As she waited for the heating to kick in, Grace glanced over to the clock.
'Two o'clock, nearly there.'
Glancing down at the sheet she was valiantly trying to copy before the end of the lesson, she read the next few lines. Her spelling was failing as she continued. Her trusty friend, the spell checker, was picking up the debris she left as she typed, fixing the words so that they somewhat resembled what was on the page before her. Grace was waiting for her mobile to ring, the call that would whisk her away from college, to somewhere, home preferably, with hot tea, food and if possible a warm bed to accompany both. Sadly, she reminded herself that she had another overdue paper still to complete. To get to rehearsals on time that evening, she would need to begin the project as soon as she got home. Sighing, she continued to type.
'Buzz... buzz...'
Reaching into her bag with one hand, the other doing a lively jig over the keyboard, she flipped the phone open and pressed it to her ear.
'Mmhmm? Yes, give me a sec... I'll be down... where? Ok, kisses, bye.'
Finishing the sentence, she logged her computer off, jammed her folder, diary and phone into her bag and threw her scarf around her neck. Walking swiftly to the door, she waved to her professor, who nodded in return. It was two o'clock; she would let her go without reprimand.
Grace reached the door, just as Claire barged through with her printed pages.
'Mind out, Grace, some of us have work to do and no convenient lift home.'
Grace waited for Claire to go past, shaking her head slightly behind her. She slipped through the door, pulled it closed behind her and moved towards the stairs. They had been making curry in the kitchens again, and as usual the second floor reeked of burnt spices. Escaping this, she went down two more flights and out into the bracing October air. The black car was perched on the pavement, with Jeff at the wheel. Opening the door, beaming at him, she threw her bag in the back. Collapsing into the front seat of the Renault, he manoevered them into the stream of traffic that was starting to build at the junction.
'Hello, honey, how are you?'
'Absolutely knackered. It was freezing up there: my fingers were beginning to refuse work!'
'Well, we'll have to warm them up then... give them something to do,' he winked as he turned up the heater.
Laughing gently, she replied, 'I know what you're after, only, can we postpone it today? I have so much work to do tonight and I have a rehearsal to attend, too.'
'Oh hell, Grace, I organised today... Can you make it tomorrow?'
'Yes, certainly.'
'It'll mean you've just got more work to do, you know, to catch up.'
'Thanks, love, I really appreciate it. How was the meeting?'
'Oh, this and that. Thomas kept an eye on us all day.'
'He does that, and it's really intimidating if he turns the dodgy one on you. Poor boy,' she said, reaching a hand up to stroke the nape of his neck. As he slowed to the junction, he turned and looked into her grey eyes, and leaned into kiss her pert little mouth. As the lights changed he quickly composed himself, jammed the car into first gear and moved off again.
At home, she set to work, and the entire project looked reasonable by the time she rounded off at 5.30. Stowing the printed page in her folder, she went to the kitchen to find something to eat. Reminded of the kitchens at college, she smelt her top and pulled a face. She realised she would have to change before going out. Finding a couple of bagels and the remnants of the cream cheese, she popped a doughy ring in the toaster and retrieved her post from the stairs. It had been thrown there earlier, as she ran out the door, late as usual, for class. Nothing particular to interest her; a clothes catalogue, a credit card offer and a leaflet for a charity, but at the bottom of the pile she found a small, brown package sent from Africa. The cat flap went in as she slumped onto the stairs. She squashed it slightly and felt something hard and bobbly inside.
'Must be from Lou, a charm bracelet or something,' she mumbled to Tom, her cat with the dodgy eye, who had begun to play with her shoelace. Flipping the package over she peeled the tape off and opened it up. Inside were two necklaces made from black strips of leather; one with a tigers' eye stone and the other with a rose quartz. Both were cut roughly, nothing like the typical ones Grace was used to, those that were smooth and that shined. Tipping the envelope up, a folded piece of paper fell into her hand.
'Dear you,
How are you? Out here is fabulous! The monkeys are so funny. Have lots of things to tell you when I get back, too many things to write now.
The stones are important, Gracie! The tiger one is pretty so wear it but the rose one is meant to bring you love. Love, not sex. I hear from Georgie's emails that you're up to no good. Well done on the business front but the affair is not so great. I'll be home in a week or two and we'll discuss it then. I presume you're not talking about this with your mother so I'll have to do it for her. Just take care of yourself, in all senses of the word.
Love you, from me.'
Laughing, Grace folded up the letter and put it back in the envelope. With her makeshift tea, she took her post to her room, put the letters in the bin but Lou's package she put on her 'special' shelf as it was. The shelf was full of trinkets, paper cuttings of actors, pretty boxes and ornaments, and the crinkled package looked out of place, stuck on the end but she would sort it out later. Flopping on her bed, she flicked on the television and started to demolish a bagel.
An hour later, she was showered, dried and dressed, made up, laboriously perfumed and ready with her music, when she heard a key in the lock.
'Hey, Mum,' she hollared down the stairs.
'Hi, darling. Give me a hand would you? I sort of overdid the shopping.'
