Page 52 of Ask Another Day

Nikolai had composed himself, but he was now assessing her with wide eyes.

‘Mrs Becker, he looks horrified.’

Mrs Becker snatched a phrase book out of her bag and started flicking through it. She pulled up short when she reached the page she’d been looking for.

‘Oh dear.’

‘Oh dear? What does he think I said?’

‘Instead of saying you felt well today, I might have suggested that you felt yourself well today.’ Mrs Becker had mumbled out the last few words.

‘Oh great,’ Holly cupped her face in her hands, ‘Mrs Becker, can you please explain I haven’t spent the day pleasuring myself?’ she hissed the last words out, in case her brother was in ear shot.

‘I’ll try.’ Mrs Becker blushed and then stumbled over her words as she attempted to correct her mistranslation.

When Nikolai finally laughed, Holly buried her face in her hands, and laughed as well. She laughed so much, tears sprung free.

‘Are you alright, dear?’ asked Mrs Becker as she gently stroked Holly’s back.

‘Do you know what? I needed that. Please apologise to Nikolai, but I’m calling it. This,’ she gestured between the three of them, ‘is not going to work.’

Without waiting to hear Mrs Becker’s attempt at that translation, Holly pushed up from the table, grabbed her crutches, and made her slow escape.

‘Looks like it’s going well?’ Rose called out cheerfully from the bar, as Holly approached.

‘Don’t. Just don’t. You are so lucky my brother is infatuated with you, and that I need you behind the bar until Lucy is feeling better, because otherwise…’

‘Otherwise?’

‘Otherwise, you’d be barred.’

‘That bad?’ Rose’s face paled.

‘Well, let’s see shall we. Your translator,’ she emphasised her scepticism at the moniker with air tags, ‘told Nikolai I’d spent the day pleasuring myself.’

‘Oh.’

‘Yes. Oh.’

‘I mean, could that be turned into a positive?’

At Holly’s hard stare, Rose nodded, ‘No, no it cannot. Sorry?’ She winced.

‘That’s three for three, Rose. You’re out.’

‘Out?’

‘No more dates, blind or otherwise. I’m officially done.’

Rose started to protest, but with another hard stare from Holly, any arguments died in her throat. She closed her mouth and let her hobble back to her downstairs bedroom.

*

‘You might need to cut your losses. You tried, Rose.’ Luke’s words made their way into her room, as Holly settled herself on her bed.

Whatever Rose said next, didn’t make it to Holly’s ears as it was Luke’s voice she heard again next. ‘Is it really that important?’

Rose must have said yes, or nodded, because Holly then heard Luke say, ‘Right, then let her lick her wounds and maybe try again next month.’