like an old woman when I say that.’
Michael chuckles. ‘Well, I didn’t like to say!’
I punch his arm playfully and he pretends it to be sore, then squeezes my leg in return but instead of moving his hand away, he leaves it there as he drives, resting just by my side. I look down at his skin, his watch on his wrist, and I look up at him to find him watching me and then looking at the road again.
He moves his hand away.
‘What’s going on, Michael?’ I ask him.
‘We’re going on a trip, that’s what’s going on, and it’s a surprise and I think you might love it.’
‘You know what I mean,’ I say a little more seriously. ‘With us?’
He bites his lip. He doesn’t reply instantly this time.
