hadn’t been it.
Jade, sitting across the aisle from him, leaned over and nudged his arm. ‘Not going to join in?’ She was smiling again, he noticed, and he wished that she would do it all the time.
Nick shrugged. ‘I don’t know all the words.’
Jade gave a shrug to match his own and laughed. ‘I don’t think that really matters for most of the choir.’
A small thread of warmth crept through him. Nick smiled back at her, took a deep breath and opened his mouth to sing.
It wasn’t far to the museum, for which Nick was grateful. He couldn’t claim to be a great singer, but he was musical enough that by the time they had done ten verses of ‘Tipperary’ and been through ‘Imagine’ at least three times it was starting to wear him down just a little. They got out right in front of the building. The wind had dropped, and the spring sunshine was making the river sparkle. It was pretty warm for the time of year.
Nick had seen the museum from the train a few times, but only from a distance. Up close it was much more impressive. The silver metal exterior gleamed in the sunlight, and the massive glass frontage seemed to be drawing people in towards the entrance doors in the middle.
Jade saw where he was looking. ‘Award-winning, apparently.’ Her tone made it clear that she was in no way impressed by the grand design.
She looked at her watch. ‘Normally everyone goes off and sees what they want to see, and then we get back together for lunch. Everybody? Midday at the café?’
There was a chorus of assent, and everyone started to filter off. Nick looked expectantly at Jade, but she shook her head. ‘You’re here for Archie. You need to ask him what he wants to see.’ She looked at them both. ‘Normally we wouldn’t let the two of you go off on your own, but …’
Archie sat himself up straight in the wheelchair. ‘This is where you try to tell me I’m classed as a vulnerable adult, eh?’
Jade’s face turned pink, and Nick nearly laughed out loud.
‘You know that officially the law might say yes, Archie, but practically I don’t believe it for a second.’ Jade wagged a finger at him. ‘So go on, both of you. Get out of my sight before I end up keeping an eye on you both for other reasons.’
Nick took the back of the old man’s wheelchair and went to push him inside, but the old man shook his head. ‘Take me round for a turn outside the building, lad. I need a bit of fresh air in my lungs.’
Nick gratefully steered him round the side of the building and down towards the river. He too thought that it was a pity to be inside on such a glorious day. Archie stood unsteadily, pulling himself up using the railing, and they both stood in silence for a while, watching the sunlight playing on the water.
‘I used to be outside all the time, you know,’ Arche said suddenly. ‘A mountain guide, I was. There isn’t a Munroe in the Highlands that I haven’t climbed.’
Nick couldn’t work out whether to be impressed for Archie’s achievements, or sad at the condition the man was in now.
‘Oh, don’t be sorry for me, young lad,’ Archie said, patting him on the arm. ‘I’ve had a good life. Ninety-two I am now. It’s my time to rest.’
‘Ninety-two?’ Nick could hardly believe it. They stood in silence for a few more minutes, then Archie sat back down in the wheelchair.
‘I wanted to be a mountain guide,’ Nick found himself saying.
Archie looked up at him. ‘Really? What happened?’
‘I worked for a friend for a year. When I left school. His dad died about that time and it took the two of us just to keep the family business going. It was one of the best times of my life. But when the recession really hit, he said he had to let me go. I had plans to start up on my own, but all the training and equipment and insurance and everything was just too expensive, and I had to finally admit that it just wasn’t going to happen …’ Nick trailed off, then collected himself. ‘My parents said I should go to college and get some proper qualifications. So I did something boring and predictable that would always get me a job.’
Archie nodded, as if he understood, but Nick went further, trying to explain why he had sold out on his dreams. ‘My parents … they own a B&B up in Fort William, and barely have enough money to make ends meet themselves. I just didn’t want to be a burden on them.’
Archie nodded again, taking everything in. ‘Life never works out the way you expect. It’s full of surprises. Look at me. I never thought I’d end up in Glasgow. I was sure I’d be killed falling off a cliff or something.’
Nick did have to laugh at that. ‘What made you come here?’
‘I’ve got a niece here. With grandkids of her own. The family persuaded me to move down here, and to be honest, I’m not sorry. Glasgow is a great city. Lots going on. And it’s great to see more of my family.’
‘Yeah.’ Nick thought of his parents. ‘Family is special.’
They stayed in silence for a few more minutes, the quiet settling around them like a comfortable blanket.
‘Fort William!’ Archie laughed, as if suddenly remembering something. ‘Now there’s a good place for walking. I should tell you about the time I went up Ben Nevis and had to rescue a man who got stuck in a snowstorm in his shirt sleeves! Wheel me inside, lad. I want to go and look at this new tram there’s been such a hoo-ha about.’
Jade and Lily walked slowly through the front doors of the museum, Lily leaning heavily on her stick and relying on Jade’s arm for balance. ‘What do you want to see?’ Jade asked, as they paused for a second to have a look around.
‘I heard they’ve revamped the shops along that nineteenth century street they have.’ Lily gestured with her stick in the general direction. ‘Let’s go see those.’
They browsed the shops, pointing out things of interest to each other. As they sat for a minute in a dentist’s waiting room, just to let Lily have a rest, she nudged Jade gently. ‘What about this young man of yours? Where did you find him?’
‘He’s not my young man.’ Jade was quick to defend herself. ‘We only met last Saturday. I found him on the bridge.’
‘Ah.’ Lily’s gaze seemed suddenly sharper, but Jade didn’t shrink from it. She had already shared a good deal of her history with the older woman and had found more love and acceptance than she could possibly have ever hoped for.
‘Yes.’ Jade kept her eyes steady. ‘I don’t think he’s very happy. So I brought him here, knowing how you helped me, and I was hoping that you would be able to help him too.’
The older lady pursed her lips. ‘I don’t help people, you silly muffin.’ She slipped an arm around Jade’s shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. ‘You were the one who helped yourself.’ She gave a sigh. ‘And Nick has to help himself. All we can do is give him the opportunity.’ She chuckled suddenly.
