say to Terri. “Fuck them, then.”
“I believe that’s being done at the moment,” she says.
The line goes dead and I put the receiver down. I look at the girl who is staring back at me with the same kind of expression she was wearing before she went into the ladies’ room. Only this time it’s a little better made up.
“Got a cigarette?” I say to her.
She keeps the look going for a few moments more then she dumps my coat down on the desk and fishes in her bag and takes out her packet of cigarettes. She takes one out and puts it in her mouth then offers me the packet and lights herself up.
After I’ve lit myself up, I hand her back the packet and I say, “Nice coat you’ve got there. Suits you.”
She blows out her smoke and she says, “Coat fetishist, are you?”
“No, I’m a funny one. I like women. But promise you’ll keep it to yourself.”
“I can’t imagine a situation where I’m likely to want
anyone to know I know anything about you.”
“Oh, I don’t know. When you go home to Grimsby for Christmas you might want to give your younger brother nightmares.”
That throws her a little bit. “So you’re good on accents.”
“Better than you are. That elocution’s lousy.”
Now she’s got more colour in her face than she’s had all evening.
“You think you’re really something, don’t you?” she says. “You really think you’re something special.”
“And what do you think?”
She tightens up her mouth and doesn’t answer.
“But you’d still accept a lift with me, wouldn’t you?” I say.
She still doesn’t say anything so I pick up my coat and put it on and begin to walk towards the door. She can follow me or she can stay there all night or she can wait until I’ve left the premises depending on which bunch of thoughts she’s having at the moment. I pause at the door and hold it open for her. She’s still standing by the desk, watching me. Then suddenly she stubs out her cigarette and walks towards me. After she’s passed me by I let the door swing to and I begin to walk down the steps. She’s standing at the bottom of the steps looking down the street as if she’s expecting a Silver Shadow to ghost up to the curbside and transport her off in the manner to which she thinks she ought to be accustomed. I take no notice of her and turn left and walk down the pavement to where I’ve left Con’s Scimitar. I unlock the door and get in and start the engine. She doesn’t appear at the curb so I look in the driving mirror and see that she’s still standing at the bottom of the steps, pretending I’m going back to collect her. I stay there idling the engine and she has another choice to make. Eventually she swishes herself round and starts walking to the car. It occurs to me that she’d make a lousy poker player but on the other hand I’d hate to think she was all bluff. She stands by the car waiting for the door to be opened and I think, Why not, let her win one for a change, and lean over and flip the handle and push. She gets in and slams the door and I pull away from the curb.
We drive in silence for a minute or two and then I say, “Where am I taking you to?”
She lights another cigarette and says, “I thought we’d be going to your place. Home ground and all that kind of thing.”
I take the cigarette packet from her and shake my head.
“Not tonight,” I say. “Got me relations down from up north. They might get the wrong idea. You know what they’re like up there.”
I light my cigarette and drop the packet in her lap.
“I live off Baker Street if that’s not too far out of your way,” she says, snapping up the packet. There is another silence.
“How were you so sure about Grimsby?” she says after
a while.
“Because I’m from Scunthorpe.”
“Scunthorpe?”
“That’s right.”
“You don’t sound like it.”
“Well, that’s the difference between you and me then, isn’t it?”
She says something which I don’t catch
“I believe that’s being done at the moment,” she says.
The line goes dead and I put the receiver down. I look at the girl who is staring back at me with the same kind of expression she was wearing before she went into the ladies’ room. Only this time it’s a little better made up.
“Got a cigarette?” I say to her.
She keeps the look going for a few moments more then she dumps my coat down on the desk and fishes in her bag and takes out her packet of cigarettes. She takes one out and puts it in her mouth then offers me the packet and lights herself up.
After I’ve lit myself up, I hand her back the packet and I say, “Nice coat you’ve got there. Suits you.”
She blows out her smoke and she says, “Coat fetishist, are you?”
“No, I’m a funny one. I like women. But promise you’ll keep it to yourself.”
“I can’t imagine a situation where I’m likely to want
anyone to know I know anything about you.”
“Oh, I don’t know. When you go home to Grimsby for Christmas you might want to give your younger brother nightmares.”
That throws her a little bit. “So you’re good on accents.”
“Better than you are. That elocution’s lousy.”
Now she’s got more colour in her face than she’s had all evening.
“You think you’re really something, don’t you?” she says. “You really think you’re something special.”
“And what do you think?”
She tightens up her mouth and doesn’t answer.
“But you’d still accept a lift with me, wouldn’t you?” I say.
She still doesn’t say anything so I pick up my coat and put it on and begin to walk towards the door. She can follow me or she can stay there all night or she can wait until I’ve left the premises depending on which bunch of thoughts she’s having at the moment. I pause at the door and hold it open for her. She’s still standing by the desk, watching me. Then suddenly she stubs out her cigarette and walks towards me. After she’s passed me by I let the door swing to and I begin to walk down the steps. She’s standing at the bottom of the steps looking down the street as if she’s expecting a Silver Shadow to ghost up to the curbside and transport her off in the manner to which she thinks she ought to be accustomed. I take no notice of her and turn left and walk down the pavement to where I’ve left Con’s Scimitar. I unlock the door and get in and start the engine. She doesn’t appear at the curb so I look in the driving mirror and see that she’s still standing at the bottom of the steps, pretending I’m going back to collect her. I stay there idling the engine and she has another choice to make. Eventually she swishes herself round and starts walking to the car. It occurs to me that she’d make a lousy poker player but on the other hand I’d hate to think she was all bluff. She stands by the car waiting for the door to be opened and I think, Why not, let her win one for a change, and lean over and flip the handle and push. She gets in and slams the door and I pull away from the curb.
We drive in silence for a minute or two and then I say, “Where am I taking you to?”
She lights another cigarette and says, “I thought we’d be going to your place. Home ground and all that kind of thing.”
I take the cigarette packet from her and shake my head.
“Not tonight,” I say. “Got me relations down from up north. They might get the wrong idea. You know what they’re like up there.”
I light my cigarette and drop the packet in her lap.
“I live off Baker Street if that’s not too far out of your way,” she says, snapping up the packet. There is another silence.
“How were you so sure about Grimsby?” she says after
a while.
“Because I’m from Scunthorpe.”
“Scunthorpe?”
“That’s right.”
“You don’t sound like it.”
“Well, that’s the difference between you and me then, isn’t it?”
She says something which I don’t catch
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