Reunion

by Jane Frances

“Don’t get too excited,” Lisa said as she opened the fridge and scanned it. She was sure there were at least one or two cans of Coke hiding in there somewhere. “It’s Joel.”

  The reproach in Steph’s tone was unmistakable. “You did ring didn’t you?”

  “No.” Lisa poked around. There they were, right behind the head of lettuce. “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

  “You’re the biggest coward I’ve ever met Lisa Smith.” Steph let out a frustrated groan and hit Lisa on the back of the head with a wet dishcloth.

  Toni swirled wine in her glass, watching the rich red fluid curtain down the sides. She was all but ready to call it a day. Friday drinks certainly were a somber affair this evening. So somber that Sue’s half-full champagne flute sat unattended on its coaster, her having left a few minutes prior to “find someone who at least pretends to have a pulse.”

  “Well, here’s to another Friday.” In a last ditch effort to pull Cathy out of her reverie, Toni lifted her glass in a toast.

  “Cheers.” A glass appeared above the back of Cathy’s chair. She had swiveled it to face the window only moments after Sue’s departure. Toni wanted to assume something wildly exciting was happening beyond the plate glass. However, she guessed it was more a continuation of Cathy’s mood.

  It seemed a dark cloud had descended over the office of late, affecting all its inhabitants, with the exception of Sue of course, who rarely seemed to let anything get under her skin. Cathy had been irritable and waspish the last few days, brushing away Toni’s attempts at striking up a conversation that had anything to do with anything other than work. She’d also been putting in longer than normal days—both this morning and the previous saw Toni greeted with e-mail sent in the wee hours. The e-mails were short and to the point, with no salutation at the beginning and just a single C at the bottom to signify the end of communication.

  Cathy’s mood rubbed off on Toni, and she too became irritable and moody. Just that afternoon she snapped at Julie for some minor discrepancy in the work presented for checking. To Toni’s horror, Julie burst into tears.

  Julie snuffled into the tissue Toni offered, and Toni apologized profusely, feeling incredibly guilty for taking out her frustrations on a co-worker. She quickly checked her watch. It was already late afternoon. “Let’s pack this up for the week,” she suggested as Julie blew her nose. “I brought in a good bottle of red today. We can get a head start on the others.”

  Julie managed a feeble smile but shook her head. “If it’s okay, I’ll pass on the offer.”

  Toni nodded and didn’t push the issue. She apologized again and bid Julie a nice weekend. Julie didn’t look at her as she mumbled a good-bye, but Toni felt eyes on her back as she turned and left her office. Some mentor she chided herself as she made her way down the corridor.

  Now, as Toni sat watching the back of Cathy’s chair, she tossed up telling her of the incident. Toni knew she should let Cathy know sooner rather than later—she was the boss after all—even though she was unsure of Cathy’s reaction in her current frame of mind.

  Cathy, having finally turned away from the window, listened quietly as Toni spoke, asked a few questions, and gave what was obviously her closing remark on the matter, “Just be a bit more aware in the future. You know how sensitive she is.”

  Toni blinked. Cathy’s reaction wasn’t as harsh as expected, which of course was good, but it stirred indignation. “Maybe we should all be a bit more aware,” she muttered.

  “Excuse me?” Cathy placed her glass quietly on the desk. “I didn’t quite catch that.”

  Toni half wished she’d held her tongue, but then again she was glad she hadn’t. Steeling her resolve, she defiantly met Cathy’s stony look. “I said—maybe we should all be a bit more aware how we handle things. Julie’s not the only sensitive one around here you know.” Toni didn’t let her eyes waver from Cathy’s face but she held her breath for the return.

  Again, Cathy did not react as expected. Her shoulders slumped and she was the one to break eye contact. There was suddenly some piece of unseen dirt under one of her fingernails that she seemed intent on extracting. “Point taken Toni. I know I’ve been in a mood lately. I’ve taken it out on everyone and I’m sorry.”

  Cathy looked so miserable, Toni’s ire dissolved immediately. However, now that an opening had finally been offered, Toni wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip away. “What exactly is wrong Cathy?” she asked gently. “You really aren’t yourself lately.”

