there at that time in a morning.
‘I’ve just got a morning job as one of the cleaners,’ she said, rather too brightly as far as Vince was concerned. He didn’t know how she could get excited by the job of cleaner, but Edith seemed blessed with being able to see the best in everything. ‘I’m on my way to mop out the lavatories,’ she added.
‘That’s nice,’ said Vince without an ounce of passion.
Edith nudged him with the top of her mop pole. ‘What’s the matter with you, you glumbum you? Things aren’t that bad, are they?’
‘Monica is after getting me the sack, if you must know,’ he said with a desultory sigh. ‘And why are you always so bloody happy?’ he said.
She recoiled slightly, as if the comment had physically struck her. ‘Well there’s no sense in being miserable, is there? Don’t worry about Monica. Things are never as bad as they seem.’
‘I don’t believe you!’ he said, exasperated. ‘You’re weird.’
‘You’re not still mad at me, are you? Is that why you’re being so horrible to me? I said I was sorry, and you can’t blame me for Monica’s nastiness.’
‘I’m not mad at you,’ he said.
‘I see. Then you’re still pining after that Laura Leach woman, that’s what it is.’
‘That’s not true.’
‘Oh yes you are. It’s written all over that sour little face of yours.’
‘So what’s it got to do with you if I am or if I’m not?’ He brushed past her, determined to put an end to the conversation; he didn’t like where it was headed.
Edith, on the other hand, was determined to keep it burning a little while longer and followed hot on his heels. ‘It’s probably best you forget her anyway, knowing what I know about her.’
He stopped. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Not only is she at least five years older than you, which is just ancient , she’s quite mad,’ she said in a matter-of-fact way.
‘That’s an awful thing to say about someone, Edith,’ he said, failing to hide his displeasure.
‘But it’s true. She’s a bit crazy, they say.’
‘They say? Who says?’
Edith came up close to him, keeping her voice low. ‘My aunt knows all about her, because she saw her in Bartholomew Place .’
‘ Bartholomew Place ? Never heard of it. What is that?’
‘It’s an asylum, you know, for people with problems up here,’ she tapped her temple with an index finger. ‘She was in there years and years apparently.’
‘I don’t believe you.’
‘God’s honest truth, Vince. I heard she’d been in there since she was a young girl and she’s not been out long. Those kinds of places give me the creeps. I mean, they can do something to your head even if you had nothing wrong with it in the first place, they’re that bad. Now you don’t really want to go pining for someone like that, do you? Perhaps it’s a good thing she found someone else. You had a lucky escape.’
‘You are a horrible, horrible young woman, Edith,’ he said, walking away.
‘I was only trying to help, Vince!’ she called, her lip beginning to tremble. ‘I’m not really horrible. Honest I’m not. You’re not annoyed with me, are you, Vince? I was only trying to help.’
Vince Moody made a determined effort to stamp hard on the steps up to the projection booth just so anyone within earshot would know how fuming he was. He slammed the door shut and slumped down at the long table.
Why must people be so continually awful, he thought? And why was life so unfair?
* * * *
13
Bonnie and Clyde
She looked good and she knew it. Someone once said she had the figure of Bridget Bardot and the face of Sophia Loren, compliments she lapped up like a cat at a bowl of cream. But she couldn’t argue with them, even if she’d wanted to, because the mirror didn’t lie. She was beautiful and if anyone knew how to spend the currency that is beauty then it was Katherine. Kat for short.
She applied her eye- shadow her lipstick, pouted at her reflection,
‘I’ve just got a morning job as one of the cleaners,’ she said, rather too brightly as far as Vince was concerned. He didn’t know how she could get excited by the job of cleaner, but Edith seemed blessed with being able to see the best in everything. ‘I’m on my way to mop out the lavatories,’ she added.
‘That’s nice,’ said Vince without an ounce of passion.
Edith nudged him with the top of her mop pole. ‘What’s the matter with you, you glumbum you? Things aren’t that bad, are they?’
‘Monica is after getting me the sack, if you must know,’ he said with a desultory sigh. ‘And why are you always so bloody happy?’ he said.
She recoiled slightly, as if the comment had physically struck her. ‘Well there’s no sense in being miserable, is there? Don’t worry about Monica. Things are never as bad as they seem.’
‘I don’t believe you!’ he said, exasperated. ‘You’re weird.’
‘You’re not still mad at me, are you? Is that why you’re being so horrible to me? I said I was sorry, and you can’t blame me for Monica’s nastiness.’
‘I’m not mad at you,’ he said.
‘I see. Then you’re still pining after that Laura Leach woman, that’s what it is.’
‘That’s not true.’
‘Oh yes you are. It’s written all over that sour little face of yours.’
‘So what’s it got to do with you if I am or if I’m not?’ He brushed past her, determined to put an end to the conversation; he didn’t like where it was headed.
Edith, on the other hand, was determined to keep it burning a little while longer and followed hot on his heels. ‘It’s probably best you forget her anyway, knowing what I know about her.’
He stopped. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Not only is she at least five years older than you, which is just ancient , she’s quite mad,’ she said in a matter-of-fact way.
‘That’s an awful thing to say about someone, Edith,’ he said, failing to hide his displeasure.
‘But it’s true. She’s a bit crazy, they say.’
‘They say? Who says?’
Edith came up close to him, keeping her voice low. ‘My aunt knows all about her, because she saw her in Bartholomew Place .’
‘ Bartholomew Place ? Never heard of it. What is that?’
‘It’s an asylum, you know, for people with problems up here,’ she tapped her temple with an index finger. ‘She was in there years and years apparently.’
‘I don’t believe you.’
‘God’s honest truth, Vince. I heard she’d been in there since she was a young girl and she’s not been out long. Those kinds of places give me the creeps. I mean, they can do something to your head even if you had nothing wrong with it in the first place, they’re that bad. Now you don’t really want to go pining for someone like that, do you? Perhaps it’s a good thing she found someone else. You had a lucky escape.’
‘You are a horrible, horrible young woman, Edith,’ he said, walking away.
‘I was only trying to help, Vince!’ she called, her lip beginning to tremble. ‘I’m not really horrible. Honest I’m not. You’re not annoyed with me, are you, Vince? I was only trying to help.’
Vince Moody made a determined effort to stamp hard on the steps up to the projection booth just so anyone within earshot would know how fuming he was. He slammed the door shut and slumped down at the long table.
Why must people be so continually awful, he thought? And why was life so unfair?
* * * *
13
Bonnie and Clyde
She looked good and she knew it. Someone once said she had the figure of Bridget Bardot and the face of Sophia Loren, compliments she lapped up like a cat at a bowl of cream. But she couldn’t argue with them, even if she’d wanted to, because the mirror didn’t lie. She was beautiful and if anyone knew how to spend the currency that is beauty then it was Katherine. Kat for short.
She applied her eye- shadow her lipstick, pouted at her reflection,
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