The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic

by Sophie Kinsella

  'Thanks,' says Anne's crackly voice. 'Thanks a lot, Rebecca.'

  'Well, I hope that helps you, Anne,' says Emma, and smiles at the camera. 'Now we're going to Davina for the news and weather – but then, since so many of you are ringing in, we'll be coming back to this phone-in on "Managing your Money".'

  'Lots of people with money problems out there,' chimes in Rory.

  'Absolutely,' "says Emma. 'And we want to help. So whatever your query, however big or small, please call in for Rebecca Bloomwood's advice, on 0333 4567.'

  She freezes for a moment, smiling at the camera, then relaxes back in her chair as the light goes off. 'Well, this is going very well!' she says brightly, as a make-up girl hurries up and touches up her face with powder. 'Isn't it, Zelda?'

  'Fantastic!' says-Zelda, appearing from out of the gloom. 'The lines haven't been this busy since we did "I'd like to meet a Spice Girl".' She looks curiously at me. 'Have you ever done a course in television presenting, Rebecca?'

  'No,' I say honestly. 'I haven't. But… I've watched a lot of telly.'

  Zelda roars with laughter.

  'Good answer! OK, folks, we're back in thirty.'

  Emma smiles at me and consults the piece of paper in front of her, and Rory leans back and examines his nails. They're treating me like a fellow professional, I think joyfully. They're treating me like one of them.

  I've never felt so completely and utterly happy. Never. Not even that time I found a Vivienne Westwood bustier for ?60 in the Harvey Nichols sale. (I wonder where that is, actually. I must get round to wearing it some time.) This beats everything. Life is perfect.

  I lean back, full of contentment and am idly looking around the studio when an oddly familiar figure catches my eye. I peer harder, and my skin starts to prickle in horror. There's a man standing in the gloom of the studio – and honestly, I must be hallucinating or something, because he looks exactly like-

  'And… welcome back,' says Rory and my attention snaps back to the set. 'This morning's phone-in is on financial problems, big and small. Our guest expert is Rebecca Bloomwood and our next caller is Fran from Shrewsbury. Fran?'

  'Yes,' says Fran. 'Hi. Hi, Rebecca.'

  'Hi there, Fran,' I say, smiling warmly. 'And what seems to be the trouble?'

  'I'm in a mess,' says Fran. 'I… I don't know what to do.'

  'Are you in debt, Fran?' says Emma gently.

  'Yes,' says Fran, and gives a shaky sigh. 'I'm overdrawn, I owe money on all my credit cards, I've borrowed money off my sister…, and I just can't stop spending. I just… love buying things.'

  'What sort of things?' says Rory interestedly.

  'I don't know, really,' says Fran after a pause. 'Clothes for me, clothes for the kids, things for the house, just rubbish, really. Then the bills arrive… and I throw them away.'

  Emma gives me a significant look, and I raise my eyebrows back.

  'Rebecca?' she says. 'Fran's obviously in a bit of a spot. What should she be doing?'

  'Well, Fran,' I say kindly. 'The first thing you've got to do is be brave, and confront your problem. Contact the bank and tell them you're having trouble managing. They're not monsters! They want to help.' I turn directly to the camera and look earnestly into the lens. 'Running away won't solve anything, Fran. The longer you leave it, the worse it'll get.'

  'I know,' comes Fran's wobbly voice. 'I know you're right. But it's not easy.'

  'I know' I say sympathetically. I know it's not. Just hang in there, Fran.'

  'Rebecca,' says Emma. 'Would you say this a common problem?'

  'I'm afraid it is,' I reply, turning back to her. 'Sadly, a lot of people out there simply don't put financial security first.'

  'Oh dear,' says Emma, shaking her head sorrowfully.

  'That's not good.'

  'But it's never too late,' I continue. 'As soon as they turn that corner, and wake up to their responsibilities, their lives are transformed.'

  I make a confident sweeping gesture with my arm, and as I do so, my gaze takes in the whole studio. And … Oh my God it's him.

  I'm not hallucinating.

  It's really him. Standing at the corner of the set, wearing a security badge and sipping something in a polystyrene cup as though he belongs here. Derek Smeath is standing here in the Morning Coffee studios, ten yards away fromme.

  Derek Smeath of Endwich Bank.

  But it… it can't be.

  But it is. It's Derek Smeath. I don't understand.

