Page 27 of When We Are Old
“Boring. I should have let Daddy send me to finishing school instead.”
“We’ve been through this. Your dad said you should study business so you could take over from him.”
“But I don’t need to. You can do that. I’ll just look pretty on your arm.”
I caught sight of myself in the refection of a framed poster. A stranger stared back at me.
“Julie, I’m studying art. I don’t think I’m going to be taking over McStandish Corporate anytime soon.”
“Are you going be a greengrocer instead, like your daddy?”
“He’s my dad,” I snapped. “Why do you insist on calling them daddy? It sounds wrong.”
She laughed, high pitched. “Calm down, Matty.” I ground my teeth together. “You don’t need to worry about being a grocer. I’ve got plans for you.”
“I don’t need you to have plans for me, Julie. I’m not embarrassed about my dad.”
“Maybe you should be. My daddy says he’s seen the figures for Carling Savers. It’s going down the pan, Matty.”
“What?” I struggled to breathe. “It can’t be. That’s my dad’s life.”
“Well…” A call from the other end interrupted her. “I’m coming,” she shouted back. “I’ve got to go. I’ll see you next week, yes? Can’t wait. I’ve missed you.”
I sagged, my shoulders dropping so low I didn’t know if I’d lift them again. “Next week?”
“Yes, it’s the first of November. Remember, I’m coming to you?”
I breathed out low and steady. “Yeah, I remember.”
“Can’t wait to meet your friends, Matty.”
“Sure, sure.” The phone started to beep. “My money’s running out.” I opened my mouth to say more, but I didn’t have any words left.
I balanced the handset back on the cradle and then leant against the wall for a moment, trying to breathe regularly. Dark clouds filled my head; suffocating, they made my chest tighten.
Four hundred miles and I still hadn’t escaped.
My hands curled into tight fists and I breathed slowly, pushing for a relief from the tension. I'd been fighting this since I’d arrived in Kingston. I’d fought the clouds, ominous and never ending, then one phone call…
Absently, I glanced through the glass entrance to the building, a flash of blonde catching my attention. My heart skipped a beat, my pulse uneven.
Shit.
I’d created a mess.
I should fix it. Should tell Ronnie the truth.
Tonight. Tonight, I would. I’d tell her about home, about Julie, and I’d tell her that as crazy as it was, right now she provided the ray of sunshine that I needed to beat the clouds.
Maybe she’d understand…
Maybe.
Announcements
Ronnie
“Oooh, a blended family.” Natalie, my receptionist, PA, and general office flapper sucked air in through her teeth.
