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“You read my mind, darlin’. An oat milk flat white as well, please—extra hot, whatever that means. I dunno, I’ve heard people say that. I’m just trying to get down with the kids,” said Harry, shrugging to Quint.
“Anything else for you, Quint?” asked Mia.
“Actually, another flat white for me as well, please Mia.” His fear of missing out emerged.
“Sure, no problem, gents.”
“You’re a diamond, thanks, darlin’.” Harry offered a cheeky wink.
Mia finished collecting her cups, then scooted off, chuckling.
“So, tell me what’s been happening,” said Harry.
He let Harry know about his week and his change of employment status, and ultimately office. He was relaxed about moving on from Wrap’d: the rough always came with the smooth, and Harry didn’t seem worried for him. It was all about the balance, any Player knew that. However, he hadn’t arranged to meet Harry this morning to talk about himself.
“Can I talk to you about a guy called Cody…?” He filled Harry in and a raised brow came his way.
“A first timer, eh? Lot of you about,” whistled Harry, noting down all the particulars. He’d slipped himself into ‘serious’ mode, as he often did when he was focussed on helping someone. He noted all of the important information about Cody and Tim: their current ages, when they died, when they were born etc, no doubt it was so he could conduct a deep search in some of the nooks and crannies that would only be available to the designer of such a magnificent tool asThe Lounge: himself.
To say that Harry was a seasoned Player would be an understatement. In fact, many believe that Harry was one of the first, an old soul that seemed to know everything about everything. Quint knew there wasn’t much that he couldn’t do or find out for anyone. Best of all, he was definitely one of the good guys.
Quint watched him meticulously finish scribbling his notes, the sparkling diamond on his ring catching the sun and reflecting in his eyes, making him squint.
Mia came out with Harry’s smashed avocado and their coffees as Harry snapped hisMoleskinenotebook shut dramatically, hinting toward an air of mystery.
“Ah, you truly are a slice of heaven, my love, let nobody tell you anything different. Thank you,” chimed Harry.
“Yeah, thank you, Mia,” added Quint.
“No problem, guys. Anything else, just give me a shout.” With a smile and a nod, Mia went back inside.
Harry tucked into his breakfast, obviously relishing the sound of the crunch as he dug his knife into the fresh sourdough toast. As he chewed his first mouthful, he rolled his eyes to the back of his head, looking just as in love. “The mad thing is, I don’t even like avocado, but these-” He waved his knife at the toast. “--I don’t know what she does to ’em.”
Quint smiled. He loved watching Harry do, well, anything really. He was a fascinating man and had such an enviable lust for life. Over many lifetimes, he had learned to appreciate every little thing that came his way and could turn a positive spin to every situation. It was a real gift and something that Quint was desperate to learn.
After a minute of a somewhat comfortable silence between them, Harry decided to break it, placing his knife and fork down. “Still no sign of him, then? Leo.” he asked. Harry didn’t need to use his sixth sense to see the sadness that lived behind Quint’s eyes.
“How can you tell?” said Quint, sarcastically.
“Oh, just the downturned mouth, the slumped shoulders. Should I go on?”
“Creased shirt?”
“That was next on my list, yeah. Smarten yourself up, boy.” He jokingly dusted Quint’s shoulders. “Look, I know how hard it is adjusting to all thisandtrying to find your soul mate, even after forty odd years.”
“Thirty,” interrupted Quint.
“Well, bloody hell, would you Adam and Eve it?” mocked Harry.
Thirty years. Had it really been that long since he’d seen Leo? It didn’t seem that long, the memories of him still playing in high definition in his mind. The day they met… the confusion he’d felt seeing a tear slip down Leo’s cheek when he’d called him over to help find someone to fix his roof. Not understanding the flicker of anger in his eyes, Quint had thought the man had just walked away from a breakup, and in a way he had, realising in an instant that the love of his life had chosen to reboot. Quint had felt sorry for him, and he’d kicked himself many a night since he’d been here knowing just what had managed to pull that emotion from Leo. Fifty years…. It had taken Leo fifty years to find him. Just how gut-wrenching was that for the man? To spend all that time looking, only to find a love lost once more.
Quint denied the grief and focussed back on Harry.
“Believe me, what you’re going through, I’ve been there. Once you’ve been around as long as I have, though, you learn to accept things the way they are more and more. And do you know why?”
Quint gestured for him to please carry on.
“Because they always turn up in the end. It’s the law.” Harry nodded knowingly and tapped his nose. “I always say this to you, but you really have got to let go and enjoy your time. Make the most of it, learn from your experience. Appreciate all this new stuff you’re discovering.” He held up a forkful of avocado as an example before putting it in his mouth and exhaling a sound of pure uncut pleasure, then looked over his shoulder before continuing. “Knowing what we know, we’re holding the secret of life in the palms of our hands. It’s the bollocks, isn’t it? Look around you. None of the Rebootsaround us know what we know. Crazy, eh? No matter how many times I reincarnate, I’ll never not find it fascinating why people choose to reboot.” He shook his head, laughing.
