'Harry, what did Graham say?'

'That Catherine told him not to say sorry, that he works for the homeless charity Shelter and they are busier than ever at this time of year, but if we and can pick him up at the station on Thursday he can stay for a couple of days.'

'Anything else?'

'And some joke about you putting the kettle on, because Catherine told him you were good in a crisis.'

.

Because it had been as early as Monday morning when that conversation had taken place, meant that after weeks of turmoil and Catherine's visit it felt like a gift to be given three whole days on their own, during which they unpacked the remainder of the boxes, cleaned the house from top to bottom and in Harry's case come to terms with the fact that after years of believing he was never going to see Graham again that it was actually going to happen.

Helped as Catherine had quite rightly said by Ruth, during what Harry had felt was an approaching crisis by pointing out that Graham had asked if they could pick him up at the station as in Southwold which she saw as a positive and because they left earlier than was needed, gave them plenty of time for a walk along the seafront and in Harry's case get the necessary fresh air into his lungs.

'Crisis averted, but I could still murder a cup of tea,' from what is undoubtedly a smartly dressed young man who hands her some flowers before turning to the statue that is his father shaking his hand and saying, 'better late than never eh Dad.' Is a statement that not only applies to the length of time since Graham has seen Harry but as they find out when the customary tea has been made, this time accompanied by a packet of chocolate biscuits because Graham hasn't eaten since breakfast time, or this was what Harry had tried to convince her was the reason he'd opened them, rather than what Ruth thought was a means to delay the inevitable, was his way of telling his father how pleased he is that he isn't going to spend the rest of his life on his own.

A combination which has Ruth warming towards Graham in a way that despite her best efforts she hadn't been able to do with Catherine and more so because during what remains of the afternoon and before they need to think about preparing dinner, rather than bombard them questions Graham responds to Harry asking him about his own job by saying, 'I was walking home from the pub one night feeling sorry for myself and all but tripped over a man who was lying on the pavement with nothing but a filthy blanket over him. I rang the police and they took him to what they told me was a shelter for the homeless and I still don't know why although I'm glad I did, the following morning I felt compelled to call in and see how he was, only to discover that he wasn't much older than I am which got me thinking, enough that I could see a way to doing something that was worthwhile. Despite that it still took me the best part of a week summon up the courage to walk into their main office in Greenwich and ask if they had any job vacancies and the money's not great but it comes with a bedroom of my own in a flat that I share with two others.'

'Doing what?' asks what Ruth knows is a stunned Harry.

'Balancing the books, well I always did love maths didn't I.'

.

For the first time in as long as Ruth can remember, Harry is still asleep when she wakes up at what is eight the following morning. A miracle that had only been eclipsed by the fact that not only is Graham here but his positive response to Harry's question has given Harry what he has so long hoped for, the assurance that his son has at last found his place in the world. Helped no doubt by the second bottle of wine they had been sharing when she had said goodnight.

But for now, with one last look at a sleeping Harry, the stress of the previous few days gone from his face making it hard for her to resist standing there for a while longer, she silently tells him that she loves him before padding downstairs, only to find that Graham has beaten her to it and is sitting in the kitchen with a mug of coffee in his hand.

'Already done,' he tells her when she says she needs to add another log to the fire, before adding, 'you go through and I'll bring you a cup of tea.'

'No sugar,' she says, remembering the day that she had called Harry when Maudsley had jumped in front of the train. Only for his phone to ring - when hadn't it in those days?

Settling herself in what is normally Harry's chair, Graham having brought the tea on a tray and what is obviously another mug of coffee for himself, takes the seat opposite her before surprising her yet again by saying, 'I love my sister to bits but I bet she gave you a hard time.'

Yes, thinks Ruth, 'a little,' is what she says not wanting to take sides.

'Knowing Catherine, I'm sure you're being generous because she's always been like that, whereas I have no intention of prying, I mean it's not as though we can turn the clock back is it and as long as you and Dad are happy which you clearly are I don't need to know the ins and outs of your relationship.'

'Anything else?'

'I was going to ask you to look after him but you're clearly doing that already because I've never seen him look better than he does right now, that and I'd like to come to your wedding.'

.

The question as to how to spend the day, Graham having refused her suggestion that he and Harry go somewhere on their own and because the sun is shining and the wind that whistles across the marshes has taken the day off, sees Ruth making what amounts to a snack before they drive through the village and out onto the road that runs parallel with the beach. A location albeit a on different coastline but still reminds Ruth who is struggling to stay upright on what is soft sand on the dunes, of the day when she and Harry had done the self-same thing when they had been renting the cottage in Winchelsea. The undercliff protecting them from the wind, the coffee cart, the pebbles which had made it difficult to walk, the rug which is keeping her warm, the same one that Harry had wrapped around her on a day which had changed their lives forever. How careful Harry had been during what had been their first time and still is, always putting her wishes before his own and how Graham's open and honest assessment of what she knows is now impossible to hide, how much she and Harry love each other, enough to distract her from thinking about Christmas and the wedding which having spoken to Ian will be on the fifth, until the evening when with their dinner in front of them, Graham says, 'whose organising the reception and where are you having it?'

'Here,' is the simple answer but that everything other than them coming down stairs at the right moment has been taken out of their hands, firstly by Alice and Marianne who providing they can have access to their kitchen the previous day have insisted that they want to prepare and cook what as yet they don't know, and because Harry isn't going to have a best man and as Malcolm had said he'd rather not do it, Andrew is going to make a speech that Harry anticipates will be anything but simple.

Only for Graham to say, 'you can't have a wedding without music, nothing on trend but I'm sure that Catherine and I will be able to dig something up from the dark ages.'

Not wanting to provoke a discussion about the age of those who are coming to the wedding or for Graham to suggest that Ruth given how much younger than him she is might also be included in that statement sees Harry giving up, not realising that Ruth who has been watching the ping pong is back to picturing their first Christmas together rather than worry about what might or might not happen on their wedding day, because as she intends telling him but not until Graham has gone home tomorrow that after all that has happened to get them to this point she feels extremely lucky that that they will be surrounded by people who are not only friends but care enough to make their day perfect, which was how Alice had described it when she'd told her what she and Marianne planned.

.

Keeping up the everything is fine appearance, which of course as far as Ruth is concerned it is, means that having returned from the station and wandered through to the kitchen, the inevitability of Harry saying, 'I thought my summary of how our wedding day will pan out was perfectly reasonable, although I think you're about to tell me that I'm wrong,' opens the door for her response.

'Wrong not entirely given that your children are going to choose the music, but in the sense that for all the planning, things can and do go wrong at weddings, so what's the worst thing that can happen other than I change my mind which I won't of course, but only because there must be dozens of women who if they knew you as intimately as I do would be queuing outside our bedroom, besides the only thing that matters is that by the end of the day we'll be married Harry.'

'Dozens?' And the smile is back.