Ceann-Uidhe (Destiny)

Ceann-Uidhe

  By

  Stuart Mackay

  Copyright 2015 Stuart Mackay

  1

  He glanced at his watch, she wasn’t late it was just; it was Anna, after all these years, Anna.

  He took a sip of his pint of Caley 80 and looked about the bar, or rather the outdoor beer garden he was sitting in enjoying the early evening sunshine. He smiled at the huge St Andrews flag that was proudly adorning a wall before quickly turning to look as the sound of laughter came from the entrance, he scanned at the faces but he didn’t see her. He picked up a beer mat and tapped it lightly on the table, keeping his hand busy so he didn’t look at his watch again.

  Anna. They had known each other since before they could walk; he had been told that his first word was, “Anna.” They had grown up living next door to each other and were inseparable. People often thought they were brother and sister as they were always together. On their first day of school they sat next to each other and did so for the rest of the year and the years that followed. If Anna had a new T-shirt, Robbie had to have the same one. When Robbie fell of his bike and had his leg in plaster, the only way to keep Anna happy was to put a bandage on her leg.

  “Robbie,” he looked up as he heard his name and smiled at her, she was no longer the little girl who he had grown up with and had broken his heart when her family moved away when they were 12 years old.

  “Anna,” he replied as he stood up, a huge smile on his face as he looked at her, they struggled in how to greet each other before they silently decided that they would hug each other, “can I get you a drink?” he asked as she sat down across from him.

  She looked at his drink and then picked it up and took a sip, she licked her lips as she tasted the malty sweetness, “one of those,” she replied as she placed his glass back on the table.

  Robbie came back from the bar and placed Anna’s pint in front of her, he shook his head slightly as he watched her pick up the glass and take a sip, “you hungry?” he asked as he handed over a menu.

  She took the menu and looked at what was on offer, she gazed up at him, “I am now,” she replied with a grin.

  “I can’t believe you are here, we are sitting across from each other after all these years, you’ve not changed,” said Robbie.

  Anna looked at him, her eyebrows letting him know how daft he was sounding, “Robbie, we were 12 years old last time we saw each other,” she lowered her voice, “that was 25 years ago.”

  “Yeah ok, daft thing to say, I will go and order the food,” he looked at her, waiting to see what she wanted to eat.

  She smiled at him, “it’s got to be the haggis, neaps and tatties, that’s sort of what brought us here.”

  Robbie came back from ordering the food, “so how long have you been back in Toronto?”

  She grimaced slightly, reaching for her drink as if to delay the answer. “Four months.”

  He looked at her, looked into her eyes, “and I take it you are not ready to tell me why?”

  The grimace turned into a smile. “Not yet. So what about you, what’s been happening the last 25 years?”

  “Well I left school,” he started to reply before she cut him off.

  “Apart from the obvious, smart arse,” she stuck her tongue out at him.

  He took a sip of his beer before continuing. “Had a few dead end jobs, then back in 05, I opened a book shop over in Cabbagetown, been there ever since.”

  She looked at him. “Married?” she asked almost hesitantly.

  “Was,” he replied, he paused for a few moments before continuing. “The divorce was finalised last year.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He shrugged his shoulders and turned towards the sound coming from a table to his left, Anna and most of the others in the bar had now turned their attention towards the table as well and were watching in silence as a woman stood up and practically started to dance on the spot, then she stared saying yes in a helium balloon sucking way, all the while the man opposite her grinned and watched her with a ring still clasped between his thumb and forefinger. All around them people started to applaud them. Robbie turned towards Anna, “they may be the lucky ones,” he said nodding towards the happy couple.

  “I’ll drink to that,” replied Anna raising her glass.

  “What about you?” he asked. “That you want to tell me anyway,” he casually added.

  She briefly looked down at her left hand, “graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Ph.D. in Biology.”

  “You always were a brainy one,” interrupted Robbie.

  She smiled at him, “after I graduated I moved to Northern Alberta and worked for Wildlife Federation, which was until about 4 months ago.”

