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Then it will be Watch out Birmingham."
"No, it won't," refuted Emma. "I'm flying to Bombay the twenty-ninth
of this month."
"Why?" asked Aneesha, her eyes widening with interest.
Emma shrugged.
"To get away from here. I really have made a mess of things, Aneesha.
Six months ago I had two friends. I traded the one, and the other has
dumped me for someone she once described as  Cute in a boyish kind of
way. Is that an insult or what? Call it running away if you like. I don't
care. I'm going. I'm a danger to myself and others."
"My, you are down," marvelled Aneesha, with a smile Emma didn't
find entirely sympathetic. "I'll tell Kate that I've seen you."
"Go ahead," said Emma, morosely, "it might give her a laugh."
Aneesha frowned.
"If you think that, Emma, you don't know Kate."
"No, Aneesha, I don't think that at all. I'm so grumpy nowadays, I get
on my own nerves. I'll be glad when I'm out of here.
"When did you say you're flying?"
"Three weeks on Friday. From Heathrow, via Doha," Emma replied
mechanically.
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Aneesha nodded.
"Middle Eastern airlines can be very competitive, if you don't mind a
few hours in the desert, changing planes."
"I don't mind," replied Emma. "Time is the one thing I have plenty of.
Seems appropriate to be spending some of it in the Qatari desert."
"Well," said Aneesha, getting to her feet, "good luck with what you
want to do. I must be getting back for the second film. Bye, Emma."
"'Bye, Aneesha," Emma said quietly, Aneesha vanishing through the
cinema doors.
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33
Fragile Hope
Emma sat at her desk the next day. She was poring over a stock
printout, matching invoices to deliveries. There was a knock at the door.
 Come in."
Kate appeared, closing the door softly behind her. Unease flickered
across Emma's face.
"It's OK, Emma, it's only me. Aneesha said you've been beating
yourself up. I came to see if I can help."
"Help beat me up?" asked Emma, a feeble attempt at levity.
Kate smiled.
"From what I hear, you're doing a great job on your own. What time
do you have your lunch?"
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"In half an hour."
"Fine. Could you meet me by the vending machines in the foyer?"
"OK," agreed Emma, wondering why she should feel afraid of Kate.
Kate would never hurt her. She was undemonstrative, not violent.
Kate left without further comment, closing the door softly. Emma let
out a breath. She leaned back in her chair, chewing thoughtfully on the
end of a pencil, no work likely for the next half hour.
They walked out of the faculty building, down to a bench by the
artificial lake. It was a lovely day, entirely at odds with Emma's mood.
"Why aren't you at work?" Emma asked, accepting a cheese and
tomato sandwich fresh from the vending machine.
"I threw a sickie," Kate replied, taking an intrepid bite of her lunch.
"I didn't know you did things like that," said Emma, impressed.
"Neither do work. That's what's so good about it. They'll expect me to
die now that I've taken a day off."
"Let's hope not," said Emma, "a girl needs a job. As bizarre as it
sounds, going to work is the one thing kept me sane recently.
Emma contemplated her sandwich, but couldn't feel hungry.
 Kate, I'm sorry for the way I treated you. Actually, I'm ashamed," said
Emma, mostly to the sandwich.
Kate turned to look at her.
"Don't worry about it, she replied, returning her gaze to the scenery.
 It had to end some time. Every time I rang you with a suggestion for
the weekend, I was prepared for you to turn it down. It worked while we
were both getting something from the arrangement, but either of us
could have had a change of mind at any time. You decided to do
something different of a weekend..." Kate shrugged.
"Did Aneesha tell you what happened?" asked Emma.
"That your girlfriend left you? Yes, she told me. Said you're leaving for
India soon."
"Yes, that's right. I'll work my notice, save as much as I can, then
away."
 Aneesha also reckons you're flying Qatar Airways, said Kate.  She's
fairly certain Qatar is the only airline that changes planes in Doha.
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 Guilty as charged, said Emma, wondering if Aneesha numbered
secret plane spotting amongst her nefarious activities.
"Let's walk," said Kate.
They strolled along the edge of the ornamental lake. A few scattered
picnickers enjoyed lunch on the grass, the sounds of the city in the
distance.
 Do you still see Jill and Wendy? asked Emma.
 Sometimes, Kate replied.
"Any meaningful one night stands on your travels?"
Kate smiled, replying,
"One or two."
"I'm told you have the chance of promotion at work?" Emma said,
trying another tack.
"Yes, if I want it."
"Is moving to London a stumbling block?" Emma asked. Eliciting
information from Kate was akin to pulling teeth.
"No, not really. It's about whether I want to continue with the bank.
How I want to live my life. Where and with whom."
Having circled the lake, they detoured towards the visitors' car park.
Emma spotted Kate's sleek black Ford.
"Did you know, that car's a dark horse?"
"Yes, I do know," Kate replied, zapping open the doors from a
distance. She smiled a private smile, revealing nothing. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]