Dear Grace.
Sorry it's been a while
since my last letter.
I've been meaning
to write to you sooner,
but every time I put pen
to paper, my mind freezes...
...and I can't find the words.
It's not an excuse.
I want you to know
that I've been thinking
about you every day.
How tall are you now?
What sort of stuff
are you into?
I don't know
if your mother had said,
but I'm out of prison now.
I've had many lonely nights
to think about the past.
Sorry I wasn't around more.
I've cried more tears
than I knew possible.
I've felt broken,
bruised and forgotten.
But in my darkest hours,
you were the angel
that kept me going.
I'll be with you very soon,
I promise.
Just know that you're loved.
As soon as I get some money...
...I'll be up to see you.
Love you always, kiddo.
Daddy.
Uh, it may be a bit, um...
Uh, what do they call it? Bijou?
But, you know, it's--
Location's great.
Y'know it's... See the sea.
I, I've-- I got you,
um, some, some bits.
It's, it's not much. It's, uh,
just what I cobbled together.
Uh, before I forget,
bathroom situ--
It's down the hall.
And, uh, well, the hot isn't
always, well, hot.
It's fine.
Yeah, used to it.
Um... here's my card.
I'll drop you, uh, some leaflets
in the next couple of days.
Uh, just groups, info.
Uh, stuff you might need.
-All right.
-You'll be on your feet
in no time.
All right.
Shut the f*ck up!
Shut the f*ck up!
f*ck sake.
She knows exactly
what you're thinking...
-Whoa. Yo, joker.
-Sorry, mate.
-Oh, you're the new guy, innit?
-Aye.
-Lee.
-All right. Joe.
Let me know if I can sort you
out with anything, yeah?
I mean, anything.
See you later, Joe.
Bollocks, mate. Bollocks.
You need to listen
to what I'm saying to you,
right? She f*cking--
Oh, thank Christ.
Thought I, thought I was going
to have a meeting with myself.
-sh*t. Have I missed it?
-No, no, no. Not at all. Neil.
-Joe.
-Joe.
Sorry. It's in a pub.
Um, couldn't find anywhere else.
Oh, the irony.
This is Barney. He's, um...
Well, he, he's not actually
in recovery.
He, he just turns up
now and again for a kip
and free biscuits.
Right.
T-- Tea over there
if you fancy.
-No, no, grand. Thanks.
-No?
This your first meeting?
No, no, just, uh...
-...new to the place.
-Oh.
All right. Do you wanna,
um, uh, do you,
do you wanna get started?
-All right.
-Um, t-- take a, take a seat.
-Um...
-Thank you.
Uh, well, like I said, I'm Neil.
I'm an addict.
I've just got my 20 years free
a couple of days back.
-Congrats, man.
-Happy birthday to me.
Well, uh, being honest...
...it actually made me feel,
uh, pretty...
...depressed, I guess.
Oh, 7,300 days
of no dr*gs and booze.
But the more days that go by,
the more it frightens me,
you know, because...
'Cause all it takes is,
uh, one bad choice,
and I go back to zero.
I know they say that,
uh, fear is a bad word,
but if you think about it,
fear is the reason
we're here today.
I mean, our ancestors weren't
always top of the food chain,
were they?
Now they had predators, and
fear of being eaten
drove innovation,
and hunting, and shelter,
and community.
Uh, everything.
So I, I've decided to
take that fear and use it to
propel me forward
instead of... dragging me back.
You know, um... Yeah.
Uh...
Is there anything
you, you'd like to say
or talk about or...
Uh...
Like I said, I'm Joe.
Uh, new to the area.
And been clean five years.
What else, um...
I've got a daughter.
Um, Grace.
Sorry.
Take your time.
Yeah, um...
Um...
Yeah. Thank you.
It's nice to be here.
It's good
to see a different face.
Oh, Barney.
Barney, this is, um...
Oh, okay.
I'm, uh, I'm this way.
Right, I'm that way.
-All right. See you next week.
-Aye.
-That was great.
-See you next week.
Good stuff.
f*ck, man.
- Oh, she's been smoking
too much crank, bruv--
What are you doing
sneaking around?
