The email I received said:

“Go to Newark airport, go to the United booking desk and give them your name.  Take proof of identity.  Pack for five days, light.”

It was going to be, supposedly, a magical mystery tour.  I read in a travel magazine, that a company offered five-day inclusive trips to anywhere.  You do not get the destination, just what to take.  Then, just be prepared for anything.

I paid the money and waited, until last evening when the email came.

I was ready.

When I presented my credentials as requested, I found myself going to Venice, Italy, a place I had never been before.

When I looked it up, it said it took about 10 hours to get there with one stop in between.  Enough time to read up on the many places to go and see, though according to the instructions, everything had been arranged in advance.

I could also take the time to brush up on my schoolboy Italian.

When I got off the plane at Marco Polo Airport, in Venice, it was mid-morning, but an hour or so was lost going through immigration and customs.  A water taxi was waiting to take me to a hotel where I would receive further instructions.  I was hoping it would be on or overlooking the Grand Canal.

At the airport, I wondered if there was going to be anyone else on this trip, or whether I would be doing it alone.  I’d read sometimes likeminded people were put together for a shared experience.

We had to agree and then fill out an extensive profile so they could appropriately match people.  Sometimes, people joined at different times along the way, you just never knew what was going to happen.

That random unpredictability was just what I needed having just gone through a breakup after a long period of peacefulness and stability, and frankly, I would not have chosen this type of tour if I had not.

It was a pleasant half hour or so winding our way across open, choppy, stretches of water, then through the canals, having paid the driver extra to take a long route.  I’d not been to Venice before, but I had read about it, and while some of the negative comments were true, it didn’t diminish the place in my eyes.

And the hotel, on its own island overlooking the main canal, was stylish and elegant, and my room was exactly where I’d hoped it would be.  I think I spent the next hour just looking out at the city, and the boats going by, like a freeway, a never-ending stream of traffic.

A knock on the door interrupted what might have been described as a dream, by one of the concierge staff delivering an envelope with my name on it.

The note said,

“Take the hotel Vaporetto to St Mark’s Square and go to the first restaurant on the left as you walk away from the Doges Palace.  Your reservation is for table 38, at 20:30 hours..”

All meals were included, each dinner at a notable restaurant in the town or city you spent the night or nights.  I had already taken the time to wander around St Mark’s and look at the shops, mostly high-end, except for one, a confectionary store, next to a souvenir store.

That was a pleasant few hours working out what I would take home for various family members.

I also noted the many little alleyways that led away from the square, and if I had time the next morning I might explore.  A gondola ride was also on the bucket list.

When I arrived and announced myself, I was taken to table 38.  I was not the first, another traveller, a woman about my age, mid-thirties was sitting, with a drink in front of her.

She observed my arrival and approach, and it was a little strange.  It looked like this was going to be not a solo expedition.  “Ace Adventurer?” she asked.

“Not so sure about Ace, but adventurous, maybe.”

“I know how you feel.  I was not sure what to expect?”

“Beautiful scenery, great Italian food, hopefully, and good company to share it with.”

The waiter asked if I would like a drink, and I selected an Italian beer.  This was going to be a beer, and wine odyssey.  I was one of those when in Rome, types.

“You like to travel?”  There was a brief, awkward silence, so she opened the conversation with what was a safe question.

“Yes.  Though I didn’t get many opportunities before this, because of work, and my wife’s illness.  She passed recently, and I figured it was time to get out of the house and do something positive.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

To me, the moment I said it, I sounded like a lame duck, and had to wonder why I did.”

After fifteen minutes the waiter returned with menus.  It appears we were going to be the only two.  Interesting concept.

Selecting items off the menu, we learnt about each other, that we could both read, and speak, after a fashion, Italian.  Immediately it became a thing to only speak Italian from that point.

We liked the same food, and almost ordered the same items.  We liked the same wine, but she did not drink beer.

She liked photography, but more professionally than me, and her camera was worth more than my car.  Me, I was happy with my cell phone.  We drove the same type of car, liked to go to the same places, and she too had suffered a recent bereavement.

It was as if the tour company had found me a perfect match.

We were staying in different hotels and parted company at the restaurant.  I was not going to suggest we wander along the canal front, she seemed tired.  We were both staying, having not received the next instructions, so we left it with a perhaps we might see each other again in the morning.

If it was meant to be. 

