Higgs didn't agree that any of this was very big of him. If anything, Higgs felt it was a too little, too late. He should have been better when they first split up, should have asked for the divorce that both of them had dragged their feet on for one reason or another. Higgs certainly knew what his reasons had been, they had discussed them much later. But he also felt that those reasons had been selfish, something he longer wanted to be in this marriage. Something that served as the main reason for ending it too. But even that was hard to explain, so Higgs didn't object to Lydia's words, not outwardly at least.
Instead, he picked up one of the trays as they moved along with the queue, giving a small shake of his head when Lydia asked if something had happened in his two weeks of absence. That, in a way, was easier to answer. Partially, at least, because Higgs had already told Marcus and Gemma and Pippa. Or at least, given them parts of the story, leaving dots to be connected if they wanted. "Somebody I served with died," Higgs told her. "I went to help with the funeral," he explained. "I am, was, friends with Johnny, he didn't have much in terms of a family apart from Cassie. And, well, the army, I guess," though in the end, army had fucked up Johnny and in turn he had broken Cassie's heart. "He, um," there Higgs paused, glancing around them since death was hardly a conversation topic people wanted to overhear on their lunch break. "He killed himself," Higgs said deciding that no one was close enough to be disturbed by his words, especially not how quietly he said them.