I'm not sneaking around.
I'm just going to my room.
Just going to my room.
You ain't working for them,
are you, Joe?
-Tell the truth.
-Sorry. Who?
The government, Joe.
The OCG. The, uh, HMPPRC.
The f*ckin' DVLA.
You ain't a spy, are you?
Not that I know of. No.
All right, come here.
I'm just f*cking with you.
-Why don't you come and join--
-Don't do that. Hey, hey, hey.
Don't do that, right?
Don't like that.
Chips for one, yeah?
-Yeah.
-Oh, little wank for pudding?
- Sorry.
- Oye, relax.
I'm just vibing.
Just joking, innit?
- Loosen up.
- Okay.
-Yeah. Just chill the f*ck out.
-All right.
-What is it with you lot, eh?
-Sorry.
Yes, sir. You f*cking army lot.
Always so serious all the time,
ain't ya?
You need to ease up, bro.
This ain't a w*r zone.
I'm not your f*cking enemy.
Do you ever k*ll anyone, Joe?
Eh?
f*cking weirdo.
Whatcha?
Great. All right, uh...
-No the other guy, eh?
-Barney?
Uh, no. He's probably found
a bottle of whisky
to crawl into.
-Bit jealous, actually.
-Right.
-All right. So, uh...
-So should we get out of here?
It's f*cking depressing, mate.
-Huh?
-Yeah.
- Wally?
- Yeah.
- You lock up for us?
- Will do.
Yeah, let's go.
Look at this, mate.
Can see why Turner liked
to paint here, can't ya?
Where are you from?
Uh, town just south of Glasgow,
but...
...bounced about a lot as a kid.
-You?
-My dad was
an aviation engineer,
so we moved about a lot too.
It's tough on the youngins.
You know, making friends
and saying goodbye.
I think that's what
got me started, you know?
I used the booze as an enabler
and just to talk
with other kids,
just to try and fit in.
I started drinking on my own.
You know, folks were away.
Only kids.
I guess it kind of
plugged the hole.
By the time
I was in my late teens,
I was spun out on coke.
Did so much
I still can't breathe
through my nose properly.
What about you?
Usual, I suppose.
Dad left when I was a kid.
So...
By all accounts,
he was a mean f*cking drunk,
so probably for the best.
Uh, Mum was no better.
Also prone to v*olence.
Just more into the dr*gs.
When I was 13, she, uh...
...she OD'd.
I found her.
Then was sent to live
with my nan.
Go into all sorts of shite.
Petty crime stuff.
And then I met a girl.
We had a kid.
But... needed money.
So I joined the Army,
because... what else?
What about now?
You still see your kid?
No.
Why not?
I don't like
to talk about those...
...things.
All right, fair enough.
What you doing for work?
-I'm on probation.
-Okay.
But if you, uh,
need a bit of extra cash,
you know,
some walking around money,
work is mental for me
at the moment.
I could do with a bit of help.
Have you--
If you, if you fancied it.
-You serious?
-Yeah.
Aye. Yeah.
Great.
You fancy a cuppa? My shout.
Fifteen British troops
have d*ed in Afghanistan
since the start of this month.
And there have been
continual complaints
that they don't have
the right equipment.
But today Gordon Brown said
that Britain's offensive
against the Taliban
is showing signs of success.
In an interview
with the British Forces
Broadcasting Service,
he paid tribute
to the sacrifice
of those who've d*ed
in some of the
bloodiest fighting
the Army has seen
in the Afghan campaign.
We've now lost 184 people
in Afghanistan,
and these, uh, sacrifices
that have hurt so many families
in our country are ones that...
Oh, excuse me, mate. Do you know
where Omer Avenue is?
Joe?
-What time do you call this?
-Sorry, boss.
I couldn't find the road.
-I don't have a phone.
-Jesus.
I've got an old one at home.
I'll dig it out for you, eh?
- Cheers, boss.
- Not boss. Neil.
Right. Yeah. Sorry.
Coffee for you.
It's that posh w*nk*r stuff.
Guy roast his own beans
or something.
Great.
Tastes like piss, if you ask me.
Not that I've told him that.
Built like a brick shithouse.