It wasn’t one of those I could have danced all night moments, but it was different, and I was glad not to be wallowing like I would have if I had not made an effort to get away.  It certainly made the visit to Venice a highlight.

The next morning there was an envelope under the door, I was thinking it was a note from the hotel about checking out, but instead, it was a questionnaire, short and to the point.

“Would you prefer, a) continue alone,  b) continue with Ms Bainford, or c) someone else?”

I selected b) but added a provision, only if she wished to continue with me, and then took it back to reception.

After a leisurely breakfast, I caught the Vaporetto to the other side of the canal, near a church, and then wandered back towards St Marks, had pizza for lunch in a quaint little restaurant outside yet another church, before exploring one of the alleyways going off the square, reportedly leading to the train station.

It was not far from the station I came across Lesley sitting at a café having coffee and watching the world go past.  She smiled when she saw me.

“Lost?” she asked when I sat down.

‘No, well, at least I don’t think I am.  You see a railway station around here?”

She pointed further along the lane.  “That way.  I think.  I have been lost, but fortunately, I found a nice resident who knew the way.  Divine coffee, you should get a cup.”

I did.

We both watched the world go by in companionable silence, until she asked, “Do you know where you’re going next?”

“No.  I was surprised I was not moving on today.”

“Perhaps they thought we needed to soak in the aesthetic beauty Venice has to offer.  Pity it’s not when the Carnival of Venice is on, dressing up and wearing a mask.  It sounds like fun.”

“You could always come back.  When is it?”

“February.  I might just do that, it’s not as if I have anything or anyone that prevents me from doing anything.”

She stood and held out her hand.  “Shall we roam aimlessly and soak in the aesthetic beauty?  Let the alleys take us where they may.”

I took her hand in mine and stood.  “Why not?”

The afternoon was a blur, dinner sublime, parting sad.

We both know instinctively that this could and probably would end, and the spell was broken when we parted, again at the restaurant.  There were words to be said, but it was too soon, and enough ambiguity to part almost content, but with that little longing that it might continue.

I found an envelope on the desk in my room when I returned.

“Your next stop will be Florence, a city that is waiting for you to explore.  Take the Italo Treno from Venice station to Florence, the ticket, with a seat assignment, is enclosed.  You are booked at the Hotel Brunelleschi.  Enjoy!”

It made no mention of travelling companions or anything else, but then, it was just my travel arrangements.

I checked out the flowing morning and took a water taxi to the railway station.  I was glad I was travelling light, the station was crowded and it took a few minutes to find the train.

It was one of my hobbies, the methods of travel, whether it was trains, planes, trams, ships, ferries, or boats, all were fascinating in their own way.

This was a bullet train, similar to those in France, Japan, and China.

It was a relief to have a booked seat and business class.  I expected no less.

I found the carriage and then the compartment.  And then a surprise.

Lesley.

“Florence?” she asked.

“Florence.  Did you …”

“Tick a certain box.  I did.  Please, sit.  We have much to talk about.”

…

©  Charles Heath  2023

…

It was a wild and stormy morning half-light half dark with roiling seas around us.

If anyone had seen us from the shore, they’d say we were stark staring mad.

We were.

Trying to come ashore in the sort of weather that had wrecked many a ship along this stretch of coast.  What would be one more boat among many at the bottom of the sea?

We were too busy trying to stay alive to be sick, and I felt very, very ill.

At the wheel Christina was looking very resolute, fighting the ocean trying to turn the rudder against her ministrations.

I was keeping the sails at the bare minimum, and at least the wind was taking us ashore and not out into the ocean and where the huge waves were waiting.  Not that going ashore was any more attractive given the rocks alternately submerged and exposed.

I’d just repaired a snapped rope and got the sail back into position after nearly being decapitated when it broke free.

“There it is.”  I could just barely hear her before the wind snatched the words away.

I followed her outstretched arm to see a break in the white water crashing on the rocks, a narrow passage that led to calmer water and a remote landing place.

This we had been told was good weather.  I’d hate to see what was ‘the bad’.

We rose up and slid down the waves hoping when we came up again, we’d be heading in the right direction.

Luckily, we were.

Christina had sold the voyage as a sailor’s dream, to cross the Atlantic at what was supposed to be the calmest time of the year.

The fact that no time of the year was calm was carefully omitted from the sales pitch, but I had to admit I’d had worse weather heading north from New York to Nantucket.