Coming down the stairs, Grace nearly collided with her adorable sheepdog, Sam.
'Hello, boy. Been a good boy for Mummy? Have you?' she cooed as she ruffled the fur behind his ears. In came her Mum, Anna, dumping the shopping bags at the foot of the stairs.
'There's only a few things left in the boot, go get them for me, love?'
As she struggled back in with the 'few things', the litre bottles of water threatening to fall from her arms, Grace went into the kitchen where Anna, still in hat and coat, was filling up the kettle.
'Really sorry, Mum, I'm going to have to go now.'
'Don't be too late in, please,' Anna said over her shoulder, 'I do like to see you for more than five minutres at a time. Going to the pub after?'
'Probably. Is that ok? '
'Yes...'
'I won't stay for long and I won't drink anything more poisonous that lemonade, ok?'
'See you later then, pumpkin'.
Grace threw her arms around her Mum and kissed her cheek. She bent down to tickle Tom and Sam, who were looking up expectantly for their tea, before picking up her scarf and keys and opening her door.
'See you later, God bless,' her Mum called as the door closed.
Once on the road, Grace blew on her hands to warm them up and switched on the CD. The show for which she was rehearsing blared at once and she immediately fiddled with the volume switch to turn it down a notch. Skipping the tracks to get to the first chorus, she swerved around a tight corner, narrowly missing a car coming the other way. Braking slightly, she tried to find the right track with her eyes firmly fixed on the road and began to sing along to the music, trying to remember the lyrics. Before each rehearsal, she would play the music for the whole trip to learn the parts but tonight, her mind kept drifting to thoughts of the male protagonist and the pleasant but consuming effects he was having on her. Smiling to herself, she drove on.
'Must be from Lou, a charm bracelet or something,' she mumbled to Tom, her cat with the dodgy eye, who had begun to play with her shoelace. Flipping the package over she peeled the tape off and opened it up. Inside were two necklaces made from black strips of leather; one with a tigers' eye stone and the other with a rose quartz. Both were cut roughly, nothing like the typical ones Grace was used to, those that were smooth and that shined. Tipping the envelope up, a folded piece of paper fell into her hand.
'Dear you,
How are you? Out here is fabulous! The monkeys are so funny. Have lots of things to tell you when I get back, too many things to write now.
The stones are important, Gracie! The tiger one is pretty so wear it but the rose one is meant to bring you love. Love, not sex. I hear from Georgie's emails that you're up to no good. Well done on the business front but the affair is not so great. I'll be home in a week or two and we'll discuss it then. I presume you're not talking about this with your mother so I'll have to do it for her. Just take care of yourself, in all senses of the word.
Love you, from me.'
Laughing, Grace folded up the letter and put it back in the envelope. With her makeshift tea, she took her post to her room, put the letters in the bin but Lou's package she put on her 'special' shelf as it was. The shelf was full of trinkets, paper cuttings of actors, pretty boxes and ornaments, and the crinkled package looked out of place, stuck on the end but she would sort it out later. Flopping on her bed, she flicked on the television and started to demolish a bagel.
An hour later, she was showered, dried and dressed, made up, laboriously perfumed and ready with her music, when she heard a key in the lock.
'Hey, Mum,' she hollared down the stairs.
'Hi, darling. Give me a hand would you? I sort of overdid the shopping.'
Coming down the stairs, Grace nearly collided with her adorable sheepdog, Sam.
'Hello, boy. Been a good boy for Mummy? Have you?' she cooed as she ruffled the fur behind his ears. In came her Mum, Anna, dumping the shopping bags at the foot of the stairs.
'There's only a few things left in the boot, go get them for me, love?'
As she struggled back in with the 'few things', the litre bottles of water threatening to fall from her arms, Grace went into the kitchen where Anna, still in hat and coat, was filling up the kettle.
'Really sorry, Mum, I'm going to have to go now.'
'Don't be too late in, please,' Anna said over her shoulder, 'I do like to see you for more than five minutres at a time. Going to the pub after?'
'Probably. Is that ok? '
'Yes...'
'I won't stay for long and I won't drink anything more poisonous that lemonade, ok?'
'See you later then, pumpkin'.
Grace threw her arms around her Mum and kissed her cheek. She bent down to tickle Tom and Sam, who were looking up expectantly for their tea, before picking up her scarf and keys and opening her door.
'See you later, God bless,' her Mum called as the door closed.
Once on the road, Grace blew on her hands to warm them up and switched on the CD. The show for which she was rehearsing blared at once and she immediately fiddled with the volume switch to turn it down a notch. Skipping the tracks to get to the first chorus, she swerved around a tight corner, narrowly missing a car coming the other way. Braking slightly, she tried to find the right track with her eyes firmly fixed on the road and began to sing along to the music, trying to remember the lyrics. Before each rehearsal, she would play the music for the whole trip to learn the parts but tonight, her mind kept drifting to thoughts of the male protagonist and the pleasant but consuming effects he was having on her. Smiling to herself, she drove on.
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