by Jacqui Penn
‘Will do. Bye.’
Sophia fastened Mutley’s lead and went out to the car. ‘In the back. Good boy.’ A few minutes later she pulled up outside Mrs Shepherd’s house. ‘Now be polite. We’re on a mission.’
Mrs Shepherd was already at the door. ‘What are you doing in a car? Oh, hello, you’re beautiful.’
‘Good morning. This is Mutley. We met at the river a while back and sort of stayed together since.’
‘Yes, I recall you speaking about a dog, but I didn’t realise… Anyway, how rude of me, do come through. No piddling where you can smell Roxy, Mutley.’
Sophia laughed. ‘I warned him he had to be polite. How are you?’
‘Ah, you know. I’ve been better.’ She bent forward to stroke Mutley.’ You’re a bit small, I can’t reach down that far. Come up here and say hello.’ She tapped her leg and Mutley promptly landed on her lap, licked her chin and curled up. ‘Well, look at that. You’ll have to make the tea while I doggie sit.’
Sophia flicked on the kettle. ‘I passed my driving test yesterday.’
‘Yes, I didn’t think you drove. And you’ve got a car already?’ She stroked Mutley as she spoke.
‘My boyfriend surprised me with it last night.’
‘One to watch then.’
Sophia frowned. ‘Watch? What do you mean?’
‘The ones with the money to flash around are often used to getting their own way. Maybe I’m just cynical, but that’s in my experience. He’s probably very nice.’
Sophia put the tea on the table next to Mrs Shepherd and ruffled Mutley’s ear. He didn’t acknowledge her. ‘Look at him. He’s certainly made himself at home.’
Mrs Shepherd pinched her lips together. ‘I hadn’t thought about a smaller dog. I’d be able to take one this size out for a walk.’
‘There’s a thought.’
Mrs Shepherd raised her head sharply and gave Sophia a stern look. ‘You didn’t have a plan in mind when you came here today.’
Sophia raised her eyebrows. ‘Who me?’
‘You’re a very thoughtful girl, a naughty girl, but lovely all the same.’ She nodded. ‘You know, I think I will get a small dog. This place is so lonely without a buddy to chat to.’
‘I can help you look. I’ve got the car now. I have a friend coming for the weekend, but after that.’
Mrs Shepherd´s eyes watered. ‘Perhaps one day next week. Thank you. What would I do without you?’
‘You’d find yourself a dog. It was always going to happen, you just didn’t know it.’
The older woman laughed and nodded. ‘Of course, you’re right, my dear.’
Sophia parked her car and went through to the platform to wait for Anna. She couldn’t hold back a giggle as Anna appeared out of a carriage at the other end of the station carrying a suitcase, a large handbag and trying to hold on to her hat.
‘Anna!’ She hurried to her friend.
Anna dropped the bags. Her hat fell off and she did a fancy stomping of her feet before she charged towards Sophia. The friends hugged. ‘Your hat!’ The train had pulled away causing a draught which had caught the hat in its trail. Both girls headed down the platform after it. Sophia reached it first and picked it up. She looked at the imitation fruit decorations. ‘Anna! What were you thinking?’
‘Don’t you like it? I found it in a charity shop. It’s amazing the things people get rid of.’
‘Isn’t it?’ Sophia chortled. Then she burst into rapturous laughter. ‘I can never go this long again without seeing you.’ They turned back to see a man hovering over the bags.
‘No! He’s stealing my bags. Hey! You leave those alone.’ Anna ran towards him.
‘Stand back! You’d better vacate the platform. This could be a bomb!’
Anna was overcome with a fit of giggles. ‘Sorry to have worried you,’ Sophia said, nudging Anna to shut her up. ‘My friend dropped them when her hat blew away.’
He stared at the bags with disappointment and then looked at the hat, up at Anna’s face and then back down to the hat with a look of disbelief Sophia could understand. Sophia stifled a giggle and bent to pick up the bags. Neither one said a word until they reached the car and then they fell into uncontrollable fits of laughter.
Sophia wiped her eyes, ‘Did you see his expression when he looked at the hat?’
