Man of the Moment by Ken Clezy

Author:Ken Clezy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: book, FW, FIC042040
ISBN: 9781743054352
Publisher: Wakefield Press
Published: 2016-08-23T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Late that afternoon Sally appeared at my door with Delia close behind; Twiggy had to be sleeping off her unscheduled night shift. I should have grasped the import of her spiky tone when she asked to come in, but I missed it and gave them a breezy ‘Sure,’ assuming it was the usual email session. She had them about twice a week and another was due. Life must go on.

She asked Delia if she could find the bathroom, and with a curtness that boded ill, told her to disappear, shut the door and meditate—do anything she liked—until she called her.

‘May I sit down?’ she asked frostily, and did so anyway.

The taut moment of this meeting of two minds could have been better handled, I confess. ‘Be my guest,’ I said. ‘You’re a bit het up, Sal. What’s your problem?’

She sprang up again and glared fit to blind me, her face flaring red. ‘My problem!’ she hissed. ‘You’re the towering genius that reckoned nobody’d know we were here in the dark last night,’ she said, her lips twitching and her arms bunching her breasts higher as she fidgeted with her elbows. ‘I guess you’ve heard about Harry?’

I nodded.

‘The silly man saw us when you walked me home. He must’ve thought he had a juicy morsel for Betty, and it seems she couldn’t wait to pass it on to Meg. Maybe she thought telling tales out of school’d be worth a few Brownie points or something. I don’t know what she said, but it was enough, because Meg put two and two together—’

‘And got sex.’

‘You are bright today. How do you do it? Well, mother Meg put two and two together, like I said, and decided to have a heart-to-heart with her wayward Sally. She asked me over after lunch. She pretended it was an ordinary social visit but she’s such an open book I knew she was onto something she didn’t like as soon as I was in the door. She waffled on about the weather for a bit—their roof leaked for the first time ever, apparently. Then she said something about us being seen walking to my place, so fraightfully late, too.’

She dropped into the chair opposite mine and sniffled into a hanky before continuing. ‘She knew about the party, of course—they all did. I told her Twiggy was called back to cover for Jackie with no notice whatever, and that left us with the dishes that had to be done regardless, especially in this septic climate. We finished them just as the power failed and the heavens opened. There was no point in me leaving your place and getting half-drowned, so we sat it out and when it slackened off you walked me home. I saw she wasn’t buying it so I tried to excuse myself, but she came over all bossy and told me to sit down again. She asked about Mum—did she have concerns about me being so far away? I said no, all was fine, no worries, Meg.

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