Kent soon followed them, called onto the stage to collecttwo certificates, one for the pool and one for man of the match at the waterpolo. He stood proudly on the stage with the boys on either side of him. Theyheld up their certificates, posing for Debs as she took a photo.
This all happened to the sound of “We Are the Champions” towhich everyone sang along, with the exception of the Chelsea boys. They werestanding disgruntled at the bar knocking back their eleventh pints of the day.It was a rare day when they had not won anything and they were not happy aboutit.
By contrast, up on the stage, Kent was very happy. He couldnot remember a time he had felt quite as good about life as he did at thatmoment. Even Tess and Tina coming onto the stage to sing a truly dreadfulrendition of “I Will Survive” couldn’t dampen his mood.
Coming back here for the day had been a good choice. He hadcome to terms with his past and his present. Now the time had come to thinkabout his future.
The Next Life
November 2028
Not wanting the angel to read his thoughts, Kent focused hismind on one thing and one thing only when he arrived back in the car park.
Over and over again, he replayed scenes in his mind of thefantastic day when he and his father had gone to Wembley Stadium to watch Englandplay Holland. It was Euro ’96 and England had put on that rarest of things at amajor football tournament – a convincing display and a resounding win. It hadall been downhill since then, culminating in an utterly humiliating defeat to Icelandin Euro 2016 that left him vowing never to watch England again.
He had no idea how powerful the angel’s telepathic abilitieswere. Attempting to shield his thoughts in this way might be about as effectiveas a man of his dimensions hiding behind a lamp-post. The angel didn’t give anyindication that it knew his true intentions as to his final destination, but hewasn’t taking any chances. With a quick farewell, he got away as quickly as possiblebefore he let his guard slip.
It was early on Friday evening, Kent’s favourite time of theweek. Just as he had almost every Friday night since before he got married, heheaded straight to The Red Lion for a few pints. It had been his way ofrelaxing at the end of the working week, but saw no reason why the tradition shouldnot continue. Debs wouldn’t approve, but then she never did.
It was the end of November and the air was bitingly cold,the sort that suggested snow was on the way, not that there had been much ofthat in recent years. Debs blamed global warming for the run of mild wintersthey had been having. Well, if it was global warming, it certainly wasn’t noticeabletoday, thought Kent. By the time he arrived at the pub his fingers and toes werealmost numb with the cold. He was very pleased to take in the welcome sight ofthe log fire blazing away.
He wasn’t so pleased to see that Kay was at the bar next toAndy. Could he look her in the face, knowing what the two of them had got up toin another place and another time? He willed himself to man up and just actnormally. There was nothing to worry about. Whatever had happened elsewhere,this Kay would be completely unaware of it.
When he reached the bar, Craig and Andy were embroiled inone of their usual arguments. For once, it wasn’t about the price of the beeror Andy upsetting the other customers, but an altogether more serious matter.The drinkers who treated The Red Lion as if it were their second home werefacing the possibility of unwanted change.
“You can’t leave, mate,” Andy was saying. “It wouldn’t bethe same without you.”
“I’m telling you, I’m through with this place. Just lookaround you! It’s the last Friday of the month and the place is dead. Everyonegot paid today, so where are they? Not in here, that’s for sure.”
“I’m here. Don’t I spend enough?” asked Andy.
“Yes, that goes without saying. Why do you think I keepletting you back in here when you’re barred from most of the other pubs intown? If I had another dozen like you, then I might survive, even if they wereall pains in the arse, but your sort are a dying breed. No offence.”
“Well thanks very much,” said Andy, looking very much offended.“Now we know where we stand. And there I was thinking we were mates.”
“The pub trade is finished, Andy. People just aren’t comingout like they used to. The world’s changed and it’s time to face facts. Onceyour generation dies off that will be the end of it. As soon as I can find someoneto take over the lease, I’m out of here.”
He turned to Kent, who had been listening to this whilstwaiting patiently at the bar. “Usual, Richard?”
Kay and Andy hadn’t seen him sidle up quietly to the bar,but they both made a beeline for him now.
She looked at him, her drunken, bloodshot eyes devoid of anyof the passion and fire of the eighteen-year-old girl she had once been. It wasstill a strange sensation, seeing her after all that had happened. But this wasnot the same Kay, a different person in a different time. She had no intimate knowledgeof him and they had no shared past.
This was probably for the best. If she had any memory of theirpast, it would only encourage her to keep trying it on with him and he didn’twant to think of this version of her in that way at all. Not only that, it mightalso get back to Debs who would no doubt come down to the pub and knock herremaining teeth out.
He was finding this whole situation extremely painful todeal with. He no longer felt repulsed by her, as he had before, just saddened. Tosee this woman, once so vibrant and full of hopes and dreams, reduced to this sorrystate was quite heartbreaking.
“Hello, darling,” she
