“It’s been a stressful few weeks for you, hasn’t it?” I asked.
“Life as a fireman is unpredictable, but I suppose the one thing that’s constant is the stress. It’s part of the job, though, so it’s part of my life now.”
“Do you remember your first rescue?” I asked.
Phil smiled. “Of course.” He nodded. “I was like a headless chicken, but in the end, everything ended well. It was a small fire in a house in this little cul-de-sac near Leighton. No one was in at the time of the fire except the family dog. When I walked outside with that little dog strapped under my arm, I got the biggest round of applause I’d ever gotten in my life.”
I smiled. “That’s a nice story.”
“I wish they could all be that nice.”
We held hands and walked down the pavement away from the theater and towards Covent Street. It was full of little restaurants and pubs, and we would have our pick of cuisine.
“What do you feel like eating?” Phil asked me.
“There are so many places to choose from,” I said. “But to be honest, they’re all crowded, and I kind of prefer a more laid-back atmosphere.”
“Actually, that sounds nice,” he agreed. “How about we get takeout from General Tao’s? That way we can find a nice quiet spot somewhere and eat there.”
“Great idea,” I nodded.
After we had our food, we walked around the area looking for a place to sit and eat. In the end, we found ourselves at another park. We walked over to the abandoned benches and sat down opposite one another.
“Parks are becoming our thing,” Phil pointed out.
“I was just about to say the same thing.” I nodded.
We unpacked the cartons of food and started eating. It was a wonderful night. The sky was filled with blinking stars, and the night air was cool, but not unbearably so. It was quiet and romantic, and there was an air of promise about the wind. Every so often a car would pass by, but the sound was muffled, almost distant, and didn’t bother us at all.
“Hey…I have a question for you,” I said.
“You can ask me anything.” Phil nodded.
“Well…it’s about Anna.”
“Oh,” he replied, but he smiled a little.
“I don’t want you to think I’m jealous or angry about that night,” I said, wanting to make that clear. “I’m just…curious. That’s all.”
“Don’t worry, Megan,” Phil said. “I stand by what I said; you can ask me anything.”
“You told me that you broke up with her during your training period?”
“Yes.” He nodded.
“Was it mutual?”
“I’m the one who broached the subject of ending things,” Phil replied. “But the fact that she agreed so readily told me that she was thinking of breaking up with me, too. I knew I was neglecting her, and I knew she wasn’t happy…”
“Was that your only reason for breaking up with her?” I asked.
“Well, no,” Phil admitted. “I suppose I wanted to concentrate on my training and my job. To be honest, it was a little inconvenient having a girlfriend at that point. And, I started to realize that I was beginning to resent her for splitting my focus and for expecting me to be around a lot. I expected her to understand, and most often, she didn’t.”
“I see.” I nodded. “I suppose that brings up another important question. How is our relationship different to that one?”
Phil’s eyes were serious and somber, and I knew he was taking this seriously. “Because I’m different now,” he said. “I know that doesn’t sound like much of a reason, but it’s the only way I can think of to explain. I needed to be selfish at that point to get through my training. It was a long and arduous period, and it required one hundred percent commitment on my part.
“I’ve been a firefighter now for about four years, and in those four years, I haven’t had a serious relationship with anyone. There have been women, but they were nothing more than passing ships in the night. Anna was my last relationship.