  “Married?”

  Anna’s eyes widen, “long story,” she looked relieved when a waitress came over with their food, “perfect timing,” Anna said to her as she placed the plates down.

  “Looks good,” said Robbie taking the hint and leading the conversation away for the question of marriage.

  They were silent for a few minutes as they enjoyed the food. “I can’t believe you still remembered our code.”

  Robbie shook his head, “I couldn’t believe it when I saw the note, I mean, Anna, after all these years, it took me back to my childhood,” he took another forkful of Haggis, “I can’t believe you remembered where the grave was never mind the date.”

  Anna put down her cutlery and looked at Robbie with a serious look on her face, “the happiest time in my life was living next door to you and both of us listening to your great-grandfathers stories about his childhood. Whenever life gets me down I remember those times, I can escape. His stories were so vivid, so alive.” She smiled at a memory. “He was a great man. Plus, we moved the day after his funeral, so it’s easy to remember the date; it’s the date my life started to turn to shit.” She held up her hand to stop Robbie asking the most obvious question. “Not tonight.”

  Robbie nodded understandingly and had to stifle a grin because she indicated there could be a next time. “So where are you working now? I don’t suppose there is much call wildlife jobs in downtown Toronto.”

  She blushed slightly, “I’m working at the airport, as you said not much wildlife in Toronto. And anyway it’s only temporary.” She glanced at the menu and picked it up, “I fancy some dessert.” She scanned the menu and looked up at Robbie, “deep fried Mars Bar?” It was both a statement and a question.

  “Sounds interesting,” he replied. “Why don’t we split one?”

  “That might be safer.”

  Robbie took a large drink of his beer; he placed the glass down making sure it was perfectly centred on the beer mat, “Look Anna, I have to ask.”

  “Why leave the message at the grave after all these years?” she said finishing off his question.

  “Well yeah, 25 years is a long time.”

  “After I moved, I thought you didn’t like me anymore, I wrote you letters but you never replied.”

  “But,” interrupted Robbie but Anna cut him off.

  “Seems my dad didn’t post the letters and never gave me the ones that you sent me, apparently I had to move on, be a girl,” she looked at him, “forget about you.”

  He grinned at her. “Don’t you forget about me,” he laughed as he remember the two of them singing and dancing to the song every time Robbie’s big sister played her Simple Minds album.

  “How is Heather?” asked Anna.

  “Married with 4 kids,” he replied, “I’m Uncle Robbie to Peter, Kyle, Coleen and Anna.”

  “Anna?”

  “Yeah, she named it after the closet thing she had to a little sister.”

  “Cool,” replied Anna, “I’m honoured.”

/>   Robbie thought for a moment, “its Anna’s 18th next month, big party, Heather would kill me if I didn’t at least invite you. Just saying, I don’t expect an answer.”

  “No, I mean yes, yes I would love to go, it would be good seeing Heather again,” she looked at her glass and then stood up. “I’ll get us another beer and a deep fried Mars Bar.”

  Robbie watched her walk to the bar; he still couldn’t believe he was having a drink with her.

  She came back from the bar with 2 beers, “the woman behind the bar recommended them,” she said as she placed the beers on the table.

  “What are they?”

  “Innes and Gunn,” she replied.

  “Innis and Gunn, not heard of them before,” he announced as he took a sip, he licked his lips and nodded his head, “very nice.”

  “I’m glad you like it,” replied Anna with a grin.

  Robbie put down the glass, “why did you think your dad never sent the letters?”

  She shook her head, “he never said. When,” she paused for a second. “After Northern Alberta, I moved back to Kamloops. He just told me, said he was sorry it happened. He thought it might cheer me up.”

  Robbie didn’t ask why she needed cheering up, “I’m glad he told you, I thought you had fallen out with me or something.”

  “I didn’t know how to find you but I thought you would go to the grave, and then I thought you wouldn’t recognise me so that’s why I said text me a picture and a time and place to meet. If you wanted to,” she shook her head, “that’s why I left my cell number.”

  The conversation paused as the waitress