Jack shrugs. ‘I was hot, and I was hiding from Mum. I shouldn’t have tied it to one of the seats.’
‘You tied it to a seat?’
He nods. ‘Near one of the pianos. Grandpa won’t be happy.’
CHAPTER44
RORY
As I walk away from the group of Jack’s relatives and friends, the journalist, Zoe and the audience of Christmas commuters I turn around to see Jack watching me go. From a distance he looks like Felix, and he makes me act the way I would with Felix. I just want to see them both smile. I’d also walk to the ends of the earth for both boys. As I get to the ticket machines, I know what I must do, go to St Pancras, and see if Jack’s yellow scarf has been handed in to Lost Property.
I wait for the Northern Line tube and find myself distracted by a man and his little son. They’re sat on the plastic seat talking and pointing at things on the adverts covering the underground walls. It reminds me of when Felix and I got the bus to the ballet school. We’d be on the bus, him by the window and me next to him, and we’d talk and point at things outside the window for the entire journey. One thing I never got tired of was chatting to Felix. A woman appears and she heads straight for the man and his son. They both look up, delighted to see her. She sits beside the man and kisses him on the cheek while ruffling the boy’s hair. My heart aches for both Emily and Felix. I want to be with them. I want to find them. I want to tell them I love them. Wow – I’ve never had such a powerful urge before. They’ve always been a part of me. No matter how many women I have chatted up and kissed in bars Emily has always been on my mind. She’s the only woman I want to spend the rest of my life waking up to and Felix is like the son I would have wanted.
St Pancras station is heaving. Lifting my eyes up to the departure screen I see that nearly all the departures are either cancelled or delayed due to the snow. I hope Emily and Felix are safe and well.
I need to find the Lost Property office and track down Jack’s scarf. Judging by how busy this huge station is I think finding Jack’s scarf is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack. When I get there, the woman on the information desk explains to me that I must fill in an online form about the lost item and it can take several days or even weeks for them to track the item down if it’s been handed in. My heart sinks. There’s no way I am going to get Jack’s scarf back and the chances of it being handed in are slim.
Perhaps I could find the two public pianos and see if there’s a yellow scarf tied to a seat nearby. I know they’re located in the main arcade of shops as Emily and I once listened to one of the piano players back when we first started dating. We’d been to an event in London and somehow ended up in St Pancras. While she stood and listened to the man who played I remember taking the opportunity to watch her fiddle with her earring, twirl a strand of hair around her finger and gently sway to the music. I loved everything about her.
As I head for the arcade I am distracted by the sight of a man and a woman running across the station towards each other at speed, dodging queues of festive commuters staring gloomily up at the departure screens, runaway toddlers making a bid for freedom and navigating the busy station floor festooned with piles of orphaned luggage and sleeping travellers. Open-armed and goofy happy they launch themselves at each other. Their tearful reunion looks like something from one of those romantic films Emily used to make me watch.
How I wish Emily and Felix had been in Brighton this morning. What I do know is that my journey is no longer about simply handing over the locket. It’s become much more than that. Emily and Felix are my family. I know that now. My days of partying and drinking as a single man are over. Somehow, I need to come up with a plan to get them back.
The first piano at one end of the arcade has no nearby seating. My heart sinks as I look around to see whether a yellow scarf has been kicked into a corner or is laid out somewhere prominent for its owner to find. As I turn away, I spot a familiar face at the piano. It’s Michael from the train. He nods at me, and I find myself heading over to listen to him play. He’s playing a beautiful and captivating version of Greensleeves. Everyone around him has stopped what they’re doing and is standing listening to him. Once the song he’s playing comes to an end he gestures for me to come closer. ‘Rory? We saw you lying on the floor on the station. Are you alright?’
‘I’m fine. A bit of concussion and some embarrassment for colliding with a ticket barrier.’
Michael grins. ‘You looked like you were auditioning for a TV hospital drama.’
I point to the piano. ‘Is this your celebration?
He nods and replaces his sheet of music. ‘My sister died of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma the year after I’d met Alfie. She was a pianist too and played like a dream. It was Lilly, my sister, who taught me how to play. This is my way of celebrating her and keeping the memory of her alive. She was very special to me.’
I watch him prepare for the next song. Listening to him makes me think about how Lawrence and Vivi were very special to Emily and me. When I find Emily, I think I will suggest we do something to keep their memory alive.
I listen to his second song and look around for Alfie. With a wave to Michael I make my way across the arcade to the second public piano. As I get nearer and can hear the notes of the piano filling the air, I overhear snippets from a grandfather’s conversation with his two little grandchildren. ‘Magical things always happen at St Pancras, children.’
The only magic I need right now is to find Jack’s scarf and meet Emily and Felix.
As I get closer, I can see a small group of shoppers stood around the piano. Alfie is playing, and is wearing a yellow scarf. No, that can’t be Jack’s scarf – can it?
Soon I am stood at the side of him. He looks up at me and smiles. Once he’s finished his beautiful version of ‘Amazing Grace’, he turns to me. ‘Hey, Rory, that’s some head wound you got there. You okay, mate?’
‘I’m fine. Some idiot pushed me and I got extra close to a station ticket barrier.’
Alfie smiles. ‘That’s a lovely bruised look for your Christmas photos.’
I nod and pat him on the shoulder. ‘I’ve just seen Michael – is this your celebration too?’
He nods. ‘My dad played the piano and when he died after I’d got married, I was broken. He loved Christmas and spent it sat at the family piano playing carols and festive songs.’
‘So, you two come here every Christmas and play the pianos?’
Alfie nods. ‘This is how Michael and I keep the link to our loved ones alive. It’s important to do that when you lose someone. I do feel like he’s with me and if he could speak, he would give me feedback on my crappy performance.’ He laughs. ‘Also, this station is magical. I hope you won’t forget that, Rory.’
I stare at the yellow scarf wrapped around his neck. It’s Jack’s. ‘Can I be rude and ask you where you got that scarf?’
He peers down and touches it. ‘Found it tied to a seat.’