Anna looked hurt and held her hat up. ‘I don’t know why you don’t like it.’ She put it on her head and pulled down the sides over her ears. The right-hand rim came away with a tearing sound and Sophia suddenly had to find a toilet. She crossed her legs.
She spoke in a weak voice. ‘I’ll have to go back to the station.’
Anna made a grunting noise as though she was in pain, the tears running down her cheeks.
As Sophia sat on the toilet, the giggles didn’t stop. Was Anna crying with laughter or because her hat tore? Sophia felt short of breath and her ribs ached. She couldn’t take anymore.
The hat was sticking out of a bin. Sophia went weak at the knees. Her chest really hurt. Anna sat in the passenger seat with her belt already fastened. ‘I’ll have to find another hat. Do you have a charity shop in the town?’
‘Anna, stop! I’m not going to see to drive through my tears.’
‘Do you or not?’
Her friend was serious. Sophia tried taking a deep breath to regain composure. ‘Yes, we do. Do we have to go there first?’
‘Yes, please.’
Sophia covered her mouth. Anna was suddenly so serious. ‘Okay. We’ll go and find a charity shop with some hats.’ She started the car. This could be the worst shopping trip of her life. She’d forgotten why she loved Anna so much.
They arrived back at Tristan’s apartment with three hats, each one as hideous as the one before. ‘I can’t believe my luck. We don’t have anything like this where I live,’ Anna enthused. ‘I’m definitely coming to visit more often.’
‘Just give me time to get my voice back before you come again.’
Anna rushed over to the balcony door. ‘Oh-my-God! Look at the views! Wow! I have never seen anything so spectacular.’
‘They are something else. Tea, coffee or something stronger?’
‘It’s gone three, it’d be rude not to have something alcoholic.’
Tristan arrived home to find then sprawled out on the lounge floor, listening to music. He momentarily looked at the glasses. ‘You girls look like you’re having a good time.’
Sophia jumped up and pecked his cheek. ‘Anna, Tristan,’ she said pointing in turn. ‘Can I pour you a drink?’
‘Cheers, pour me a beer, would you? I’ll have a shower and then I’m off to leave you girls to it for the evening.’
Sophia pushed out her bottom lip. ‘Oh, I thought you’d be joining us?’
‘What and sit listening to you two catching up. No, I’m opting out of that one. I have other plans.’
‘You’re meeting up with Gio. That’s good. You need to look after your friends.’
‘See you in a minute.’ He headed off to the bedroom.
Anna held up her thumb to Sophia and whispered. ‘He’s alright. The girl did well.’
‘I think so. So where shall we go tonight?’
‘Somewhere quiet where we can talk or we’re not going to have enough time to catch up properly.’
‘Well, we spent an entire afternoon looking for hats.’
‘Oh my God! Which one shall I wear? How do I choose? You’ll have to wear one too or you’ll feel left out.’
‘I won’t! I’m not going out in one of those hats. Look at me, Anna! No, I won’t wear one of your hats.’
Anna topped up the glasses and an hour later the girls, both wearing outrageous hats, strolled along arm in arm into the town.
Chapter 12
‘I feel so ridiculous wearing this hat,’ Sophia moaned. ‘I don’t know how I let you talk me into it.’
Anna rested her chin on her hand. ‘I didn’t talk you into anything. You started trying the
m on and admiring yourself in the mirror.’
‘I blame the wine.’
‘Possibly. Now tell me all about this Gio.’
‘Gio is a lovely friend of Tristan. He put in a good word when I needed a job and he let me stay in his spare room when Tristan’s mother came to visit, and…’
‘Mmm, sounds like a good friend of yours too. Did you know that when you say his name your eyes sort of light up.’
Sophia gave Anna a friendly slap on the arm. ‘They most certainly do not!’
‘They most certainly do! Ah, here’s the food, I’m starving.’
They sat in one of the bars on the outskirts of town where it was quieter. Sophia unwrapped her cutlery and sprinkled some salt on her chips. ‘Your steak looks bigger than mine.’
‘Apparently, so they say, it’s all down to size.’
‘Anna, that’s terrible.’
‘So, Gio?’
‘So, nothing.’
‘Now tell the truth. I’ve known you too long Sophia Wallace.’