  Toni could almost see the walls come up. Cathy stopped her finger fidgeting and straightened from the slumped posture she had assumed. “Nothing’s wrong.” She shrugged. “Maybe I’m just extra pre-menstrual or something.”

  “Hey,” she continued as Toni sat in frustrated silence. “Have you heard of the film The Good Girl showing down at the Luna? It’s supposed to be good, and funny too. I sure could do with a good laugh. How about it?”

  Again Toni sat in silence. At that moment Cathy seemed the most infuriating person she had ever come across, but before she knew it she heard herself agreeing to the offer.

  Toni knew she hadn’t just agreed to watch a movie, but to an hour and a half—maybe more—of sitting in the near dark in close proximity to the woman who was driving her to distraction. Hell, why not go for broke and draw out the frustration as long as possible, especially since the cinema was smack in the middle of Leederville’s café and restaurant strip? “Let’s make a night of it, grab something to eat and catch the late show.”

  “I’ll just be a minute, okay?” Toni dropped her keys on the hall table and galloped into the bedroom.

  “No need to rush,” Cathy called as the bedroom door slammed. “We’ve got plenty of time.” She checked her watch and lied, “Ten minutes in fact.”

  They actually had at least fifteen minutes if they wanted to get to the theatre for the start of the session, closer to twenty-five if they missed the ads and new movie previews. But if Toni thought they only had ten minutes she may well be ready in twenty.

  Cathy smiled at the expected curse that came from the bedroom. Toni was no doubt cursing her own embarrassment as opposed to the press for time, the unscheduled stop at home being so she could don a new outfit. She could be such a klutz sometimes. Dinner came to an abrupt halt halfway through the main course and halfway through another of Toni’s tales. As usual, she’d been illustrating her story with expansive hand movements. One such demonstrative sweep brought her glass of wine straight into her lap, spilling the contents over both her blouse and her slacks. Cab-sav, too. The outfit was ruined.

  Cathy had offered to feed Virgil while Toni made herself presentable. Virgil seemed to sense Cathy was the chef this evening, weaving in and out of her legs from the moment she walked through the front door. Cathy stepped into the kitchen and Virgil was at her food bowl, meowing expectantly.

  “Yum, yum. Pilchards in aspic jelly.” Cathy screwed up her nose as she forked a serving of the freshly opened tin into the ceramic dish. She popped a plastic can lid over the remains and placed it in the fridge.

  Virgil’s affections were obviously a display of cupboard love. She completely ignored Cathy from the moment the food hit the bowl. Cathy left her to her noisy munching, wandered from the kitchen to the sitting room, and did a quick check of the window from which Virgil had made her escape. True to Toni’s word, the fly wire had been replaced and the window now kept securely closed. No more late night wanderings for this little feline.

  Cathy was under no such restrictions. She glanced to the back door, thought better of it and took a step away. A moment later she had reconsidered and the key to the deadlock was in her hand.

  Once outside she breathed in the night air. The night was cool but not cold. Very soon they would experience the annual “cool change” where the nighttime temperature suddenly seemed to plummet.

  Indeed, a number of the neighbors were making the most of the weather before being forced indoors for the winter. The smell of barbeque sausag
es drifted from the yard immediately to the left and voices rose and fell from all directions. Cathy tuned into the individual voices, discarding them if they came from the wrong direction, or did not match what she was looking for. She was not really expecting to find the voice she was hoping to hear, and she didn’t know what she would do if she did hear it, but suddenly, there it was. Another female voice took over when Lisa’s trailed off, followed by the rising strains of joint laughter. Cathy listened more intently, but from her distance could not make out what was being said.

  A quick time check revealed only five minutes had passed. Toni was probably still peering into her wardrobe. Before the ethics of her actions could be debated, Cathy was across the yard, up the back steps and plucking the gate key from the hook just inside the door. Careful not to let the back door lock behind her and praying the gate didn’t squeak as she pushed it open, Cathy found herself in the laneway.

  Congratulations Cathy. She was quite disgusted with herself as she carefully picked her way across the cobbles. You have officially sunk to new depths. Eavesdropping on the neighbors—really.

