Don't You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane

Author:Mhairi McFarlane [Mhairi McFarlane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2018-10-22T04:00:00+00:00

23

A constant low level static crackle of sexual interest and harassment, like next door’s humming maggot tanks, is something I am so used to in the hospitality trade, I mostly tune it out.

Until The Wicker, I’d never seen it happen to a man before. It didn’t take long for Lucas McCarthy to arouse the interest of the female clientele. Possibly some males too, though they’re less conspicuous.

Phone numbers on beer mats get slid across the bar. Outright offers are made at closing time by the sozzled. Whispering, giggling groups heavily laden with floral Jo Malone scents come in, and choose particular tables that offer a good view. Kitty and I get asked ‘Who’s that?’ ‘Is he single?’ on the regular. ‘Is the dark-haired guy working tonight?’ is a question which, if answered in the negative, causes faces to fall.

If Lucas notices any of this, he doesn’t let on, the attention bouncing off his self-contained, serious demeanour. When directly asked out, he shrugs and smiles, bats it away as a patently non-serious query. Don’t get enough time off. Same again?

Today he’s got the open fire at the far end of the main bar going again, after tearing the old boxy fascia from its charming period features in a soot-caked, bare-forearmed bout of manly practical labour that I didn’t notice whatsoever, obviously.

The same can’t be said for a couple of thirty-somethings who I could swear were taking covert photos. Imagery of Lucas is now whizzing around on WhatsApp groups, captioned with tongue-lolling emojis, and he is entirely oblivious. I felt protective, which I’m sure is empathy, as someone who’s had her fair share of arse pinches from slimy old fellas.

When the mid-week shift enters its last hour, Lucas reappears after a shower upstairs, hair still slightly damp, puts a bottle of beer into the opener, flips the lid, drinks.

He says, nodding his head at the Share Your Shame poster:

‘Heard from laughing boy since Saturday?’ He pauses. ‘Tell me if I’m overstepping.’

I’m immediately embarrassed and mutter Oh no, thank God. It reveals Lucas has been thinking about me, however, and I don’t know if this is a good thing or not. My friends had been in touch with a deluge of ‘FUCK HIM’-style texts and calls the next day, including a rather heartfelt ‘And I thought I had issues with Phil’ from Jo, and Esther, in typical Esther way had called to say, ‘You don’t half pick them, Gog.’ But then, more gently, ‘Let me know if you want to talk about it. No one treats my sister like that.’ I appreciate this, even if it is an objectively untrue statement.

Deafening silence from Robin, which I hope rather than believe to be a permanent state of affairs.

‘I don’t want to speak out of turn, but I got a bad feeling about him,’ Lucas says.

‘Hah, yep. You’ve saved time there.’

Lucas pauses, waiting for me to go on. I realise this is a gesture of friendship, and possibly an attempt to get to know me.

‘Thank you again for being so quick about kicking him out,’ I say.

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.