  What's he doing here?

  Oh God, and now he's staring straight at me.

  My heart begins to pound, and I swallow hard, trying to keep control of myself.

  'Rebecca?' Emma says, and I force myself to turn my attention back to the show. I can't even remember what we're talking about. 'So you think Fran should go and see her bank manager?'

  'I… ahm…, that's right,' I say, my cheeks suddenly burning red.

  What am I going to do? He's staring right at me. I can't escape.

  'So,' says Emma. 'You think that once Fran faces up to reality, she'll be able to get her life in order.'

  'That's right,' I say like an automaton, and force myself to smile brightly at Emma. But underneath, my confident happiness is evaporating. Derek Smeath is here. I can't block him out of my vision; I can't forget about him.

  And now all the parts of my life I'd so carefully buried at the back of my mind are starting to worm their way out again. I don't want to remember any of them – but I've got no choice. Here they come, wriggling into my mind, one piece of horrible reality after another.

  'Well,' says Rory. 'Let's all hope Fran takes Rebecca's very good advice.'

  My row with Suze. My disastrous date with Tarquin. A nasty cold feeling starts trickling down my spine.

  'Now our next caller,' says Emma, 'is John from Luton. John?'

  'Hi, Rebecca,' 'comes a voice down the line. 'Thing is, I was given an insurance policy when I was a child, but I've lost all the papers. And now I'd like to get hold of the dosh, know what I mean?'

  My VISA card, cancelled. My Octagon card, confiscated in front of that whole crowd. God, that was humiliating.

  OK, stop it. Concentrate. Concentrate.

  'This is actually quite a common problem,' I hear myself saying. 'Do you remember which company the policy was with?'

  'No,' says John. 'Not a clue.'

  My bank account. Thousands of pounds of debt.

  Derek Smeath.

  Oh God. I feel sick. I want to run and hide somewhere.

  'Well, you still should be able to trace it,' I continue, forcing myself to keep smiling. 'You could start with an agency which specializes in this sort of thing. I can check this for you, but I think their name is…'

  My whole terrible, disorganized life. It's all there, isn't it? Waiting for me, like a great big spider. Just waiting to pounce, as soon as this phone-in ends.

  'We're out of time, I'm afraid,' says Emma, as I come to an end. 'Many thanks to our financial expert, Rebecca Bloomwood, and I'm sure we'll all be heeding her wise words. Coming up after the break, the results of our makeover in Newcastle and Heaven Sent 7, live in the studio.'

  There's a frozen pause – then everyone relaxes.

  'Right,' says Emma, consulting her piece of paper. 'Where are we next?'

  'Good work, Rebecca,' says Rory cheerfully. 'Excellent stuff.'

  'Oh Zelda!' says Emma, leaping up. 'Could I have a quick word? That was fab, Rebecca,' she adds. 'Really fab.'

  Suddenly they're both gone. And I'm left alone on the set, exposed and vulnerable, desperately avoiding Derek Smeath's eye and thinking as quickly as I can. Maybe I could slip out at the back.

  Or maybe I could stick it out here on the sofa. Just sit here until he gets bored and leaves. I mean, he won't dare to come onto the actual set, will he?

  Maybe I could pretend to be someone else. God, yes. I mean, with all this makeup on, I practically look like someone else, anyway.

  Anyway – it sudden
ly occurs to me.– who’s to say he's even noticed me? He's probably here for some completely other reason. He's probably going to appear on the show or something. Exactly. Nothing to do with me. So I'll just get up and walk briskly past, and it'll all be fine.

  'Excuse me, love,' says a man in jeans, coming onto the set. 'I need to shift this sofa along.'

  'Oh, right,' I say, leaping up. As I do, I mistakenly catch the eye of Derek Smeath again. He's still looking right at me. He's waiting for me.

  Oh God.

  OK, it'll be fine – just keep walking. Just keep walking and pretend you don't recognize him.

  Deliberately avoiding his gaze, I stand up, take a deep breath and walk briskly across the set. My pace doesn't falter; my expression doesn't waver. My eyes are fixed firmly on the double doors, and I'm doing well. Just a few more steps now. Just a few more…

  'Miss Bloomwood.' His voice hits the back of my head like a bullet and for an instant I consider ignoring it. Possibly even diving for the doors. But Zelda and Emma are standing nearby. They'll have heard him calling my name. I can't get out of it.