So, uh, what's the job?
Uh, couple of new Rads.
Just waiting on the system
to drain down.
Shouldn't be too long.
-Is there anything
you want me to do?
-No, no. Just sit and wait.
Okay.
It's all right.
So what made you stop?
Listen...
...I, I really appreciate you
giving me this job
and everything, all right?
I, I really do,
but I don't wanna
a meeting today. Okay?
What I want-- I just wanna--
I wanna come to work.
I wanna get some money.
I wanna save up
so I can get the f*ck out
of here to see my kid.
All right?
-Okay.
-'Cause that's it.
That's all I want.
-All right?
-Sorry. I'm just...
Forget I said anything, okay?
Right. It should be done.
Dear Grace.
I feel like I'm evolving...
...morphing
into something different.
There was a power cut
the other night,
and I was just sitting
in the dark for two hours...
...in that weird silence
of a blackout.
I don't know why it happened,
but the whole block went down.
I just sat there.
I had this...
...feeling of something
tugging on my heart.
Like a hand.
It was coming from deep...
...deep somewhere.
Deep within me.
I don't know.
But it pulled my spirit
down a little bit.
I miss you so much.
God, I miss you so much.
I have a job now.
So that's good.
Money at the end of the month.
And then soon...
...soon I'll be with you,
all right?
Love always.
Your daddy.
All right.
Listen, I'm...
...sorry about earlier.
I just got a lot going on.
You've been nothing but nice
giving me this opportunity.
Nah. Don't worry about it, mate.
All right.
-All right.
-Oh, oh, oh, hang on, hang on.
It's all I've got on me for now.
I'll, uh, I'll give you the rest
at the end of the month, yeah?
All right.
-Cheers.
-Oh, yeah.
What made you quit?
What?
You asked me why I quit.
So... what's your story?
I k*lled my son.
Uh...
mother of my kid...
...we were, we were,
we were no longer together.
Uh, she turns up with Luke,
my son...
...out the blue.
Uh, uh, uh,
babysitter had fallen through,
and she had a night shift.
Uh, uh, I was
high on coke and drunk.
Uh, she knew about the drink,
but she didn't know
about the coke.
I remember because we argued
about it, because...
...the last time we spoke,
I promised that I'd get sober.
Uh, so what,
what can you do, you know?
She had to go to work.
Kid wasn't allowed
to go with her.
And, uh, you know,
I had no other plans
other than getting f*cked up,
so, you know.
Bollocks to it.
So I took Luke.
I thought I'd, um...
I thought I'd give him a bath,
put him to bed,
and then I'd just carry on
getting f*cked up.
Uh, coke wasn't a problem
because I had 2 grams
that I'd bought night before
as a birthday present,
but I was out of vodka.
Uh, nearest shop...
was three minutes away,
so I figured
three minutes there,
three minutes back.
Only it was shut.
So I went to the next one.
It's, uh... Tesco's a couple
of more minutes away.
And when I got back...
When I got back,
there was water coming out
u-- under the bathroom door
down the stairs
'cause I had f-- I had forgot
to turn the tap off.
I went right upstairs
into the bathroom, and...
...Luke was...
floating face down, and...
He was three years old.
That's all he had in his life.
Three years.
Because of me.
Yeah. Anyway, yeah.
Okay.
-See you in the morning, yeah?
-See you later.
See ya.
Got something for you.
-All right. Here. Burner.
-Oh. Burner phone.
Don't lose that one.
- You not have an iPhone?
- f*ck off.
You could do better.
-I got p*rn?
-You get lots of-- Yeah.
It's proportionate
to the size of your cock.
-Right.
-Mine's huge.
-Fancy a pint.
-All right.
Sure you don't need a hand?
- No.
You need to have a clean mind.
- Right.
- You all right? You're
like a hu-- human buckaroo.
Yeehaw.
-See you later.
-See you later, mate.
Yeah, mate. I've got bare food.
Curry and that. Shitloads.
Yo. What's good?
Yeah, but I don't have
a f*cking microwave.
That's the thing.
Exploded, didn't it?
Yeah, well, we'll see after...
