Lydia eventually took time out herself. She found a chair at the edge of the room where she could kick off her heels discreetly and massage the protesting arches of her feet.
It wasn’t long before Graham joined her. ‘I’m with you, my feet hurt and my shoes are flat,’ he said, no hint that he was losing the Suffolk accent he’d emigrated with.
‘It was a lovely ceremony, Graham.’
‘Thank you.’ He had a glass of water, claiming all that champagne was enough to last a lifetime. ‘I really appreciate you and Theo making the trek. It’s a long way.’
They talked about the flight and the tedium of it and then Lydia asked, ‘Will you come over to England for a visit at some point?’
‘Of course I will. I’m not too old and decrepit yet!’
Lydia laughed. ‘Theo seems to be getting on well with Natasha’s sons.’
Graham looked over to where they were putting the world to rights, all with a pint of beer in hand. ‘I expect they’re talking rugby. The boys are heavily into it over here. Theo had better watch out, I think the youngest still plays. He might try and drag him along to a training session.’
‘I wish he would.’
Graham turned to her. ‘How’s his work going? He doesn’t say much about it to me.’
‘It’s going well, he’s always getting bonuses here and there, flying high at meetings, talking about promotion opportunities. I think he lives for the thrill of it all.’
‘And you don’t?’ His voice was soft, just like a concerned dad’s should be. ‘How about you? Are you enjoying the thrill of the London newspaper circuit?’
‘Not quite as much as I should be, I suspect.’
‘Oh?’
‘I don’t think I’m hungry enough,’ she clarified. ‘At first I thought I would be, that it would be a feeling that grew as I spent more time in the job, but I’m not as competitive as most of the people I work with.’
‘You could always change career,’ Graham suggested. ‘Journalism is an excellent foundation for many more things. Talk to Natasha, she began life as a journalist.’
‘I thought she was a teacher?’
‘She was, but journalism came first, then a stint as a market researcher, then she finally found teaching. Like you, she wasn’t overly sure what to do as soon as she finished university. I’m not sure anyone ever is, are they?’
Lydia smiled. ‘Thanks, I’ll have a chat with her.’ This was the most she’d spoken to Graham and she liked him. He was tall, just like Theo, and they both had the same shaped nose: not hooked but with a slight telltale masculine bump. With deep brown eyes, father and son had the same shape hairline too and Lydia could almost imagine what Theo would look like when he grew old.
‘Are you both hoping to get on the property ladder?’ Graham asked.
‘In London?’ When Theo looked her way she nodded that she was okay and pointed to her feet, relieved and out of her shoes. He rolled his eyes before getting back to what she could only assume was more rugby talk. ‘It’s too expensive and I don’t want to live in a tiny place forever. I think buying will wait until we’re out of London.’
Graham seemed to perk up at that. ‘You think you’ll leave the big city eventually?’
‘I hope so. It’s been fun but we’ve been there a few years now and the novelty of the tubes, the vibrancy of the streets into the night, it gets to the point where I think most people are ready for something different.’
‘Is Theo still in touch with his mates? I know a couple of them were living in London, or is he too happy with his girlfriend?’
‘We are pretty happy, but he makes time for his friends as well, which is good.’ When her smile faltered Graham was onto it straight away.
‘You’re good for him, Lydia.’
‘I am?’
‘You keep him on the straight and narrow.’
‘I’m not sure what you mean.’
Graham appeared reluctant to elaborate. ‘It’s good he has friends he keeps in touch with, but keep an eye on him.’