  After their afternoon indoors, Lisa suggested that she and Steph sit outside while Joel spruced himself up for his date. The grass was quite dewy, so they settled in the chairs surrounding the large patio table. Conversation rolled from topic to topic. What was the plan for Lisa’s upcoming birthday? Should they go as a non-couple to Dee and Rebecca’s fourth anniversary party the following evening? Why do petrol prices always shoot up the morning after you couldn’t be bothered filling up the tank the day before? Eventually, Steph steered the talk back to Cathy. She wanted to see for herself where Cathy “dropped in.”

  “Come on then.” Lisa hauled Steph to her feet. They walked arm in arm, Lisa pointing out where her beloved amphora had been placed before it came to grief, and Steph making the appropriate sympathetic noises. They descended into companionable silence as they neared the rear of her garden.

  Steph peered at the twiggy stump that had been a lavender bush. “This is where she fell?”

  “Yep.” Reading the ouch in Steph’s voice, Lisa added, “It didn’t look like that at the time though. I had to prune it right back because most of the stems were crushed. It would have given a much softer landing before I attacked it. Although,” she admitted, “I bet it still hurt like hell.”

  Steph giggled. “I’ve heard of falling for someone Lisa, but this is ridiculous.”

  “Ha ha.” Obviously this incident would provide Lisa’s friends with fodder for months to come. “You can’t say anything I haven’t already heard from Joel.”

  “Don’t worry. He’ll forget about it soon enough and move onto something else.” Steph turned to face Lisa in the poor light, and said, “Have you told him what you told me about her this afternoon?”

  Knowing Steph was referring to Lisa’s I can’t stop thinking about Cathy revelation, she shook her head vehemently, “Can you imagine what he’d be like when we go to do the job? He wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut. Anyhow,” Lisa folded her arms and said firmly, “If I’ve told him once, I’ve told him a thousand times, I’m through with women.”

  Whatever Steph was going to say in reply was lost as Joel called loudly from the back door, “Hey Leese, where are you?” But the skyward roll of her eyes indicated she thought Lisa was full of it.

  “We’re down here,” Lisa called back. “What do you want?”

  “I can’t find my mobile. Do you know where it is?”

  Joel had changed in the spare bedroom. “Try the bedside table.”

  “I’ve already looked there.”

  “Stop yelling,” Lisa yelled. “We’re coming.” She grabbed Steph by the arm and tugged her back toward the house. “Come on. Let’s find the caveman his talking stick.”

  “I bet it is on the bedside table.”

  “Yeah,” Lisa agreed. What was it with men that made them unable to see what was right in front of their face? “Me, too.”

  “How do I look?” Joel did a slow twirl in the middle of the kitchen.

  Lisa’s suspicions that Joel really liked Scott were confirmed. Joel looked resplendent in new black dress trousers and a black long-sleeved shirt. His black leather shoes were so highly polished they sparkled.

  Lisa gave a low whistle. “Joel, you’ll knock his socks off. You look great.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.” Lisa adjusted his collar and pointed him in the direction of the front door, “Go on Romeo. Better get your skates on if you don’t want to be late.”

  She turned to Steph as the front door closed, “So, now big boy’s gone, what are two good-looking gals supposed to do to amuse themselves on a Friday night?”

  “It’s getting late.” Steph checked her watch. “What’s to do?”

  Lisa shrugged, out of inspiration. “We could always see if there’s a decent movie on the telly.”

  A quick scan of the television guide revealed nothing of note. “Looks like they program around people who actually have a life.”

  “Well, you might have had a life if you’d picked up the bloody phone.”

  Lisa chose to ignore Steph’s dig, snapping her fingers as an idea struck. “Hey, let’s go see a movie. There’s a new Jennifer Aniston film showing in Leederville. I can’t think of the name—” Lisa grabbed the newspaper off the coffee table and thumbed through the pages. “Here we go,” She stabbed a finger at the cinema schedule, “The Good Girl.”

  “I read a review about that one. It’s supposed to be good.” Steph stretched to study the screening times. “We’ll have to leave right now though. Or we’ll miss the start.”

  “Give me one minute to throw on something half decent.” Lisa leapt off the couch and was in the hallway before Steph made it from her seat. She grabbed Steph’s keys from the hall stand and tossed them. “I’ll be out before you even get the engine warmed up.”

