this one's for A

excerpted from the book :

Brand New Friend by Mike Gayle

After dinner, more wine, present opening and yet more wine, she decided she'd had her best Christmas Day in years. Just after nine, she felt it was time to go and pulled out her mobile to call a minicab.

'I'll drop you home, if you like,' Neil offered. 'I'm ready to leave now too.'

'That would be great,' said Jo. 'I'll get my things together.'

With her coat on and the presents she had received, she kissed Ashley, then put an arm round Rob and kissed him too. Neil said his goodbyes, and they went outside to his Porche.

'This is yours?' asked Jo, impressed.

He nodded. 'It was my my treat to myself a while back.'

'My treat to myself is usually chocolate,' said Jo, laughing, 'but each to their own.'

On the journey over to Levenshulme they talked about the new year and what they hoped to get out of it. Neil told Jo that he was planning to take a career break and travel for a while because he was afraid that he was missing out on life by working all the time. Jo told him about her hopes for her nove, and that if no one was interested in it, she'd write something new: Rob's praise had inspired her.

'Well,' she said, as Neil pulled up outside her house, 'this is me.'

He leaned across and kissed her cheek. 'It was great to meet you.'

'You too.' Jo opened the car door. 'Have a great New Year.'

She stepped out of the car and was about to close the door when Neil spoke again: 'May i say something to you? It's more advise than anything else.'

'Of course,' said Jo. 'What is it?'

'I just wanted to say to you that I know it must be hard for you.'

'What's hard for me?'

'And I know too that, right now, your heart must feel like it's being broken apart. . . but it will heal. . . You will get over it. Time will help you accept that in life there are things you can have and things you can't, and that's just the way it is.'

Jo was stunned. 'How did you-'

'It takes one to know one,' he replied. 'Just make sure you look after yourself.'

Jo closed the car door and watched as he drove away. Then she turned to her house and rooted in her bag for her keys. She opened the door, closed it behind her and cried as if she would never stop.