The real selling point was the fact we would not advertise our departure nor our arrival, a definite plus in remaining anonymous when anonymity was a must.

She had been right to suggest we leave, with two more attempts on our lives, a car bomb, and a long-range sniper.  Someone seriously wanted us dead, or if not the two of us, me.

Now it was a matter of hoping the sea didn’t finish was someone else started.

On the other side of the reef the weather hadn’t changed, the skies were still very dark and the rain was sheeting down, but the movement of the boat had settled, and we were gliding across almost still waters.

I’d heard about Scotland’s bleak weather, and this was everything one could expect.  It could only get better.

I leaned against the stern rail just behind her, now more relaxed, watching the rain pouring off the wet weather gear she was wearing.  On top of the endless layers to keep out the intense cold, she looked more like Santa than the woman who, barely a week before, had turned every head in the room at her father’s birthday bash.

It made me wonder why she was willing to go through what we had to get here.  It was no secret she detested what her father represented, and there was no doubt he wasn’t happy about her living with a policeman, yet willing to accept his help when trouble came knocking.

There was no doubting that bond between them, despite the circumstances.

The coastline stretched before us, as did the Cove, and somewhere there a sea cave, a place to hide the boat.  It was the stuff of legends, that Cove, reputedly to have been a lair for pirates, whiskey smugglers, and Scottish patriots hiding from the British back in the days of Bonnie Prince Charlie.

“Are you feeling like the Vikings?”  I said the first time I could hear my own voice above the weather.

“Who?”

“The Vikings?  They were reputed to come ashore, do some pillaging, then go.”

“We’re not here to pillage, as you call it.”

“No, but you can just imagine it.  I doubt this shoreline has changed much in a thousand or so years.”

“Except for the plastic washed ashore.”

I didn’t have to see her face to register the disdain, it was in her tone.  She was a loud and passionate advocate for the environment, sometimes the lone voice in the crowd.

Whereas once I just threw the empty plastic bottles overboard, she insisted we collect them and dispose of them properly.

I shrugged.  Our minuscule efforts were not going to change the world.

I moved to stand next to her, putting my hand on hers on the wheel.  I changed the subject.  “That was some pretty good navigation.”

She turned to look at me.  She was tired, if not exhausted.  “Where else would you want to be?”

I hadn’t realised she loved being in a boat, sailing.  It was her other world; one I hadn’t known about.  The boat we were on was hers, one of three.

It was just one of several revelations that I learned in the last week.

That she owned and ran a very successful legitimate internet business.

That she owned properties in five different countries, including the one we were heading to now.

That she collected vintage cars and had a museum.

That she shunned the limelight and preferred to blend in as just another ordinary person.  I’d only seen her once in elegant clothes, her usual garb rarely changed from workout gear or simply jeans and polo shirts.

It made it all that more difficult for me to understand why she would be interested in me, and more so the potential harm I could do on the other side of the law.

Her father was certainly icy about the relationship, and a few of the others at the birthday bash had intimated that my ongoing relationship with her would cause an early demise.

Until her father put an end to it.

“Do you really own all this?”  I waved my hand across the shoreline.

“Yes.  As you say, it’s one of the few places on this earth that has not changed in the last thousand years.”

We had reached the edge of the Cove and as she rounded the point we could see the cave, actually one of six or seven though most were relatively shallow.

But that was not only what could be seen.

There were two people waiting by the cave, and when I looked at them through the binoculars, I could see they were not a welcoming committee.

“Are you expecting anyone to greet us on arrival?”

“No.  I didn’t tell anyone but you we would be coming here.”

“Then make a detour, out of the sight line, and drop me off.  Anchor there if you can, and I’ll go ask them.  Politely, of course.”

Ten minutes later I was about to go over the side, and wade ashore.  She handed me a gun, with a suppressor.  “Just in case they don’t understand the word polite.”

So much for a new start in what we thought was going to be obscurity.

…

©  Charles Heath  2023

…

It was a wild and stormy morning half-light half dark with roiling seas around us.

If anyone had seen us from the shore, they’d say we were stark staring mad.

We were.

Trying to come ashore in the sort of weather that had wrecked many a ship along this stretch of coast.  What would be one more boat among many at the bottom of the sea?

We were too busy trying to stay alive to be sick, and I felt very, very ill.

