Castles in the Air by Mary Hagey

Author:Mary Hagey
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-927426-09-8
Publisher: Signature Editions
Published: 2012-11-22T00:00:00+00:00

Girls in the Sunlight

You leave your office earlier than you generally do and happen upon several of your mother’s employees talking in the stairwell two flights down. Their hushed voices drift upwards. Someone asks, “So what’s the son like? Nigel, I believe his name was.”

The speaker has got to be the guy your mother just hired. She’d taken him around following his interview, introduced him to staff. His name is Tim or Tom.

You stand perfectly still, hear the snickering at the mention of your name, then listen to a conversation similar to those you’ve heard snippets of any number of times, those that come back to you at night when you’re trying to sleep. You’re faulted now for being aloof, uncaring, chummier with the deadbeats that end up at WeCollect than with colleagues. Then, Jen in accounting, or maybe Sue the receptionist, credits you for at least not being on the make.

“I wouldn’t give him any points there.”

This voice belongs to Perry, the fellow your mother seems to be taking under her wing, grooming for a new position, some kind of personal assistant.

“His wife is young, a real looker,” Perry goes on. “You’ll meet her at the Christmas party.” He describes Maureen as a bit vague but sweet. Doe-eyed, he says. Milky skin. Nice long legs.

Perry, at office parties, spends most of the time chatting up Maureen while you serve as bartender, not that you mind serving as bartender; it’s preferable to standing around making polite small talk with people who later use your words as fodder for their amusement.

“It’s hard to imagine,” someone else says, “but rumour has it Nigel’s a great shortstop in a pretty good league.”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” says Maureen’s schmoozer. “Nigel Kingsley’s an athlete?”

“I’m serious.”

You hold your breath, listen keenly, hoping for more.

“The first baseman is engaged to my sister, and he says that while Nigel may be getting on and is nothing special at bat, he’s amazing in double-play situations.”

Who is this speaking?

You review the possibilities. It would help to know who has a sister and who doesn’t. Just as you lean toward the railing to sneak a peek down, the door to the outside opens and the voices spill out into the parking lot, everyone wishing everyone else a great holiday weekend. You descend the stairs feeling light-footed, happy almost. You had no idea you had a reputation for being a great shortstop.

It’s early Labour Day morning. You’re asleep and in the throes of a heady dream when you become vaguely aware of an insistent warbling sound, aware too that the sound is the real world beckoning. The woman straddling you in your dream does not respond to what you hear, but continues to grip your wrists and ride you, and you’re almost there…almost…

Maureen nudges you, really jabs an elbow into your side. “Would you, for Christsake, answer the frigging phone! Or turn it off before it wakes up the boys.”

Who the…? You thrust off the phantom lover, pick up the receiver, but can’t quite muster hello.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.