Vince looks up at the obelisk, all intent, as if it might do something sudden and he don't want to take his eyes off it, as if he's glad he don't have to look at me. It's the first time weVe slipped away from Vie and Lenny. The sun and the view are behind us. He's got his hands in his pockets, his left wrist stuck through the handles of the carrier bag. It must be getting heavy, the plastic cutting into him, but he don't seem to mind. It's like he don't want to be separated from it.
… who have no other grave than the sea.
He looks up at the obelisk and I look up at him. It's hard when you've got the years without the height. But this obelisk must be having a littling effect on Vince, because though he doesn't turn to look at me I can see his face going all sort of boyish and outranked.
It's like when he was pumping me about the yard and he wasn't sure how I'd stand. 'Uncle Ray', he went and called me.
He squints at the white stone, forgot to bring his shades. He should've worn a different tie.
He says, 'I was wondering, Raysy.'
I say, 'Wondering?'
He says, 'Jack never said nothing to you about no money, did he? I mean, when he was— He never mentioned no sum of money?'
There's a stone lion crouching at each corner of the obelisk.
I say, 'What sum of money?'
He says, 'Don't matter,' shifting on his feet. He's got his head up, looking, but it's as though he might be begging. He says, 'Say about a thousand pounds.'
RedcarRiponSandownThirsk.
'No,' I say. 'He never mentioned no sum of money.'
He looks at me now, a quick flicker of a look, then away again. The sun goes in and the white stone goes grey, the breeze is cold on our necks.
'Only,' he says, like he's become the head of the family, 'we've got to see Amy right, aint we? We got to see Amy right.'