At the wheel Christina was looking very resolute, fighting the ocean trying to turn the rudder against her ministrations.

I was keeping the sails at the bare minimum, and at least the wind was taking us ashore and not out into the ocean and where the huge waves were waiting.  Not that going ashore was any more attractive given the rocks alternately submerged and exposed.

I’d just repaired a snapped rope and got the sail back into position after nearly being decapitated when it broke free.

“There it is.”  I could just barely hear her before the wind snatched the words away.

I followed her outstretched arm to see a break in the white water crashing on the rocks, a narrow passage that led to calmer water and a remote landing place.

This we had been told was good weather.  I’d hate to see what was ‘the bad’.

We rose up and slid down the waves hoping when we came up again, we’d be heading in the right direction.

Luckily, we were.

Christina had sold the voyage as a sailor’s dream, to cross the Atlantic at what was supposed to be the calmest time of the year.

The fact that no time of the year was calm was carefully omitted from the sales pitch, but I had to admit I’d had worse weather heading north from New York to Nantucket.

The real selling point was the fact we would not advertise our departure nor our arrival, a definite plus in remaining anonymous when anonymity was a must.

She had been right to suggest we leave, with two more attempts on our lives, a car bomb, and a long-range sniper.  Someone seriously wanted us dead, or if not the two of us, me.

Now it was a matter of hoping the sea didn’t finish was someone else started.

On the other side of the reef the weather hadn’t changed, the skies were still very dark and the rain was sheeting down, but the movement of the boat had settled, and we were gliding across almost still waters.

I’d heard about Scotland’s bleak weather, and this was everything one could expect.  It could only get better.

I leaned against the stern rail just behind her, now more relaxed, watching the rain pouring off the wet weather gear she was wearing.  On top of the endless layers to keep out the intense cold, she looked more like Santa than the woman who, barely a week before, had turned every head in the room at her father’s birthday bash.

It made me wonder why she was willing to go through what we had to get here.  It was no secret she detested what her father represented, and there was no doubt he wasn’t happy about her living with a policeman, yet willing to accept his help when trouble came knocking.

There was no doubting that bond between them, despite the circumstances.

The coastline stretched before us, as did the Cove, and somewhere there a sea cave, a place to hide the boat.  It was the stuff of legends, that Cove, reputedly to have been a lair for pirates, whiskey smugglers, and Scottish patriots hiding from the British back in the days of Bonnie Prince Charlie.

“Are you feeling like the Vikings?”  I said the first time I could hear my own voice above the weather.

“Who?”

“The Vikings?  They were reputed to come ashore, do some pillaging, then go.”

“We’re not here to pillage, as you call it.”

“No, but you can just imagine it.  I doubt this shoreline has changed much in a thousand or so years.”

“Except for the plastic washed ashore.”

I didn’t have to see her face to register the disdain, it was in her tone.  She was a loud and passionate advocate for the environment, sometimes the lone voice in the crowd.

Whereas once I just threw the empty plastic bottles overboard, she insisted we collect them and dispose of them properly.

I shrugged.  Our minuscule efforts were not going to change the world.

I moved to stand next to her, putting my hand on hers on the wheel.  I changed the subject.  “That was some pretty good navigation.”

She turned to look at me.  She was tired, if not exhausted.  “Where else would you want to be?”

I hadn’t realised she loved being in a boat, sailing.  It was her other world; one I hadn’t known about.  The boat we were on was hers, one of three.

It was just one of several revelations that I learned in the last week.

That she owned and ran a very successful legitimate internet business.

That she owned properties in five different countries, including the one we were heading to now.

That she collected vintage cars and had a museum.

That she shunned the limelight and preferred to blend in as just another ordinary person.  I’d only seen her once in elegant clothes, her usual garb rarely changed from workout gear or simply jeans and polo shirts.

It made it all that more difficult for me to understand why she would be interested in me, and more so the potential harm I could do on the other side of the law.

Her father was certainly icy about the relationship, and a few of the others at the birthday bash had intimated that my ongoing relationship with her would cause an early demise.

Until her father put an end to it.

“Do you really own all this?”  I waved my hand across the shoreline.

“Yes.  As you say, it’s one of the few places on this earth that has not changed in the last thousand years.”

We had reached the edge of the Cove and as she rounded the point we could see the cave, actually one of six or seven though most were relatively shallow.