  So I turn round, and give what I think is a very convincing double-take, as though recognizing him for the first time.

  'Oh, hello, it's you!' I say brightly. 'What a surprise. How are you?'

  A technician gestures to us to keep our voices down, and Derek Smeath firmly ushers me out of the studio, into a foyer area. He turns to me and I give him a confident smile. Perhaps we can keep it all at a social level.

  'Miss Bloomwood-'

  'Lovely weather we're having,' I say. 'Don't you think?'

  'Miss Bloomwood, our meeting,' says Derek Smeath tightly.

  Oh God. I was hoping he might have forgotten about that.

  'Our meeting,' I echo thoughtfully. 'Erm…' Then I have a sudden inspiration. 'That's right. It's tomorrow, isn't it? I'm really looking forward to it.'

  Derek Smeath looks as though he's going to explode.

  'It is not tomorrow! It was on Monday morning. And you failed to turn up!'

  'Oh,' I say. 'Oh, that meeting. Yes, sorry about that. I meant to come, honestly. It's just… It's just that…'

  But I can't think of a single good excuse. I've used them all up. So I tail off feebly, and bite my lip, feeling like a naughty child.

  'Miss Bloomwood,' says Derek Smeath wearily. 'Miss Bloomwood…' He rubs his face with his hand, then looks up. 'Do you know quite how long I have been writing letters to you? Do you know how long I've been trying to get you into the bank for a meeting?'

  'Ahm… I'm not quite-'

  'Six months,' says Derek Smeath, and pauses. 'Six long months of excuses and prevarication. Now, I'd just like you to think about what that means for me. It means endless letters. Numerous phone calls. Hours of time and effort on my part and that of my assistant, Erica. Resources which, quite frankly, could be better spent elsewhere.' He gestures sharply with his polystyrene cup and some coffee slops out of the side onto the floor. 'Then finally I pin you down to a cast-iron appointment. Finally I think you're taking your situation seriously. And you don't turn up. You disappear completely. I telephone your home to find out where you are – and get accused most unpleasantly of being some kind of stalker!'

  'Oh yes,' I say, and pull an apologetic face. 'Sorry about that. It's just my dad, you know. He's a bit weird.'

  'I'd all but given up on you,' says Derek Smeath, his voice rising. 'I'd all but given up. And then I'm passing a television shop this morning – and what should I see, on six different screens, but the missing, vanished Rebecca Bloomwood, advising the nation… And what are you advising them on?' He begins to shake with laughter. (At least, I think it's laughter,) 'Finance! You are advising the British public… on finance!'

  I stare at him crossly. It's not that funny.

  'Look, I'm very sorry I couldn't make the last meeting,' I say, trying to sound businesslike. 'Things were a bit difficult for me at that time. But if we could reschedule…'

  'Reschedule!' cries Derek Smeath, as though I've just cracked a hysterical joke. 'Reschedule!'

  I gaze at him indignantly. He's not taking me seriously at all, is he? He's not even listening to what I'm saying. I'm telling him I want to come in for a meeting – I actually want to – and he's just treating me like a joke. He's treating me like some sort of comedy act.

  And no wonder, interrupts a tiny voice inside me. Look at the way you've behaved. Look at the way you've treated him. Frankly it's a wonder he's being civil to you at all.

  I look up at his face, still crinkled in laughter… and feel rather chastened.

  Because the truth is, he could have been a lot nastier to me than he has been. He could have taken my card away a long time ago. Or sent the bailiffs round. Or had me blacklisted. He's actually been very nice to me, one way or another.

  'Listen,' I say quickly. 'Please. Give me another chance. I really want to sort my finances out. I want to repay my overdraft. But I need you to help me. I'm…' I swallow. 'I'm asking you to help me, Mr Smeath.'

  There's a long pause. Derek Smeath looks around for a place to put his coffee cup, takes a white handkerchief out of his pocket and rubs his brow with it. Then he puts it away and gives me a long look.

  'You're serious,' he says at last.

  'Yes.'

  'You'll really make an effort?'

  'Yes. And…' I bite my lip. 'And I'm very grateful for all the allowances you've made for me. I really am.'

  Suddenly I feel almost tearful. I want to be good… I want to get my life in order. I want him to tell me what to do.

