The water lapped against the limbs of the short pier. An eerie but comforting sound, and before Will had a chance to assess the cold bitterness of the dark liquid below, he jumped in.
He’d always loved cold water swimming, and knew his body could handle the temperature for a while.
‘Sanctuary,’ he muttered, lying flat on his back, watching a thousand stars peering down from an early-evening black sky.
Even with the shore close by, Will stayed put, enjoying the peace the sea brought him.
The face of his mother flashed before his eyes. Babs had her picture in a frame at the care home, alongside one of her late husband. Where was the picture of her one and only grandchild? Lost somewhere in her memories, that was where. But it didn’t matter that he knew the reason. It still hurt. Once more, he was missing from their family. Just as he had been banished from Ginny’s.
Port Berry had brought him nothing but misery. Worse, it gave him expectations. Something he knew as a child not tohave. If only he had stayed that way. It wouldn’t hurt. It just wouldn’t hurt.
How had he allowed possibilities to appear? What was he thinking buying a shop, selling everything he owned in Wales, and more importantly putting all his eggs in one basket labelled Ginny Dean?
Seawater lapped at his ears, deafening him at every roll of a wave. It was getting colder by the second, and if he didn’t get out soon, someone would have to drag his deadweight from the shoreline if the tide was kind enough to herd him in that direction.
Will knew if the RNLI was called to rescue him, having got wind he’d jumped into the sea on Christmas Day, there was no way they’d let him join their crew. Not that he’d blame them.
But there was something serene about his surroundings. The peace, the stars, the feeling of insignificance in such a vast open space. He wondered if anyone would miss him if he floated away, not that he had any intention of doing so.
It was a strange face to see first, but Mabel came to mind. She’d been kind to him since his arrival in the fishing village. Telling him the gossip, helping him find his feet, even kick-starting a new beginning for him on his behalf.
Will’s blue lips twitched into a smile.
Jed appeared next. Setting him up with village life, making him part of the team.
Then came Alice’s smile. Inviting him places, showing him friendship.
One by one, the locals entered his weary head. Their voices, comments, offers of kindness, a community. He never had that in Wales. Just a lot of moving around and a few people he knew here and there.
‘I did find happiness,’ he spluttered, spitting salty water.
And just like that it hit him all at once. Port Berry wasn’t a curse. It was a blessing. Did he find what he was looking for when he arrived? Not exactly. He got his answers, none of which he’d expected, but now he had something else.
It didn’t matter what Ginny said or thought. He did belong, and not because he was born there. He fitted. And he’d be damned if he was going to move around ever again.
‘Not this time,’ he told the dark sky.
The sea was freezing, and Will’s body was almost powerless, but through sheer bloody determination alone, he rolled over onto his front and started to slowly swim towards the shingles.
The ice in the air chilled him to his core as he trudged over to the B&B. How he could stand, he didn’t know, but something was holding him up, moving his legs, and keeping him alive.
Mabel wasn’t about, and his key was hanging out with the fish, so he grabbed the spare from the little cupboard behind the reception desk and headed to his room to defrost.
* * *
Thump, thump, thump. Will was sure his ears were ringing too. He opened his eyes, realizing the banging wasn’t in his dream at all. It was coming from his door.
‘Will, you awake?’ called Mabel.
That was odd. She didn’t normally wake him. Nobody woke him since his navy days when Call the Hands would let him know it was time to rise and shine, swiftly followed by the Standard Operator Checks. Ginny’s body wrapped around him were the only other times, but that hadn’t been often. He hoped Mabel hadn’t witnessed his moment of madness at the pier. How long had he been asleep anyway? The last thing he remembered was taking off his wet clothes and flopping to the bed.
He turned to his phone on the bedside cabinet, then groaned as he remembered it had drowned. Maybe it could be repaired,but he wasn’t holding his breath. Nope, he’d have to buy a new one.
Oh, what was I thinking?
Mabel knocked on the door again.
With heavy heart, and even heavier limbs, Will got up to see what was so important. The light blaring in the window told him it was daytime, so maybe he’d slept in late and she was worried because he hadn’t shown his face. At least someone thought of him.
