‘Pat!’ he started in a whisper, and slowly shook his head. ‘I can’t.’
His voice was gentle and quiet, and yet it carried conviction and objectivity. Patricia drew herself back and studied him. She didn’t look hurt or offended; instead, she seemed to be analysing him with a scientific interest.
‘That other person is very lucky,’ she said after a while.
Hayden closed his eyes and shook his head.
‘Oh, no. Don’t think that. I’m not an easy person.’
‘Since when?’ she asked.
Hayden took a deep breath before answering, then breathed out loudly and laid his head in resignation on the head rest.
‘I think, always... There has never been anybody else.’
She climbed back into her own seat, and for a short time they were both quiet. Hayden broke the silence. He couldn’t move on from the issue wi
