have to cry off. There’s a massive peace demo so it’s all hands on deck. I’ve been press-ganged into work for the whole weekend. I’ve no idea if I’ll have any time off except for sleep.’
‘Oh, curses.’ Amiss kicked the table in frustration.
‘Thanks very much, Bob.’
Amiss slammed down the phone.
‘Poor Bob.’ Galina was standing by the door. ‘You are stood down for tomorrow evening? No?’
‘Stood up, yes.’
‘Why then you must come out with us. With Fabrice and me. And some of the others — maybe Simone, Ahmed. We will have a good time, no? Dancing, and maybe Gunther take us to play baccarat…’
‘Dreadfully sorry, Galina. I would have loved to, but I simply can’t.’
She looked displeased. ‘Say me why not. You have an empty evening.’
‘I won’t be free. Three of us were meeting. Only one can’t come.’
He had noticed before Galina’s propensity to get the bit between her teeth. ‘Well then you will bring the other one. Is it man or woman?’
The effrontery of the rich still had the power to surprise Amiss; he felt like throttling the importunate bitch. ‘It’s a woman. But we’re meeting in Paris. Now, if you’ll forgive me, I have a plane to catch. Bye-bye. Have a dance for me.’
He disappeared at high speed and Galina returned pouting to the lounge, where Rich found her a couple of minutes later. ‘What is the matter, Galina my lovely? You look distressed. How can I cheer you up?’
‘Bob goes to Paris. It is for that reason he will not come with us tomorrow night.’
‘Well, I’m sure you’ll have a marvellous time even without him. I wish I could join you, but I have to visit my mother — in Birmingham.’
Galina was lost in thought for a moment; then she looked up at Rich, her face transfigured. ‘Allora. I have a wonderful idea. You will give us a picnic. On Sunday.’
It took all Rich’s considerable professionalism not to let his horror show. ‘I wish I could, Galina, but I have so much to do. For one thing, I have to organise my partner’s funeral.’
‘Ees not possible on a Sunday,’ she said cheerfully. ‘Please, please, Reech. My friend Giovanni Balducci, he told me about a picnic you have. I wish one.’
Their eyes locked. Galina, blithely unconscious of Rich’s pain, summoned up her most implacable expression. ‘Reech, I do not like to be disappointed.’
Rich’s shoulders sagged in defeat. For a moment he looked very old.
‘Oh, very well. How many do you want to come? We’d better keep it small.’
Galina frowned, muttered under her breath and counted on her fingers. ‘Fabrice, Ahmed, Davina, Alessandro, Karl, you, me — we will be in seven.’ She thought again. ‘No, eight Reech. You must make Gavs come. Ahmed likes him.’
‘You will tell the other students?’
‘Oh, yes.’
‘I will see you all here at lunchtime on Sunday.’ And Rich escaped to go home and continue mourning his friend.
‘Rachel, I’m at Heathrow. On stand-by. Should get to you at bedtime.’
‘You haven’t forgotten I’m working tomorrow?’
‘No. But we can have Saturday night and most of Sunday, can’t we?’
‘Certainly. What a smashing surprise. Have you robbed a bank?’
‘No. You’ll have to lend me the money.’
‘Well, of course it’s a gentleman’s privilege to change his mind. What brought this about?’
‘I’ve had one of those birthdays.’
----
15
« ^ »
Amiss felt at peace. He had had a most therapeutic day wandering aimlessly around Paris and had been thrilled to find again, purely by accident, the crêperie near the Sorbonne which he had frequented during the summer after he’d left Oxford. He enjoyed his inexpensive lunch there more than any of the extravagant meals he had had during the previous four days. ‘It would have been nicer had you been with me,’ he told Rachel when she joined him, much later, at their favourite restaurant. ‘But I had a lovely time anyway.’
‘You needed it,’ she
‘Oh, curses.’ Amiss kicked the table in frustration.
‘Thanks very much, Bob.’
Amiss slammed down the phone.
‘Poor Bob.’ Galina was standing by the door. ‘You are stood down for tomorrow evening? No?’
‘Stood up, yes.’
‘Why then you must come out with us. With Fabrice and me. And some of the others — maybe Simone, Ahmed. We will have a good time, no? Dancing, and maybe Gunther take us to play baccarat…’
‘Dreadfully sorry, Galina. I would have loved to, but I simply can’t.’
She looked displeased. ‘Say me why not. You have an empty evening.’
‘I won’t be free. Three of us were meeting. Only one can’t come.’
He had noticed before Galina’s propensity to get the bit between her teeth. ‘Well then you will bring the other one. Is it man or woman?’
The effrontery of the rich still had the power to surprise Amiss; he felt like throttling the importunate bitch. ‘It’s a woman. But we’re meeting in Paris. Now, if you’ll forgive me, I have a plane to catch. Bye-bye. Have a dance for me.’
He disappeared at high speed and Galina returned pouting to the lounge, where Rich found her a couple of minutes later. ‘What is the matter, Galina my lovely? You look distressed. How can I cheer you up?’
‘Bob goes to Paris. It is for that reason he will not come with us tomorrow night.’
‘Well, I’m sure you’ll have a marvellous time even without him. I wish I could join you, but I have to visit my mother — in Birmingham.’
Galina was lost in thought for a moment; then she looked up at Rich, her face transfigured. ‘Allora. I have a wonderful idea. You will give us a picnic. On Sunday.’
It took all Rich’s considerable professionalism not to let his horror show. ‘I wish I could, Galina, but I have so much to do. For one thing, I have to organise my partner’s funeral.’
‘Ees not possible on a Sunday,’ she said cheerfully. ‘Please, please, Reech. My friend Giovanni Balducci, he told me about a picnic you have. I wish one.’
Their eyes locked. Galina, blithely unconscious of Rich’s pain, summoned up her most implacable expression. ‘Reech, I do not like to be disappointed.’
Rich’s shoulders sagged in defeat. For a moment he looked very old.
‘Oh, very well. How many do you want to come? We’d better keep it small.’
Galina frowned, muttered under her breath and counted on her fingers. ‘Fabrice, Ahmed, Davina, Alessandro, Karl, you, me — we will be in seven.’ She thought again. ‘No, eight Reech. You must make Gavs come. Ahmed likes him.’
‘You will tell the other students?’
‘Oh, yes.’
‘I will see you all here at lunchtime on Sunday.’ And Rich escaped to go home and continue mourning his friend.
‘Rachel, I’m at Heathrow. On stand-by. Should get to you at bedtime.’
‘You haven’t forgotten I’m working tomorrow?’
‘No. But we can have Saturday night and most of Sunday, can’t we?’
‘Certainly. What a smashing surprise. Have you robbed a bank?’
‘No. You’ll have to lend me the money.’
‘Well, of course it’s a gentleman’s privilege to change his mind. What brought this about?’
‘I’ve had one of those birthdays.’
----
15
« ^ »
Amiss felt at peace. He had had a most therapeutic day wandering aimlessly around Paris and had been thrilled to find again, purely by accident, the crêperie near the Sorbonne which he had frequented during the summer after he’d left Oxford. He enjoyed his inexpensive lunch there more than any of the extravagant meals he had had during the previous four days. ‘It would have been nicer had you been with me,’ he told Rachel when she joined him, much later, at their favourite restaurant. ‘But I had a lovely time anyway.’
‘You needed it,’ she
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