Sophia giggled. ‘He has this sort of way of looking at me that makes me tingle. He once taught me how to hold a pool cue and his body was so close I could feel his breath on my cheek. I danced to Elvis with him. I nearly kissed him when I got off his Harley—’
‘Whoa! Too much information. You’re in love with him.’ Anna’s eyes were wide with shock.
‘I am not. I’m happy with Tristan. I love him.’
‘Whatever you say, but you can’t fool me.’
Sophia sipped her drink. ‘So what about you?’ She put a chip in her mouth and cut off a small piece of steak.’
Anna swallowed her food. ‘The sauce on this steak is wonderful.’ She re-filled her fork. ‘Nothing so exciting. I did it in the cupboard at work with one of the other apprentices because I was fed up with my virginity hanging around.’
Sophia laughed. ‘You’re so funny. Now tell the truth.’
‘That is the truth. You’re not even surprised.’
‘No, because I know even you wouldn’t do that.’
‘I did. Can’t say it was enjoyable with all the dustpans and brooms getting in the way.’
Sophia looked at Anna’s face and the realisation kicked in. She began to laugh, trying to control herself. Her voice was high-pitched. ‘You did! You did it in a cupboard! Why in a cupboard?’
‘We couldn’t do it in the shop, who knows who might have looked in.’ Their eyes met and the rapturous laughter turned to tears.
Sophia’s hat slipped down so all Anna could see was boldly coloured feathers with a mouth. She was pointing at Sophia and trying to tell her, but the words weren’t forthcoming. Sophia lifted her hat to see other people looking across at them and on the other side of the table, Anna creased into a ball on the bench.
The meal took a long time to finish because the girls kept breaking into fits of the giggles. They decided on a walk around the town to sober up before they went back to the apartment.
‘Heels aren’t good when you can’t walk straight,’ Sophia said.
Anna linked her arm through her friend’s. ‘Well, if we fall down now, we go together.’
‘I’ve missed having you in my life every day.’ Sophia’s voice was slightly slurred.
‘Oh my! Now you’re going to get all sentimental on me.’ Anna was close to falling over when Sophia stopped abruptly. ‘What are you doing?’ She followed Sophia’s stare to see Tristan helping a woman into the back of a taxi. He slid in next to her and his arm could be seen wrapped around the woman’s shoulders. Anna turned to face Sophia. ‘It might be nothing.’
‘But it’s not nothing. I know what it is. Taxi!’
‘What are you doing?’
‘Following them.’
‘Oh shit!’ Anna had sobered up quickly. ‘Sophia I think you should…’
A taxi pulled up alongside them and Sophia climbed in. ‘Are you coming? Follow that car, the white taxi at the traffic lights.’ Anna jumped in, slammed the door shut and the driver accelerated away.
‘I’ve waited years for someone to say that,’ the driver said, looking at them in the rear-view mirror.
‘What are you going to do?’ Anna asked.
Sophia blinked and shook her head. ‘I’m not sure, but I need to confirm what we just saw.’
‘I mean long term; we know what we saw.’
‘Don’t mind me, girls. I’ve heard it all before,’ the driver butted in.
‘Dickhead,’ Anna mouthed to Sophia, bringing a nod and a slight curving of her friend’s lips.
The car in front came to a halt outside a hotel. ‘Just pull over here and wait, please,’ Sophia said her eyes transfixed on Tristan and the woman heading into the hotel. ‘Go on. Get out.’ She pushed Anna as she spoke.
As they reached the foyer, the lift doors were closing, but not before Tristan could be seen in a close embrace. Sophia took a deep breath, turned and marched back to the waiting taxi.
Anna tried to catch up. Sophia wasn’t having trouble with her heels now. ‘What will you do now?’
Sophia shook her head and got back in the taxi. She gave the apartment address to the driver.
Anna climbed in next to her and slammed the door. ‘Yes, I think that’s the sensible thing to do. Go home and have a think.’ The journey continued in silence. Anna couldn’t believe how well Sophia was taking this. If it was her she’d be screeching and hollering the hotel down. Sophia had always been the calmer one who could defuse any situation.