Oh, yeah, of course,
of course. You know me,
I'll sort you right out.
Spare change, brother?
Uh, sorry, mate. No, I don't.
You have a good evening.
-Got a sandwich.
Do you want that?
-Oh, cheers.
-Where do you serve, mate?
-Iraq. Basra.
-I was in Afghanistan.
-Oh, yeah.
-God bless you, brother.
-You too, mate.
Take care of yourself, right?
f*ck off!
You knock like the police, bruv.
-Where's my stuff?
-What stuff?
-Where's my stuff?
-What stuff?
-My stuff you stole.
Where is it?
-Whoa, whoa. Hold up.
Don't start
accusing me of stealing,
'cause I ain't stole nothing.
I'm not accusing you, Lee.
I'm just asking for my stuff.
-Where's my stuff?
-I ain't got your stuff.
All right. Okay.
I want you to look
at something for me.
-See-- What's that?
-Right there.
Oh, no.
Oh, no, no, no. f*ck.
Oh.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry. I'm sorry.
Ey, ambulance...
Ey, yeah. A guy's hurt.
He's pretty bad.
Arlington House.
Yeah.
Ey, room 105.
Right.
Please come quick.
All right. He's really bad.
Thank you.
Okay. Okay.
You have one e-message.
Uh, hey, hey, Neil. Eh...
So, um, I,
I can't come in tomorrow.
I, um...
- I'm so sorry, Neil.
I f*cked up, mate.
I f*cked up.
I gotta go. I gotta go.
Um, your tools are in my flat.
But I gotta leave town.
All right, I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
Joe?
You all right, Maggie?
Joe?
f*ck me. Is that really you?
Oh, my God. What the f*ck?
Why didn't you tell me
you were coming?
I didn't know. I was...
- Are you okay?
Are you in trouble, Joe?
- No.
Just seeing you.
f*cking hell. Come here.
It's good to see you.
-Well, you've done all right.
-God. Yeah.
Better than
our shitty barracks, eh?
Yeah.
-And I'm a, I'm a mum now.
-Oh, my God.
- Yeah.
- Oh, my God, you're a mum.
Oh, sh*t. If it's a bad time...
No, no, no. I was just, uh...
f*ck me, sorry. I can't believe.
We're, we're just trying
to get her down for a nap.
All this training
to negotiate with Taliban,
they've got nothing on this one.
Yeah. She's stubborn
like her mummy.
f*ck you.
Uh, come in.
Come in bef-- before you scare
the sh*t out of the neighbors
looking like that.
- What happened to you?
Where's your razor?
Did you lose it?
Come in.
Well, uh, we know where I've
been for the past few years.
What's been going on with you?
You've been busy,
by the looks of it.
Yeah. I mean...
...lots has gone on.
It wasn't so great for a while.
I tried therapy.
That didn't help.
I tried the meds.
That really didn't help.
And then, yeah, I just packed
some sh*t up and went traveling.
I got the postcards.
I guess I was just trying
to prove to myself
that I could...
do it, you know?
I knew you'd be
all right, Maggie.
You're one of the tough ones.
I got a, um, Facebook message
from Dev the other day.
-How is he?
-He was asking for money.
I think he's pretty far gone
on meth or cr*ck or whatever.
I didn't reply.
Shite.
Sorry. I don't know
w-- why I brought that up.
It's fine.
You still get the nightmares?
Sometimes.
Yeah.
You?
Aye.
I just...
I can't... shake off
this feeling of
abandonment.
The things we saw.
The sacrifices we made.
The friends we watched
go into the ground.
I know.
I know.
Just a few f*cking
leaflets on PTSD,
and good luck with your life.
-f*cked up.
-I know.
Sorry, I'll shut up.
What about, um...
-...your man? Uh...
-Seb.
Seb. Aye. Uh, um,
how did you guys meet?
Hiking around Death Valley.
- Oh, nice.
- Yeah.
Um, I was
completely f*cking lost.
You know what I'm like.
And he helped me locate my car.
And, yeah, he's just like...
...Mr. Positive.
Fit.
And, yeah,
just what I needed.
I'm happy for you, Maggie.
-I am.
-Thanks, mate.
