Swan (4 page)

‘London Bridge.’

I squinted at the photo. ‘That’s Tower Bridge isn’t
it?’

‘Er yes, sorry, my mistake. You’re quite right.
Tower Bridge.’

‘They’re amazing,’ I said, handing the portfolio
back to him.

‘I also do people,’ he winked. ‘Maybe one day I’ll
show you some of my portraits.’

Great, I thought sarcastically. So was this to
become a regular thing - him just popping round to see me? How could I possibly
put up with another episode of smelly feet? When he had gone I decided that
this would be the first and last time David Powell would have the pleasure of
my company.

* * *

‘So what do you think this meeting’s about?’ Margery
asked, drumming her fingers on the table.

Caroline stifled a yawn. ‘I don’t know. We’ve
probably all got the sack.’

It was Wednesday afternoon, and we’d all been called
into a meeting with the new Head of Service, Angela Towner.

‘Has anyone seen this Angela what’s-her-name?’
Margery inquired. ‘I bet she’s a right bitch. I saw her downstairs at reception
and she gave me a dirty look. Silly cow. Does anyone know where she came from?’

‘I heard she used to work for Reading,’ Caroline
replied. ‘I don’t know much else about her. These managers are all the same
though, aren’t they? Same shit, different day. Fat pay cheques and fat all to
do. They bloody do my head in.’

I leaned back in my seat, folded my arms. As always,
I stayed well out of the conversation. I wasn’t into office politics. Better to
keep your mouth shut than live to regret it later.

‘Meow!’ Rodney hissed. ‘You lickle gals are so
bitchy, mon. Give de poor ting a chance. You haven’t even met her yet. She
might surprise you.’

Rodney was Jamaican and liked to pluck his eyebrows.
He had a wife and kids back in Kingston, but since he’d moved to London, he’d
spent most of his time cruising Soho’s gay bars. He was great fun though, a
larger than life character.

The door opened, and William and Angela strolled in.
William looked like he was constipated. Angela smiled pleasantly. She was a
heavy-set woman in her fifties with closely cropped grey hair. Her bosoms were
enormous, like she’d stuffed two pillows up her cardigan. I decided there was
something of the wildebeest about her.

‘Hello guys, I’d like to introduce you to Angela
Towner. She’s our interim Head of Service. We are extremely privileged to have
her with us, so I hope you’ll all make her feel welcome.’

‘Thank you, William,’ Angela gushed. She rambled on
for five minutes about what she hoped to bring to the department before her
voice took on a more serious tone. ‘I know there has been much talk of cuts,
and I’d be lying to you if I said this wasn’t true. There has been and will be
more job losses in the future.’ Angela paused for dramatic effect. ‘Yes, there
will be cuts. But I can assure you that those members of staff who are
hardworking, conscientious and punctual will have nothing to fear. I will do my
utmost to ensure that all of your jobs are secure, but we have to work
together. We have to prove that this department is worth saving.’

‘Hold on a minute, haven’t you just contradicted
yourself?’

Everyone turned and looked at Margery. I bit my lip.
Oh God, now she was in for it.

‘Excuse me?’ Angela frowned. ‘How have I
contradicted myself?’

‘Well,’ Margery said authoritatively, ‘you say that
there will be definite job losses, but then in the next breath, you say that
all of our jobs are safe. Which one is it? I want to know what’s really going
on here.’

I cringed. Margery was the sort of person who
revelled in winding up management to see what she could get away with. Every
other week she was in the midst of some grievance, the majority of her time
spent in clandestine meetings with her union rep. She always had to be the
outspoken one, the champion of the people. This was fine, as long as she
understood that from now on, in Angela Towner’s eyes, she was a marked woman.

Angela exchanged knowing glances with William. Then,
clearing her throat, she walked up to Margery’s desk and fixed her with a
steely glare.

‘To whom am I speaking?’

‘Margery Blake.’

