Page 53 of Three Widows

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‘So you don’t like this Luke fellow?’ Kirby said.

‘Not really. He’s probably harmless, but he freaks me out a bit,’ Amy replied. ‘He’s twenty-two and acts like a fifteen-year-old schoolboy at times.’

‘That’s not a crime.’

‘I never said it was,’ she said sharply. ‘He’s… I don’t know… maybe a little weird.’

‘Weird in a world where everyone is slightly weird.’

‘I suppose you’re right.’

‘What is it specifically that freaks you out, as you say?’

She bit her lip as if debating telling him anything at all.

He said, ‘I want to hear why this little fart has upset you.’

‘It’s not that he’s upset me as such. It’s the constant snide remarks that wear me down.’

‘Tell me about it! There’s a dope from Athlone working with me and I swear to God I’ll level him with a punch one of these days.’

She smiled at that, but only briefly.

‘Some of Luke’s comments are… well, a bit sexual. It makes me uneasy.’

‘I take back the little fart observation. He sounds like a prick.’

‘He probably doesn’t mean any harm, but you’d think he’d have got the message that that type of talk is no longer acceptable.’

‘Did you discuss it with your manager?’

‘I don’t want to make a fuss. I’m applying for every job that comes up. I want out of there.’

‘You should report him.’

‘I have no proof. It would be he said she said.’

After thinking for a moment Kirby said, ‘Record him secretly.’

‘Isn’t that illegal?’

‘At least you’d have proof. Or arrange for someone to overhear him. A colleague you trust, or what about a customer? Any you like or trust?’

‘There’s old Mr Rodgers, but he’s eighty if he’s a day.’

‘All he has to do is be a witness to this Luke shithead talking to you. In the meantime, I’ll see what I can do.’

‘I don’t want you getting in any trouble on my account.’

‘You would be the best reason for me getting into trouble.’

He noticed her looking at her hands to hide a blush. Then he caught her glancing up under her eyelids at him. She took his hand and drew him close and kissed his lips.

And Kirby though he just might burst with happiness.

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