Anyway, we, we kept bumping
into each other on our travels.
And by the time we met
in New York, I was pregnant,
and he proposed.
My God.
Baby Mia came along,
and we basically haven't slept
for six months, so that's fun.
I remember those days.
How is your little one?
Gave her some Calpol in the end,
and the squish
is finally asleep.
Seb?
-Meet the guy who saved my life.
-Hello.
- Joe. Hi. Oh, my God.
- Look at you.
So it's nice
to finally meet you.
I've heard so much about you.
Let me give you
a... little squeeze.
Hey. How are you?
I was just getting myself
a drink. Can I,
can I get you one?
- Uh, wine, whisky, beer, champagne?
- -He doesn't drink.
I, I don't, I don't drink.
In that case, uh,
sparkling water, kombucha?
Um, what's kombucha?
- Oh, it's a...
- It's like, um...
It's like fermented tea.
Fermented tea? I'm fine,
thank you very much.
Okay. Well, if it's all right
with you two,
I'm gonna celebrate this moment.
Reunion. Whatever.
Um, Mags, drink?
-Uh, do you mind?
-No. No, no, no.
Yeah, go on then. I, I'll have
a, a small red. Small.
A small. An actually small red.
Got it.
A real small one.
It's, uh, it's ridiculously
jargon-heavy explanation.
But our startup helped
close the last data gap
by...
doing calculations on data
that was already in the system.
It's basically the holy grail
of data encryption.
And then someone made us
a ridiculous offer
that we couldn't refuse,
and so we sold the company.
Wow. That sounds
really interesting, mate.
Uh...
f*cking boring, isn't it?
But, um...
But we put in loads of effort,
and it, it, it paid off.
And now I spend most of my time
annoying the sh*t out of Mags.
-I'm sure she wishes
I was on another project...
-Mm.
...and out of the house.
He's like a dog
that needs walking.
Too much energy.
What I, what I wanna do,
what I should be doing,
is inventing an app
that would keep a baby
asleep the whole night.
And I'd be f*cking Bezo's rich.
I'd be rolling in it.
That would be good.
Oh, where are you
staying tonight, Joe?
Uh, I don't know yet.
I'll find someplace, yeah.
-No way. Stay here.
-No, no, no, no,
I don't wanna put you guys out.
-It's really no bother.
-Maggie, I'm fine.
You have a baby.
I'm fine, Maggie. I'm fine.
You're staying, Joe.
Can I use your bathroom?
Yeah, it's just up there
on the left.
- There?
- Yeah.
Uh, w-- what are you doing?
We don't,
we don't even know the guy.
He's literally the reason
I'm alive.
The least we could do is
offer him a bed for the night.
What the f*ck is wrong with you?
-He just got out of prison.
-And?
And he looks like the...
He looks like the f*cking guy
out of Taxi Driver.
He does though, doesn't he?
I know that what he did was,
like, uh, heroic and, and brave
or whatever,
but you, you literally
haven't seen him for years.
-You're being gross.
-No, no, no,
I'm not being gross.
Our baby is asleep upstairs,
and he could be the next f*cking
Charles f*cking Manson
-for all we know.
-Uh...
I didn't mean...
It's fine. You're right.
I could be a psychopath.
-That's not what--
-He didn't mean that, Joe.
Maggie, it's fine.
It's fine.
- Oh--
- You're just doing
what's right by your kid.
I'd do the same.
I don't... know you.
I know that...
It's nice to meet you, Seb.
It's, it's very good
to meet you, Joe.
Sorry. You have a lovely house.
Oh. Thank you.
Joe?
Joe?
Joe?
He, he really didn't mean it
like that.
Okay? He's just got
a big f*cking mouth on him.
It's fine, Maggie.
I've had much worse things
said about me.
I'm a big boy.
Don't be a stranger, Joe.
I want my baby girl to meet
the man who saved my life.
Look after yourself.
Hey!
Hey!
Hey.
-You can't sleep here, man.
-Hello?
-You can't sleep here.
Private property.
-Oh.
Sorry.
-Come on, people pay for this.
-Okay, man. Sorry.
f*cking junkies.
Excuse me.