‘Well Margery, let me assure you - I am not here to
make enemies. I am not here to swing the axe on Parking Services. I am here to
make sure that we are all as productive as possible. And that will include
rewarding those who work the hardest – the people whose jobs will be
secure. Does that answer your question?’

Margery nodded, clearly shocked by how direct and
totally unflinching in her response Angela had been. She had finally met her
match.

Angela’s face glowed with benevolence as she turned
to face the rest of us. ‘I have an announcement to make. There’s a new job
opportunity arising in Parking Services; a management position that I feel
would suit someone in this room. I hope that you will all apply. I will be
looking for someone with a Customer Services background, and this will be a
great opportunity for one of you to develop your skills. The job description
goes out this Friday so keep your eyes peeled.’

She then made her excuses and left. We were now
alone with William. He glanced at his watch. ‘Well guys, time’s up. Let’s go
back to the floor.’

Margery groaned.

‘Dat job sounds interesting,’ Rodney remarked
loudly, ‘I might apply.’

‘Yeah,’ Caroline agreed, ‘I might do too. What’s
there to lose?’

This got me thinking. I had never been one to pursue
management opportunities because I had always seen my role in the call centre
as a means to an end and nothing more. Now, seven years on, I could certainly
do with a better-paid job, so what was stopping me from going for it? Besides,
I had as good as chance as anyone, didn’t I? By the time the global email from
Angela arrived the next day, I had already made up my mind to apply.

Chapter Four

‘Are you sitting down?’ Beth’s voice was riddled
with emotion. ‘I think Phil’s having an affair.’

‘What?’ I almost spat out my coffee.        

‘I can’t go on like this, Maddy. I feel like I’m
having a breakdown.’

‘How do you know he’s having an affair?’

‘Lots of things. I just know, that’s all.
Everything’s a mess. I really need you, Mads. Can I come over?’

‘Of course you can. I’m here for you no matter what.
But please, try not to get too hysterical.’

‘Okay. I’ll be with you as soon as I can.’ She hung
up.

I looked up at the kitchen ceiling. Wow. What a
revelation. The idea of poor, downtrodden Phil having an affair was dubious to
say the least. He’d always appeared to adore my sister, lavishing her with gifts
and pandering to her every whim without complaint. If anyone had asked me who
out of the two of them was more likely to cheat, I’d have said Beth every time.
On more than one occasion, I’d witnessed her flirting shamelessly with other
men in front of him, but he’d always turned a blind eye.

I drained my coffee cup, tossing it in the sink.

No, Phillip couldn’t possibly be having an affair, I
decided. It just wasn’t in his nature. But then, if I put myself in his shoes,
I could see how Beth was probably hell to live with. Perhaps her greedy demands
and incessant chattering had pushed him to breaking point. Perhaps he’d sought
solace in the arms of a less complicated, less grasping woman who would listen
to his problems. If that was the case, then my sister only had herself to
blame. Phil was a good husband and a doting father. Men like him were hard to
find.

Beth got to my flat about half six. Despite speaking
on the phone every single week, it had been almost three months since we’d
actually seen each other. I was shocked by her appearance. She had lost about a
stone in weight, and had the pale, drawn face of a hunted woman. This
immediately triggered alarm bells. How long had these marriage problems been
going on for? Every time we’d spoke, she’d always indicated that life couldn’t
be better: the sun shone out of Phil’s arse and pretty Vicky was the
reincarnation of Baby Jesus. Now it was painfully clear that my sister had been
less than candid with me.

She gave me a rueful look. ‘I know what you’re thinking,
and before you say anything, I just want to say that I didn’t want to worry
you. That’s the only reason why I didn’t tell you about this before.’

I didn’t answer. I took her coat, hung it up. Then,
I made us both a cup of tea, which we took into the living room. She sat down
and ran her fingers through her shiny brown hair.

‘So what happened?’ I asked. ‘Why do you think
Phil’s having an affair?’

