sat in, holding his hand whilst she laid her head on his shoulder and asked him to love her forever.
Even the voice in his head was confused and had decided to shut the fuck up.
In the intervening years since he last saw Lucinda Harris, Page had finally managed to get some sense of normality into his life, but even so, she had been unfinished business as far as he was concerned. He glanced at the space where she once stood then returned his gaze to his CD player… the voice on the meditation track was saying “ you should now be feeling entirely calm”
“What the fuck would you know?” said Page and switched it off.
He was jolted from his daze by the arrival of his children. As he got out to greet them he tried to compose himself as best he could whilst hugging them and ruffling their hair. Once he had gathered them into the car, they put on their headphones and left him to drive home in silence. Page’s mind was still full of what had just happened and he remembered eight years earlier. He had such vivid memories that it was like pressing play on a movie and sitting back to watch the show…
#
Lucinda Harris was a lawyer. They first met when she was part of a delegation for a meeting with his Government Minister boss. Page remembered that he simply could not take his eyes off her recalling even the tiniest detail, like her blouse lifting an inch as she reached over for coffee revealing just the barest glimpse of her back. As the meeting progressed Page was supposed to be intervening with prompts and questions in support of his boss but he found himself instead just watching her whilst trying hard not to be noticed. She was intelligent and beautiful and he thought her so far out of his league he was happy just to be in the same room as her. Occasionally though, she caught his eye and there was something in the way she looked at him that made him curious.
Page himself had recently separated from his wife. He was newly single with a high profile job and now found himself with a seemingly never ending circle of women around him. He had led a relatively sheltered life up until this point but he was now enjoying the company of others and he was not in the least bit shy in accepting the attention which came his way.
Although he hated the notion of one night stands, that hadn’t stopped him indulging, and each morning after, the voice in his head appeared and whispered to him how pathetic he was for his lack of self-respect. The truth, though, was that Page simply enjoyed the company of women and for whatever reason they seemed to find him easy to talk to. There was no difference between the married ones or the single ones and more often than not it was them making all the running, and he was quite happy to let them. Having grown up in a relatively conservative home in Northern Ireland and now having a flat in London, it was as though he was experiencing life for the first time. Yes he would make mistakes, but… “So long as no one was getting hurt.” He answered the voice and carried on regardless.
Page worked hard, putting in long hours every day writing speeches and briefing notes for his boss. He specialised in Northern Irish politics, enough to make anyone need an escape valve or two. So after a long day in the office, he liked nothing better than to join his friends at a little Portuguese restaurant on the Albert Embankment called Piccolo where the food was good and the wine flowed freely. Depending on energy levels, a trip up to the clubs of Soho would usually finish the night off. Page would smile wryly when his friends pointed out various women in bars and clubs and said to him “she’s not your type, she’s single” and more often than not, they were not wrong and before too long Page was cornered by yet another woman telling him he had lovely eyes and was so easy to talk to.
But all of that seemed a world away now that he was in Belfast sitting in front of Lucinda Harris, high-flying lawyer and
Even the voice in his head was confused and had decided to shut the fuck up.
In the intervening years since he last saw Lucinda Harris, Page had finally managed to get some sense of normality into his life, but even so, she had been unfinished business as far as he was concerned. He glanced at the space where she once stood then returned his gaze to his CD player… the voice on the meditation track was saying “ you should now be feeling entirely calm”
“What the fuck would you know?” said Page and switched it off.
He was jolted from his daze by the arrival of his children. As he got out to greet them he tried to compose himself as best he could whilst hugging them and ruffling their hair. Once he had gathered them into the car, they put on their headphones and left him to drive home in silence. Page’s mind was still full of what had just happened and he remembered eight years earlier. He had such vivid memories that it was like pressing play on a movie and sitting back to watch the show…
#
Lucinda Harris was a lawyer. They first met when she was part of a delegation for a meeting with his Government Minister boss. Page remembered that he simply could not take his eyes off her recalling even the tiniest detail, like her blouse lifting an inch as she reached over for coffee revealing just the barest glimpse of her back. As the meeting progressed Page was supposed to be intervening with prompts and questions in support of his boss but he found himself instead just watching her whilst trying hard not to be noticed. She was intelligent and beautiful and he thought her so far out of his league he was happy just to be in the same room as her. Occasionally though, she caught his eye and there was something in the way she looked at him that made him curious.
Page himself had recently separated from his wife. He was newly single with a high profile job and now found himself with a seemingly never ending circle of women around him. He had led a relatively sheltered life up until this point but he was now enjoying the company of others and he was not in the least bit shy in accepting the attention which came his way.
Although he hated the notion of one night stands, that hadn’t stopped him indulging, and each morning after, the voice in his head appeared and whispered to him how pathetic he was for his lack of self-respect. The truth, though, was that Page simply enjoyed the company of women and for whatever reason they seemed to find him easy to talk to. There was no difference between the married ones or the single ones and more often than not it was them making all the running, and he was quite happy to let them. Having grown up in a relatively conservative home in Northern Ireland and now having a flat in London, it was as though he was experiencing life for the first time. Yes he would make mistakes, but… “So long as no one was getting hurt.” He answered the voice and carried on regardless.
Page worked hard, putting in long hours every day writing speeches and briefing notes for his boss. He specialised in Northern Irish politics, enough to make anyone need an escape valve or two. So after a long day in the office, he liked nothing better than to join his friends at a little Portuguese restaurant on the Albert Embankment called Piccolo where the food was good and the wine flowed freely. Depending on energy levels, a trip up to the clubs of Soho would usually finish the night off. Page would smile wryly when his friends pointed out various women in bars and clubs and said to him “she’s not your type, she’s single” and more often than not, they were not wrong and before too long Page was cornered by yet another woman telling him he had lovely eyes and was so easy to talk to.
But all of that seemed a world away now that he was in Belfast sitting in front of Lucinda Harris, high-flying lawyer and
Similar Books
