Swimming Upstream by Mancini Ruth

Author:Mancini, Ruth [Mancini, Ruth]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
Publisher: Ruth Mancini
Published: 2012-11-15T08:00:00+00:00

13

The wind whipped at my scarf and I hugged my anorak tightly round my shoulders as I skipped through Smithfield past the blue wrought iron gates to the meat market and out into the square. The sky seemed very bright. It looked as if it was going to snow. When I reached the King's Arms and pushed open the door, Catherine and Zara were already there, sitting up at the bar.

Zara swung round. She was wearing her tea cosy hat. “Well?” she said, expectantly.

I grinned, and raised my eyebrows.

“You got it!” Zara jumped off her stool and picked me up, wrapping her arms round my waist and lifting me off the ground.

“When do you start?” asked Catherine.

“End of January. I'll have to work out my notice.” I sat down next to her. The barman wandered over and I ordered three tequilas. I handed out the shots and the lime.

“That's so great,” said Catherine, licking salt off her wrist and grimacing as we slammed. I couldn’t help noticing her new false tooth every time I looked at her, and it made me feel like hugging her every time.

The door opened and Tim came in with Shelley, one of the nurses who lived with Zara and Tim.

“What are we celebrating?” he asked.

“Lizzie's new job, at City FM. Come on,” said Zara. “Sit down.”

I ordered another five tequilas.

“I'll get these. Congratulations,” said Tim, kissing me on the cheek. “So what is it?”

“I am a planner-stroke-researcher, working across two programmes again, but it’ll be prime-time - Breakfast and Mid-morning and it’s, well, “It’s City FM,”” I said, mimicking the catchphrase, in my best Broadcasting voice. Tim and Zara both sang the City FM jingle. I laughed. “So, I’ll be doing a bit of everything, writing material for scripts, bulletins and links, interviewing, some reporting but also presenting and production. It’s an amazing opportunity.”

Tim put his arm round me and raised his glass. “Three cheers for Lizzie. Down the hatch,” he said in a BBC voice. We all tipped our heads back and cheered when we'd finished.

“And guess what?” said Catherine. “I've found a really experienced drama tutor in Highbury and she's going to give me some coaching and help with auditions in exchange for helping her out at home.”

“Another drink,” said Tim, waving at the barman. Five more tequilas appeared on the bar beside us. “To Lizzie and Catherine,” said Shelley. We all slammed in unison.

The tequila worked its way up into my face. I felt warm and a little breathless, and glowing inside; I felt happy. After a while I extracted myself from the mass of arms and beer glasses and stools and went to the toilets. A log fire was crackling and popping in the inglenook fireplace and Christmas decorations adorned the walls and the top of the bar. Thick sparkling snakes of silver and green tinsel were wound around the china plates and horseshoes, and huge puffy scarlet crepe paper bells and smaller golden globes were hanging from the ceiling, interlaced with shiny cut-out paper-chains.

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