Page 20 of Modern Romance November 2024 5-8

‘Since we were five or six years old. She moved here after her parents broke up.’

‘Ah...’

‘I guess we grew up together. I spent more time in her house than my own.’

Violet took a breath, thinking back to long-ago days and how lovely Mrs Andrews had always been. How it had felt more like home than her own.

‘I shouldn’t let it get to me, but I do wonder...’

‘Go on...’ said Sahir.

‘No.’ She smiled. ‘Best forgotten.’

As Sahir caught up with a couple of people he clearly knew, one of the awful old schoolfriends made a beeline for Violet.

‘Violet, it’s been ages!’ she declared. ‘Where are you living now?’ Her eyes widened when Violet told her she was still at the same flat. ‘Still?’

‘Yes.’ Violet smiled.

‘What about work?’

‘The library,’ Violet said, not really wanting to add that she’d just been let go.

She kept her smile on as she heard about Mrs Glass Ceiling’s stunning career, and then her husband, who’d been a real bully at school, came over. She found out that he’d entered politics.

‘He’s been nominated to stand...’

‘Fabulous,’ Violet said, and then stood by as he droned on and on about politics and by-elections and then offered his fake, practised smile.

‘So tell me about you, Violet...where are you working now?’

His wife answered for her. ‘The library.’

‘Still?’ he checked. ‘You had a Saturday job there when we were at school?’

‘Yes,’ Violet said, keeping her smile in place.

‘So what do you do there now?’ he persisted, clearly aghast when she told him she was doing much the same, as if he’d expected her to be running the place by now. ‘Don’t you get bored?’

‘Never.’

She didn’t know quite what to say next, but thankfully Sahir came over.

‘Violet, we need to take our seats.’

Violet found she was seated at the end of the top table, next to Sahir.

‘Phew!’ Upset from the small exchange she forced a smile. ‘I thought we’d have to be bookends.’

‘Were those two your friends from school?’

She nodded.

‘They upset you?’

‘No,’ she lied, but was actually touched he saw through her façade. ‘A bit. I’m probably just being overly sensitive.’ She gave a tight shrug. ‘They were banging on about their wonderful careers.’ She knew she wasn’t making sense so just said it. ‘And I’ve just lost my job.’

‘Okay...’

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