  Toni fussed with a stray strand of hair as she brushed her teeth. After an extended gargle she studied her reflection in the mirror of her ensuite bathroom. Hair was in place, teeth were clean, deodorant and perfume reapplied. All she had to do now was get into the clothes she’d selected and she’d be ready.

  “Shit.” A glance to the clock on the bedside table revealed she had already used more than her allotted ten minutes. Most of that had been used to select her outfit.

  “I’ll be one more minute okay?” she called through the bedroom door, shrugging into the long-sleeved cotton shirt she’d laid out on the bed before retreating to the bathroom. She got no answer. Toni dismissed it, thinking Cathy had probably just taken a trip to the toilet. But, as she slipped a belt through the loops of her black slacks, it occurred to her how strange it was that Cathy hadn’t already been banging on her door, telling her to hurry up. Cathy hated to be late.

  I hope she hasn’t descended into a mood again. Toni thought to herself as she tugged on ankle-high boots and reached for her suede jacket. After all, she’d worked so hard to lift Cathy’s spirits. She’d been successful. Cathy had become more animated as their dinner progressed. She’d even laughed out loud when Toni came to grief with her glass of wine. Toni hadn’t thought it particularly funny as she’d only bought her outfit the week before. The only consolation was that the most expensive part of her ensemble, the jacket, had been slung across the back of her chair so it avoided being hit by the spillage. Actually, that wasn’t the only consolation. Cathy suggested soda water may help and called for a glass and a cloth. The subsequent dabbing had been ineffectual as far as the red wine was concerned, but Toni found Cathy’s ministrations to her clothes highly effective in removing all traces of ire at her out of pocket loss. Hell, had Toni known Cathy would do the dabbing she would have tipped the bottle of wine over herself before they’d even ordered the entrées.

  Toni blew into her hand and inhaled. Still minty fresh. Very important, especially if she was required to lean over and whisper something witty in Cathy’s ear during the movie. She tug
ged open the bedroom door and called, “Okay, I’m ready.”

  She was speaking to thin air.

  “Where’s she gone Virg?” Toni asked of her feline friend, who she found on the kitchen table, attending to her post-dinner wash. Toni lifted the protesting Virgil from the table, admonishing her gently, “You know you’re not supposed to be up here.”

  “I’m out here.”

  Toni turned to the source of Cathy’s voice, frowning as she discovered the sitting room also empty. Then she noticed the back door was open, just a fraction.

  “You’ll get piles sitting out here,” she said lightly as she joined Cathy at the bottom of the concrete steps. One glance at the hangdog expression told Toni it was as feared—Cathy had turned moody again. So she tread carefully, and said, “We’re already running a little behind. Shall we get going?”

  There was no snipe at Toni’s protracted preparations, no lecture on time management. Instead, Cathy stood from the step, glanced at her watch, mumbled something about not realizing the time and headed inside.

  Toni gave Virgil a quick cuddle then trotted to meet Cathy at the front door, snatching her keys from the hall stand as she passed. She got the sinking feeling Cathy was going to cancel on her, but again she was mistaken.

  Cathy dangled the car keys. “Do you want to drive? I don’t feel like it.”

  Never one to miss an opportunity to get behind the wheel of Cathy’s BMW, Toni accepted the keys. A grin spread as she shut the front door behind her. The evening was now extended, the one-car deal meaning Cathy would have to drop her back home instead of leaving straight from the cinema. That left plenty of time for Toni to work her magic and cheer Cathy up again.

  Despite the faulty start, it was going to be a good night. Toni was sure of it.

  The appearance of an elongated shaft of light took Lisa’s attention away from the screen. It was a signal the door to the cinema had been opened.

  “Oh, for God’s sake,” she muttered as another light, that of an usher’s torch, added to the distraction. It was already a good five minutes into the movie. Why couldn’t people organize themselves better and be on time? By Lisa’s way of thinking, walking in late to a movie was as serious a sin as leaving your mobile on and having it ring. First there would be the clumping as the latecomers picked their way down the aisle, followed by the shuffle and loudly whispered “sorry, excuse me, sorry” as they squeezed past other moviegoers to get to their seats. Just as well there were no vacant seats in the near back row she and Steph had chosen, she’d have happily poured her popcorn over them. Lisa turned to glower in the direction of the aisle, hoping the latecomers picked up on her none too pleased vibes.