Frank, Pete and BJ met for lunch in Grassington, an archetypal village in the Yorkshire Dales, nestled in the rolling hills of Wharfedale. They had a pub lunch next to the River Wharfe, eased by a few pints of Theakston Old Peculier, before setting off for a brisk walk.
‘Hold on,’ said Pete, breathing heavily after walking uphill for almost an hour, ‘this looks awfully familiar. Is this the spot where that explosion went off?’
‘The very same,’ said Frank.
‘That bloody quarry?’ asked BJ.
‘Yep, almost 30 years ago, can you believe it?’ said Frank with a short laugh.
‘Goddam almost killed us.’
‘Yeah, we might not have seen 18, never mind 45. Let’s rest here.’
‘Good idea,’ said Pete, as he flopped to the ground, and lay on the grassy bank. ‘No humming sound this time; should be safe.’ The others joined him, and they sat in silence for a while, facing the sun.
‘The quarry closed years ago,’ explained Frank. ‘It’s now a park with a fishing lake. Decent spot, when the water’s not contaminated.’
‘It’s so peaceful here. I really miss this place,’ said BJ taking a deep breath, filling his lungs with clean air. ‘Even the smell is familiar.’ After another long silence, he turned to Pete with a look of concern. ‘What’s going on in your world, Pete?’
‘Where do I start?’ said Pete, looking down at the ground. ‘Wow, the grass looks so much greener up here.’
‘Come on, Pete.’
‘Yes, well, I lost my job 6 months ago. You already know that. Things became unbearable at home. I was hoping it might give me and Sophie the chance to spend more time together, but that’s not how it worked out. She blamed me for losing my job, still does, and doesn’t want me moping about the house. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, well, she’s filed for divorce.’
‘Oh mate, I’m so sorry to hear that,’ said BJ, genuinely concerned for his old friend. ‘How’s Abby?’
‘She’s at university, and not talking to either of us at the moment.’
‘Oh no, I’m so sorry. I’m sure that’s temporary.’
‘I don’t really want to talk about it.’
‘Look, I know it’s hard, but tell us all about it. Start with the job. Tell us what happened. Every detail. We really want to know.’
Pete explained how he’d been feeling about work over the last few years, culminating in a major disagreement with his boss. ‘To be honest, I was ready to leave. I’d had enough of that place, and the whole bloody industry. But it paid well, and that’s all Sophie seemed to care about. We had some huge arguments, and I had to walk away. I ended up in a shitty motel for a while, until Frank and Jules offered me the spare room up here. Now she’s filed for divorce, and I’ve got this very aggressive lawyer chasing me daily, wanting to know about every cent we spent over the last few years. Sophie wants 70% of everything, and she wants to keep the house. I can’t even access our bank account, and I have a large tax bill to pay. It’s insane.’
‘You’ve always got somewhere to stay, Pete. Stay with me and Jules for as long as you like, and we’ll help with the finances as much as we can.’
‘Whatever you need, mate, just ask,’ added BJ.