Sophia was fuming. She was so angry she couldn’t speak. If she had spoken, would she have turned into a blubbering wreck? She had to stay in control and plan what she should do. Of course, she’d leave him. She’d miss him. There could be no mistaking what she saw and it tore through her wreaking havoc on every emotion in her body. She wanted to cry and scream that it wasn’t fair. She’d found happiness and now that woman had taken it away from her. She closed her eyes for a moment. It wasn’t that woman; it could have been any woman. Tristan had his pick. Gio’s words came flooding back, when are you ever going to stop playing around? At the time, what he said hadn’t been significant, but now the truth hit her hard. She stared out of the window as buildings and people rushed by. She felt sick.
Anna paid the fare while Sophia charged ahead. Anna caught her up. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Hardly. This feels the same as when my father dumped me off at St. Mary’s. What is wrong with me? Why can’t anyone care enough to love me?’ She burst into tears as the lift doors opened into the apartment.
Anna spoke gently. ‘I love you. You are the best friend I ever had and you always will be.’ They hugged for a minute then Sophia composed herself.
‘Right, help me get my stuff together.’ She grabbed a couple of black sacks from the cupboard under the sink and passed them to Anna. ‘All the stuff in your room is mine. Just bag it all up and I’ll sort it later. I don’t want to have to come back here.’
Anna loaded the bags while Sophia gathered her other belongings from around the apartment. ‘Got it all?’
Anna nodded. ‘Yes, I think so.’
Sophia went into the bedroom and had a quick look around. A pang of sadness ran through her. Only a few days ago she’s naively believed he intended to marry her. Idiot! ‘Come on, let’s get out of here.’
As they walked to the lift, the doors opened. ‘Hey, what’s this? What are you doing?’
Sophia stared at him brazenly. ‘I’m leaving you.’
He looked taken aback. ‘What—’
‘Don’t bother saying a word. I saw you with her.’
‘Oh. No, you’ve got it all wrong—’
‘Goodbye, Tristan. Thanks. Come on, Mutley. This way.’
As they waited for the lift doors to close Tristan stared in disbelief and raised his arms in the air. ‘You know I love you.’
Tears pricked her eyes. Don’t let him see you cry. ‘Save it for someone who gives a damn.’ The lift doors closed.
Anna held
up her hand. ‘Give me five!’ Sophia slapped her hand, laughed for a moment, and then burst into tears. Anna hugged her friend. ‘I have to ask. Do we have a plan?’
Sophia laughed amidst the tears. ‘No. No plan. I know a hotel we could stay at and find a woman in a black dress.’
‘You wouldn’t! Oh shit!’
‘No. They aren’t worth it. We’ll book into the hostel for the night. Things will look better in the morning.’
Anna liked her optimism. ‘I could ask if you can stay in my room for a while. It’s only a double bed, but you’re welcome. What’s mine is yours.’
‘Thanks, but I’ll be fine. I have to work and I love my job. I don’t feel ready to leave right now. I’ll have to sneak Mutley into the hostel.’ She fastened Mutley’s lead as the lift came to a halt. They picked up the bags and headed out of the building. Don’t look back. Don’t look up. Would he be able to see her? Maybe the angle was wrong. Maybe he wouldn’t even bother to try.
Another chapter of her life closed. She was getting good at this.
Chapter 13
Mrs Shepherd stroked Mutley, who slept soundly on her lap. ‘Are you going to tell me what’s wrong or do I have to guess?’ Sophia sat on the sofa opposite with tearful eyes.
‘Just some boyfriend trouble. I’ll be fine.’
‘You don’t look fine. Looks like I’ll have to put the kettle on today.’
Sophia smiled. ‘I’m slacking, sorry. I’ll do it.’
‘No, you won’t. You sit there and think about the saying, a problem shared is a problem halved, back in a mo.’
Sophia was thoughtful. Mrs Shepherd had changed from being a client to a friend. She wouldn’t tell her all the details, but she would confide the basics of what was wrong.
Mrs Shepherd wheeled herself back with two mugs of tea on a tray balanced across the armrests. She handed Sophia one of the mugs and waited.
‘I’ve fallen out with my boyfriend and now I’m staying back at the hostel.’
‘Oh, I see. And is it the boyfriend or staying at the hostel you’re upset about?’