But that was not only what could be seen.

There were two people waiting by the cave, and when I looked at them through the binoculars, I could see they were not a welcoming committee.

“Are you expecting anyone to greet us on arrival?”

“No.  I didn’t tell anyone but you we would be coming here.”

“Then make a detour, out of the sight line, and drop me off.  Anchor there if you can, and I’ll go ask them.  Politely, of course.”

Ten minutes later I was about to go over the side, and wade ashore.  She handed me a gun, with a suppressor.  “Just in case they don’t understand the word polite.”

So much for a new start in what we thought was going to be obscurity.

…

©  Charles Heath  2023

…

“Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”

I remember Angela quoting that to me when we were doing a tutorial for the Journalism part of my degree.  It was only one part of many for me, whereas, for her, it was to become her bread and butter.

She had taken up the role of a reporter on the campus newspaper, and she was inclined to write sharp pieces that would later point to how she would approach the job at the local newspaper, a job assured there for her based on her department head’s glowing recommendation.

Her vendetta against Emily had begun from day one at university and only grew more acrimonious each year.  Emily had hardly helped her situation by joining her equally entitled friends and behaving badly.

She knew my secret feelings about Emily and had often mocked me for it, especially after we didn’t find mutual ground.  It was probably the one relationship on campus I regretted.

It seemed inevitable that I was about to get entangled with her again, after trying so hard to keep out of her sight.  I had scored a piece, the smartest kid in college, but it was hard to tell if it was a character assassination or just a bio that might land me a useful job.

I didn’t bother calling up and asking her.

Xavier had just spent the last half hour roasting me for going to the ball and then demanding to know when and where I had fallen for the meanest girl on campus.

“I hardly think fallen is the word I’d use.  I like her, surely that’s obvious because she’s a reasonably likeable girl.”  It was difficult to find the words that dodged the bullet that was coming straight at me.

Xavier was a friend, but this would stretch it.  She was, categorically, the enemy.

“Perhaps,” I added, “with my new special status, I can put in a good word for you.  I know she knows Amy, and I know you like her, and that’s no different to my situation.”

He shrugged.  Like me, I don’t think he would ever confess his undying love to a girl who would have no hesitation in humiliating him.  “Don’t.  I prefer the wistful looking for a great distance and using my imagination.  What was she like to dance with?  I heard it was a Viennese waltz.”

“It wasn’t anything special.  You did the Arthur Murray lessons like I did.  And you would have fitted in.  The people were just people, Xavier.”

We both looked up at the same time to see Angela chugging her way across the cafeteria towards us.

“That’s my cue to leave.  You think I’m pissed; just wait till she gets here.”

And he was gone in the blink of an eye.  He hated Angela more than I did.  I thought of running, but what was the point.  She would just chase me down until I surrendered.  Better now than never.

She sat down, no tasking if it was alright, and pulled out her recorder and notebook.  She was nothing if not thorough.

“I’m assuming you’ve come here for an interview, though I’m not quite sure why.”

She shook her head, the trademark scowl getting a little deeper.  “I hope you’re not going to try and act dumb.”

“Who said it was an act.  I believe you told me, once, that I was the dumbest boy on the planet.  You’re being an authority on the subject, I accepted my lot.”

The scowl deepened.  “You’re going to be a pain in the ass, aren’t you?”

I shrugged.  “You reap what you sow, Angela.”

She switched off the recorder and softened her expression.  “Off the record, for the time being.  What were you thinking, going to that ball?”

“It was a perfect opportunity to put my Waltzing skills to the test.  You don’t get that kind of dancing opportunity every day.”

“With Emily, though?”

“She’s just a girl, Angela.”

“One I might add you are so obviously enamoured with.”

“How could one not be, at the moment.  I have had a crush on her for quite some time, yes, but up close and personal, it was not something I was going to pursue on or off the floor.  Not the time or the place.”

“How did you get an invite?”

“How did you?”

She shook her head.  “Try answering some of the questions, or I’ll just have to imagine what the right answer is.”

“OK.  Let me ask you a question.  Were you appraised of my brain out a week or so ago in this very cafeteria where I chewed out both the girl herself and that idiot boyfriend of hers?”

“It was mentioned.  People were surprised, but not shocked.  You and she have a very rocky sub-history.”

“Exactly.  Her father wanted to meet someone who doesn’t try sucking up to her because of who she is.  He invited me for that reason only.  You can ask him if you like.”