-Sorry.
-What?
Uh, is, is Jess about?
-Jess.
-Why?
If she's about,
can you just tell her it's Joe.
It's Ernie.
Not you, mate. Me, I, I'm Joe.
-Joe?
-Uh, is she in?
Is Jess about?
- Jess!
- What?
There's, uh, someone here
to see you about something.
I don't know.
Oh, for f*ck's sake.
You all right, Jess?
What do you want?
-Can I come in?
-No.
He seems nice.
He's a c**t. What do you want?
I just wanna see my girls.
It's a bit late for that,
don't you think?
Please, Jess.
They wouldn't tell me
where they are.
And I know that you know.
I'm not after any trouble, Jess.
I'm just hurting
like a m*therf*cker.
I just wanna see my girls.
That's it.
I never got
what she saw in you. Never.
She loved you. And Grace did.
Both of them.
f*ck's sake. Wait here.
f*ck off.
Dear Grace.
I'm on the road again.
Making good progress
despite the weather.
I forgot how beautiful
this land can be...
...held within the stars.
Which reminds me...
Do you remember how I'd say
when you were born,
they took two stars from the
sky and put them in your eyes?
I love those eyes
from the moment they opened.
But I'm here and...
...you're where you are.
And as the light
takes years to travel...
...a star is just really
a memory of a star.
Just look out for me
on the horizon.
'Cause I am not gonna sleep
until I'm beside you.
Until then, chin up.
I love you, kiddo. Daddy.
PS, I got you
a little present.
No, no, no.
It's, it's all right.
You're welcome to stay.
This is a place of sanctuary.
It's a bit wet outside.
Oh, my God.
I, I sometimes wonder
when the Bible talks about
raining for 40 days
and 40 nights
if it was talking
about Scotland.
Well, this, uh, this church
was built in 1685
by a man named Robert Beckenham.
All those years
getting battered by the weather,
and... it still stands.
I don't think
I've seen your face before.
-Just passing through.
-Is that your bike outside?
Aye.
Where are you headed?
-Uh, Trossachs.
-Oh, gosh.
That's, uh,
that's quite the journey.
It is. It is.
Clears the mind, I guess.
I'm thinking
you must be incredibly fit.
I mean, those roads
are not for the faint heart.
I was in the Army.
Used to pushing myself.
They actually say...
...it's the, uh, mind that will
give up before the body.
Uh, 99% mental, 1% physical.
Hmm. Well... I like that.
You see active duty?
Hm.
I was stationed
in Kabul and Helmand.
Then you must have some stories.
Yeah. Something like that.
Uh, sometimes...
...w*r is the only path
to peace.
Yet the real w*r is here...
...within us.
All due respect...
...it's not exactly a w*r zone
out there, is it?
I suppose you're right.
I may not have seen w*r,
but I've had my moments.
Yeah, I've, uh, been in active
recovery most of my life.
Been divorced twice.
I've got a lot to answer for
when I stand before God.
I just hope he doesn't mind
my terrible jokes.
It's a shame
we only get to live once, eh?
Unless, of course, you're Hindu.
Lucky buggers.
Yeah, I'm still not sure
about all that.
About all this.
I'd be lying if I said I hadn't
hit my knees a few times
over the last few years, but...
No.
Jury's still out for me.
You know...
...there comes a time...
...in our search for meaning
when one realizes
there are no answers.
And when you come
to that unavoidable realization,
you either accept it or...
...you stop living.
I have so much
to be thankful for.
And yet every night
when I climb out of bed,
turn off the light
and stare into the dark,
I wonder...
..."Am I right about God?"
-Thank you.
-Uh, you, you don't have to go.
Uh, it's, uh, it's still
pishing-it-doon, as they say.
Gotta push on.
Okay. Uh, please, travel safe.
Ah.
Ah!
Hello?
Hello?
Can you hear me?
Hello?
Are you okay?
Are you hurt?
Listen, I'm, um,
I'm just camping over there.
So if, if you wanna come over,
we can put a kettle on
and get some, some tea.
Or do you need water?
Yeah. Let me help you up.
You okay?
You good?
Just follow me.
Yeah.
