Faces

He looked at the woman who stood there, and didn’t know her. He took a moment and still nothing came. He worried that she would be disappointed.

“That was lovely Andy, what you had to say.”

“Thank you.”

She smiled. “It’s okay Andy, we only met once. And even then it wasn’t something I would think you would remember.”

“My memory is pretty bad at the best of times. But I apologise.”

The woman reached out and let her hand rest against his elbow now. “I’m the woman from that night. Ben came and told me about my son. I’ll never forget what he did.”

They looked at each other for a long time. When Andy looked up they were alone on the steps and the crowd stretched out before them on the long arc of dull gravel. He turned slightly and they began down the steps together, the crunching of their feet loud in the rough stones as they set out.

“You’re right Andy. He was so strong when he came to me at the ambulance, and he just kept pouring that strength into me, every time I thought I couldn’t go on he held me a little more and I could somehow. I remember right at the end, I looked at him and I thought he had given too much. And you came and put your hand on his shoulder, and I saw him draw all that strength again, from you. I’ll always remember your face too Andy.”