“I have.  You impressed him, and that is very difficult to do.  Are you thinking of working for him?  He seems to think you would make an excellent fit given your academic history.”

“You mean, marry the boss’s daughter?  That’s so 1950s cliché Angela.  If anything were to happen between us, and that’s very unlikely, I wouldn’t want to work for him, and things go south.  No, not considering it.  I have offers from New York, Washington, and Philadelphia.  Or I might just stay here and compete with you for a job on the paper.”

Another shake of the head.  “You’re very good at ducking and weaving.  Perhaps you should consider becoming a politician.”

“I couldn’t, I’m too honest.”

She snorted.  “You haven’t told me the truth yet, William.  She likes you, that was plain to see when you were together.  Her official line is no comment to any of the questions I asked her, and your obfuscating, which smacks of collusion.  I’m going to keep my eye on the two of you because there’s a story here.”

“You’re talking about a fairy tale, Angela, and they are just that, tales.  You know I like her, and I have for a long time, unrequited love I believe it’s called.  I had an argument with her, and it amused her father to invite me to an event that normally I’d never get an invite to because of who I am, and I’m sure all the toffs had a lot of laughs over it at my expense.  Emily was there, we danced the waltz, it was fun, and I surprised her in that a slum boy could actually wear a tuxedo and look good, and actually dance in time to the music.  That’s the story.

“As for the job, you know as well as I do, Rothstein invited the top 10 college students to an orientation day where they get to see how the company works, and then get a job offer.  I’m in the top ten so that’s a no-brainer, even for you.  There are no special attachments to it.  Knowing or not knowing Emily is not a precursor to getting an offer.

“And as for an ongoing relationship, do you see us together, here, now?  No.  I am as distant from her horizon now as I was yesterday and all the t=yesterdays before that.  I am not going to treat her differently now I’ve been to a ball and danced with her, she is still the same pain in the ass girl she always was, only at the end of this year I will be put out of my misery, and she will move on to the next shiny toy in the toy box.”

“So, you’re not expecting anything to happen?”

“Me?  No.  They’re the Rothstein’s.  Rothstein’s do not mix with people like me.  People like me are put on this earth for their amusement.  We all are.”

She shrugged.  “You make it so black and white, but I don’t think it is.  This isn’t over, William.”  She picked up the recorder and the notepad and put both into her backpack.  “Next time.”

I was hoping there wouldn’t be one.

…

©  Charles Heath  2023

…

“Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”

I remember Angela quoting that to me when we were doing a tutorial for the Journalism part of my degree.  It was only one part of many for me, whereas, for her, it was to become her bread and butter.

She had taken up the role of a reporter on the campus newspaper, and she was inclined to write sharp pieces that would later point to how she would approach the job at the local newspaper, a job assured there for her based on her department head’s glowing recommendation.

Her vendetta against Emily had begun from day one at university and only grew more acrimonious each year.  Emily had hardly helped her situation by joining her equally entitled friends and behaving badly.

She knew my secret feelings about Emily and had often mocked me for it, especially after we didn’t find mutual ground.  It was probably the one relationship on campus I regretted.

It seemed inevitable that I was about to get entangled with her again, after trying so hard to keep out of her sight.  I had scored a piece, the smartest kid in college, but it was hard to tell if it was a character assassination or just a bio that might land me a useful job.

I didn’t bother calling up and asking her.

Xavier had just spent the last half hour roasting me for going to the ball and then demanding to know when and where I had fallen for the meanest girl on campus.

“I hardly think fallen is the word I’d use.  I like her, surely that’s obvious because she’s a reasonably likeable girl.”  It was difficult to find the words that dodged the bullet that was coming straight at me.

Xavier was a friend, but this would stretch it.  She was, categorically, the enemy.

“Perhaps,” I added, “with my new special status, I can put in a good word for you.  I know she knows Amy, and I know you like her, and that’s no different to my situation.”

He shrugged.  Like me, I don’t think he would ever confess his undying love to a girl who would have no hesitation in humiliating him.  “Don’t.  I prefer the wistful looking for a great distance and using my imagination.  What was she like to dance with?  I heard it was a Viennese waltz.”

“It wasn’t anything special.  You did the Arthur Murray lessons like I did.  And you would have fitted in.  The people were just people, Xavier.”