There you go. Take a seat there.
-Let me take your bag.
-Thank you.
-Who's this?
-It's for my daughter.
-So what happened?
-Um...
Fell down, I think. Stupid.
-Did you hurt yourself?
-Ah, I can't see.
Can you see that?
-Oh, man,
that looks really angry.
-Is it?
I think
that might need stitches.
- You might need to go
to the hospital.
-No.
-No?
- No hospital.
- I'll be all right.
All right. Let me clean it up.
First-aid kit.
I haven't still used this yet.
Yeah. Antiseptic wipe.
- Seems like
the right thing to use.
Okay. This might sting.
-All good?
-Mm-hmm.
-Thank you.
-Put some pressure on that.
Mm. That's better.
I still think that you need
to go and get that looked at.
It might get infected.
All right.
What was your name?
-Joe.
-Joe.
Nice to meet you, Joe.
I'm Hannah.
-Nice--
-Oh, no. Oh.
Nice to meet you, Hannah.
So where are you headed?
-Heading up to Tyndrum.
-Tyndrum?
-Aye.
-It's miles away.
Yeah.
well, look, I'm...
I'm driving that way, anyway,
so you can, you can hop in.
-I'll take you there.
-No. You're all right.
Yeah. It's all good. Fine.
It's no bother, honestly.
I'd be happy to.
I'm a free bird.
Yeah. I mean,
or you can drag yourself there.
It's up to you.
Yeah? Okay.
Can I get you some water?
-Yeah?
-Oh, thank you.
I'm gonna put the tent down.
So how long
have you been traveling?
Oh, sh*t. Sorry, sorry.
I didn't realize
you were sleeping.
Sorry. Huh?
I just a-- asked how long
you been out here traveling?
It's a long time?
Uh, yeah,
something like that, yeah.
You travel pretty light.
Not like me.
All the sh*t in the world's
in the back of my car.
- You know,
I was in the Army, so...
-...used to not having
creature comforts.
-Yeah.
I'm getting there with that,
but... I currently have
my goose feather pillow,
duvet, blow-up mattress
back there.
I've got, like, ten bottles
of essential oils.
I mixed them last week.
I've got, like, mandarin,
and bergamot,
and lavender in there.
It's really good for my anxiety.
So I can give you
a couple of bottles if you want.
So what did you do in the Army?
I'm sorry. Do you mind? I'm...
...tired.
-I'm just so, so tired, so...
-Yeah.
Just, just close your eyes
and sleep.
I can put some music on
if you want.
Thank you.
I've watched good men...
...good men go into the earth.
Each time,
taking a little piece of me.
And for what?
For what?
Kids...
...left without dads or mothers.
And I don't know why.
Because that's just what we do.
I'm haunted by this image...
...of a kid...
...whose name...
...I'll never know.
He was running at me.
He was screaming...
...for my help.
Begging me to help him.
But the Taliban...
...they, uh...
...they'd put
a su1c1de vest on him.
And...
...there was nothing I could do.
That's what defeat looks like.
When you've got
no choice to help.
Have you got
any lavender for that?
Sorry.
-Thank you.
-I'm so sorry.
I, um...
I'm gonna give you my number.
Is that okay?
And you call me
if you ever just need
a plaster or Savlon.
Got loads.
My girls.
My wee girls.
I'm sorry.
It's been a journey.
Uh...
One I knew I had to make
when they told me about...
...about you.
Needed you there.
I'm just...
I, uh...
...understand...
...I'm not the same man
I was all those years ago.
Scared boy.
Angry and raw.
My life has changed.
I've evolved.
You were the angels
that got me through.
Because the one thing
that never changed
was the love in my heart.
I've come to realize
that love defies death.
But I never realized
I could love so deeply.
My nan used to say...
..."Everything is
in God's time."
The sun rises and it sets...
...reminding us that
our existence is bound by time.
And one day...
...it will rise no more.
I wanna touch your face.
I wanna see you again.
I'm coming, little darling.
I'm coming.
I'm coming for you.
Off into the air.
This time...
...I promise...
...I promise
I won't let you go.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
Tyger (2024)
Moderator: Maskath3