‘I started to suspect something was up on
Valentine’s Day. Normally, we go to that lovely restaurant off Old Compton, but
this year, Phil said he wanted a quiet one at home. He didn’t get me a present
either, only a card, which I think speaks volumes about how he values our
relationship, don’t you?’ She looked at me for approval.

‘Go on,’ I said calmly. ‘What else?’

She spread her hands. ‘He’s just not very loving
towards me anymore. He shouts; he gets irritable. He never used to be like
that. Then there’s this thing with his receptionist. She keeps calling the
house to speak to him. If he’s not in, she acts like her world has crumbled.’

‘Have you ever met her?’

‘No, but Phil tells me she’s young and pretty.’

I arched an eyebrow. ‘Phil actually told you that,
did he?’

‘Well, not in so many words, but that’s the
impression I get.’

‘Have you told Phil about your suspicions?’

‘No, no, of course not. He’s too bogged down with
work. There never seems to be a right time, you know? And anyway, he’d probably
deny it.’

I sipped my tea thoughtfully. ‘So let me get this
straight - you think that Phil is cheating on you because he didn’t take you to
a restaurant and you’ve had a couple of phone calls from a girl at work.
Doesn’t exactly amount to an affair, does it?’

‘I knew you’d trivialise this. I just
knew
you would! That’s why I didn’t want
to tell you in the first place.’

‘I’m not trivialising it. I’m just saying that it
doesn’t necessarily mean he’s having an affair. There could be a perfectly
innocent explanation.’

‘What about the receipt?’

‘What receipt?’

‘The receipt from Selfridges I found in his
briefcase.’

‘You didn’t tell me about that.’

‘Well, now I have. There was a perfume receipt for
Anais Anais
, which he knows I hate, in
his briefcase. That proves he must have bought it for someone else. It proves
he’s cheating!’

‘No, it doesn’t. Perhaps it was for his mum, or his
sister. Maybe if you tried asking him first, instead of jumping to wild
conclusions, you could save yourself a lot of hassle.’

Beth turned on me with fiery eyes. ‘I knew it would
be pointless talking to you. How could I possibly expect you to understand what
it’s like to be married? How could you possibly understand what I’m going
through? You’ve never had a man, Maddy, so you don’t understand a woman’s
intuition.’ She paused, checked herself. Her voice softened, and she rested her
hands in mine. ‘Look Mads, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have said
that. It was out of order and I didn’t mean it.’

‘It’s fine. You’re right. What do I know? I’m only
trying to save your marriage.’ I pulled her towards me, cradled her in my arms.
‘I just don’t want you to make the biggest mistake of your life, darling.
Phil’s a great guy, and I want you to think carefully before doing anything
irrational. Try talking to him. You owe it to yourself. You owe it to Vicky.’

She nodded silently.

‘You don’t know how much I envy you, how much I wish
I had the life you’ve got.’

Beth lifted her tear-stained face. ‘Do you really?’

‘Of course! And so does everyone else. You’ve got
what everyone wants, a beautiful child and a man who loves you.’

She smiled graciously.

I was pleased. Having appealed to her vanity, I had
managed to convince her to give Phil the benefit of the doubt. Deep down,
however, I wasn’t so convinced of his innocence. But I wasn’t about to tell her
that. No, I had to help to preserve her fairytale, to make her believe that
there were still knights in shining armour, and she had bagged the best of
them.

Suddenly the doorbell rang.

‘Are you expecting someone?’ Beth asked.

I shook my head.

It rang again.

‘Well, are you going to answer it or what?’

‘Er no ... I don’t know. I think it might be that
weird guy from next door. If it is, then I’m not opening it.’

‘What weird guy? You didn’t tell me you had a new
neighbour.’

‘I’ve only met him once. But God, it was enough. His
feet absolutely stink!’

Beth shrieked with laughter. ‘I like the sound of
him already. He could be just the tonic for my depression.’