We both looked up at the same time to see Angela chugging her way across the cafeteria towards us.

“That’s my cue to leave.  You think I’m pissed; just wait till she gets here.”

And he was gone in the blink of an eye.  He hated Angela more than I did.  I thought of running, but what was the point.  She would just chase me down until I surrendered.  Better now than never.

She sat down, no tasking if it was alright, and pulled out her recorder and notebook.  She was nothing if not thorough.

“I’m assuming you’ve come here for an interview, though I’m not quite sure why.”

She shook her head, the trademark scowl getting a little deeper.  “I hope you’re not going to try and act dumb.”

“Who said it was an act.  I believe you told me, once, that I was the dumbest boy on the planet.  You’re being an authority on the subject, I accepted my lot.”

The scowl deepened.  “You’re going to be a pain in the ass, aren’t you?”

I shrugged.  “You reap what you sow, Angela.”

She switched off the recorder and softened her expression.  “Off the record, for the time being.  What were you thinking, going to that ball?”

“It was a perfect opportunity to put my Waltzing skills to the test.  You don’t get that kind of dancing opportunity every day.”

“With Emily, though?”

“She’s just a girl, Angela.”

“One I might add you are so obviously enamoured with.”

“How could one not be, at the moment.  I have had a crush on her for quite some time, yes, but up close and personal, it was not something I was going to pursue on or off the floor.  Not the time or the place.”

“How did you get an invite?”

“How did you?”

She shook her head.  “Try answering some of the questions, or I’ll just have to imagine what the right answer is.”

“OK.  Let me ask you a question.  Were you appraised of my brain out a week or so ago in this very cafeteria where I chewed out both the girl herself and that idiot boyfriend of hers?”

“It was mentioned.  People were surprised, but not shocked.  You and she have a very rocky sub-history.”

“Exactly.  Her father wanted to meet someone who doesn’t try sucking up to her because of who she is.  He invited me for that reason only.  You can ask him if you like.”

“I have.  You impressed him, and that is very difficult to do.  Are you thinking of working for him?  He seems to think you would make an excellent fit given your academic history.”

“You mean, marry the boss’s daughter?  That’s so 1950s cliché Angela.  If anything were to happen between us, and that’s very unlikely, I wouldn’t want to work for him, and things go south.  No, not considering it.  I have offers from New York, Washington, and Philadelphia.  Or I might just stay here and compete with you for a job on the paper.”

Another shake of the head.  “You’re very good at ducking and weaving.  Perhaps you should consider becoming a politician.”

“I couldn’t, I’m too honest.”

She snorted.  “You haven’t told me the truth yet, William.  She likes you, that was plain to see when you were together.  Her official line is no comment to any of the questions I asked her, and your obfuscating, which smacks of collusion.  I’m going to keep my eye on the two of you because there’s a story here.”

“You’re talking about a fairy tale, Angela, and they are just that, tales.  You know I like her, and I have for a long time, unrequited love I believe it’s called.  I had an argument with her, and it amused her father to invite me to an event that normally I’d never get an invite to because of who I am, and I’m sure all the toffs had a lot of laughs over it at my expense.  Emily was there, we danced the waltz, it was fun, and I surprised her in that a slum boy could actually wear a tuxedo and look good, and actually dance in time to the music.  That’s the story.

“As for the job, you know as well as I do, Rothstein invited the top 10 college students to an orientation day where they get to see how the company works, and then get a job offer.  I’m in the top ten so that’s a no-brainer, even for you.  There are no special attachments to it.  Knowing or not knowing Emily is not a precursor to getting an offer.

“And as for an ongoing relationship, do you see us together, here, now?  No.  I am as distant from her horizon now as I was yesterday and all the t=yesterdays before that.  I am not going to treat her differently now I’ve been to a ball and danced with her, she is still the same pain in the ass girl she always was, only at the end of this year I will be put out of my misery, and she will move on to the next shiny toy in the toy box.”

“So, you’re not expecting anything to happen?”

“Me?  No.  They’re the Rothstein’s.  Rothstein’s do not mix with people like me.  People like me are put on this earth for their amusement.  We all are.”

She shrugged.  “You make it so black and white, but I don’t think it is.  This isn’t over, William.”  She picked up the recorder and the notepad and put both into her backpack.  “Next time.”

I was hoping there wouldn’t be one.

…

©  Charles Heath  2023