  All right,' says Derek Smeath at last. 'Let's see what we can sort out. You come into the office tomorrow, 9.30 sharp and we'll have a little chat.'

  'Thanks,' I say, my whole body subsiding in relief. 'Thank you so much. I'll be there. I promise.'

  'You'd better be,' he says. 'No more excuses.' Then a faint smile passes over his features. 'By the way,' he adds, gesturing to the set. 'I thought you did very well up there. Spot on with all your advice.'

  'Oh,' I say in surprise. 'Well… thanks. That's really…' I clear my throat. 'How did you get into the studio, anyway? I thought they had quite tight security.'

  'They do,' replies Derek Smeath. 'But my daughter works in television.' He smiles fondly. 'She used to work on this very show.'

  'Really?' I say incredulously.

  God, how amazing. Derek Smeath has got a daughter. He's probably got a whole family, come to that. A wife, and everything. Who would have thought it?

  'I'd better go,' he says, and drains his polystyrene cup. 'This was a bit of an unscheduled detour.' He gives me a severe look. 'And I'll see you tomorrow.'

  'I'll be there,' I say quickly, as he walks off towards the exit. 'And… and thanks. Thanks a lot.'

  As he disappears, I sink down onto a nearby chair. I can't quite believe I've just had a pleasant, civilized conversation with Derek Smeath. With Derek Smeath! And he seems quite a sweetheart. He's been so nice and kind to me, and his daughter works in television … I mean, who knows, maybe I'll get to know her, too. Maybe I'll become friends with the whole family. Wouldn't that be great? I'll start going to dinner at their house, and his wife will give me a warm hug when I arrive, and I'll help her with the salad and stuff…

  'Rebecca!' comes a voice from behind me, and I turn round to see Zelda approaching, still clutching her clipboard.

  'Hi,' I say happily. 'How's it going?'

  ''Great,' she says, and pulls up a chair. 'Now, I want to have a little talk.'

  'Oh,' I say. 'OK. What about?'

  'We thought you did tremendously well today,' says Zelda, crossing one jeaned leg over the other. 'Tremendously well. I've spoken to Emma and Rory and our senior producer' – she pauses for effect – 'and they'd all like to see you back on the show.'

  I stare at her in disbelief.

  'You mean…'

  'Not every week,' says Zelda. 'But fairly regularly. We thought maybe three times a month. Do
you think your work would allow you to do that?'

  'I… I don't know,' I say dazedly. 'I expect it would.'

  'Excellent!' says Zelda. 'We could probably plug your magazine as well, keep them happy.' She scribbles something on a piece of paper and looks up. 'Now, you don't have an agent, do you? So I'll have to talk money directly with you.' She pauses, and looks down at her clipboard. 'What we're offering, per slot, is…'

  Twenty Three

  I put my key in the lock and slowly open the door of the flat. It feels like about a million years since I was here last, and I feel like a completely different person. I've grown up. Or changed. Or something.

  'Hi,' I say cautiously into the silence, and drop my bag onto the floor. 'Is anyone-'

  'Bex!' gasps Suze, appearing at the door of the sitting room. She's wearing tight black leggings and holding a half-made denim photograph frame in one hand. 'Oh my God! Where've you been? What have you been doing? I saw you on Morning Coffee and I couldn't believe my eyes! I tried to phone in and speak to you, but they said I "had to have a financial problem. So I said, OK, how should I invest half a million? but they said that wasn't really-' She breaks off. 'Bex, where have you been? What happened?'

  I don't reply straight away. I'm gazing at the pile of letters addressed to me on the table. White, official looking envelopes, brown window envelopes, envelopes marked menacingly, 'Final Reminder'. The scariest pile of letters you've ever seen.

  Except somehow…, they don't seem quite so scary any more.

  'I was at my parents' house,' I say, looking up. 'And then I was on television.'

  'But I phoned your parents! They said they didn't know where you were!'

  'I know,' I say, flushing slightly. 'They were…, protecting me from a stalker.' I look up, to see Suze staring at me in utter incomprehension. Which I suppose is fair enough. 'Anyway,' I add defensively, 'I left you a message on the machine, saying not to worry, I was fine. '

  'I know,' wails Suze, 'but that's what they always do in films. And it means the baddies have got you and you've got a gun jammed against your head. Honestly, I thought you were dead! I thought you were, like, cut up into a million pieces somewhere.'