He sighed, irritably. “Oh, okay. I’ll get there as soon as I can. But this is really pissing me about.”
“That’s what I’m paying you for.”
“Look, I’ve said I’ll be there, all right?” His voice was petulant.
I was tiring of his moods. “Would it be too much to ask for you to be in a better frame of mind, do you think?”
“I’ll be all sweetness and light,” he said, and hung up.
He was late. But I had expected as much, and did not allow it to spoil my enjoyment of Anna’s company. She was animated, on a high now that she had told me, and when Zeppo finally arrived I felt a momentary pang that I no longer had her to myself.
“That’s your friend Zeppo, isn’t it?” she asked, looking over my shoulder. I turned. He was at the bar. I waved him over.
“What are you doing here?” His smile included us both in the question. He seemed genuinely surprised.
“It’s a celebration. Anna’s going to America.”
He turned to her. “Fantastic! How long for?”
“Hopefully for good.”
“She’s going with her boyfriend. You met him at the party, I think.”
“I remember. Marty. Well, that’s great! Congratulations.”
There was no sign of his earlier sullenness. Either he was an excellent actor, or he had managed to cheer himself up. I did not particularly care which. I was only thankful for the fact.
“Why don’t you join us?” I asked. “Unless you’re meeting someone, of course.”
He looked at his watch. “I was supposed to, but he’s not here. I’m late, though, so I might have missed him.”
“In that case have a glass of wine. I’m sure we can squeeze one out of the bottle.”
He sat down. As I poured his wine he asked Anna which part of America they were going to. I watched her as she answered. She was resting her arms on the table, leaning forwards slightly. Her dress was stretched taut where her breasts hung against it. I made myself look at her face.
She told him they planned to live in New York, at least until Marty had finished his doctorate. Zeppo, of course, had been there.
“It’s great. London’s got nothing on it. It’s got a real buzz, twenty-four hours a day. Is that where Marty’s from?”
“Well, he lived there before he came over here, but originally he’s from Boston. That’s where his parents live, but Marty doesn’t like it. He says it’s too country-club and snobbish for him.”
“I’ve never been. Apart from New York I’ve only been to California a couple of times. Now there’s somewhere you’ve got to go.”
Anna smiled. “I’d like to, but Marty’s not too keen on the West Coast.”
“Really? God, why not?”
“He’s not really one for the beach lifestyle. He says he had sand kicked in his face so many times when he was a kid that the tide comes in on him.”
We laughed dutifully. “It can be a bit like that,” Zeppo said. “But you shouldn’t let that put you off. Some of the beaches are incredible. It’d be a shame to miss them.”
The implied censure was only mild, but it was there. The first overt move against Marty. Anna accepted it with a shrug.
“Oh, well, we’ll see. There are hundreds of places I want to go to. I expect I’ll never get around to seeing half of them.”
“Have you a job already lined up?”
Anna glanced at me. “Oh, no, not yet. I’ll just have to look around when I get there.”
“If you’d like, I have one or two contacts in New York I could get in touch with,” I said. “They may be able to help.”
“Oh, would you? That’d be fantastic!”
I basked in her gratitude. “Well, I can’t promise that they will, of course, but I can certainly try.” I would at least go through the motions.
“Oh, that’ll be great, Donald! Thanks ever so much. We’ll be able to live on savings for a while, but the sooner I can find work the better.”
“Don’t build your hopes up too much. But I’ll see what I can do.”
That put Anna in a better mood than ever. Watching her, I could almost forget the reason we were there. Then Anna excused herself, and Zeppo leaned towards me.
“I think now’s as good a time as any for you to go.”
The request took me by surprise. “Now? Why?”
“Because there’s only so much I can do while you’re playing gooseberry, isn’t there? Don’t look so upset. That’s what you’re paying me for, isn’t it? You’ve got to leave us alone sometime or other.”
I covered my disappointment. “Yes, of course. I just wasn’t expecting it. What do you plan to do?”
“Not much. It’ll give me a chance to get to know her a bit better, that’s all. Then, if it goes well, I can rip her clothes off and take her over the table.” He sighed at my expression. “Joke, Donald.”
“I don’t find it funny.”
Zeppo smirked. “I noticed. Anyway, think of an excuse before she comes back. Say you’ve remembered a meeting, or something.”
“Won’t that seem rather suspicious?”
“Why should it? You’re her boss, for Christ’s sake, you don’t have to account to her. Just make it something simple, and leave it at that.”
I stood up as Anna returned. “Anna, I’ve suddenly remembered I’ve got an appointment in half an hour. I’m going to have to go. I’m afraid you’ll have to open the gallery yourself. You don’t mind, do you?”
If it was flimsy, Anna did not appear to notice. “No, of course not. I’d better be getting back, anyway. I’ve had far too long as it is.” She began to pick up her coat.
“No need to go this minute. There’s no hurry. Finish the wine first. I’m sure Zeppo won’t mind running you back, will you, Zeppo?”
“Of course not. My pleasure.”
I left them at the table. Not without regret and, I admit, a touch of jealousy. But I dismissed both, and instead tried to think of somewhere to go. There was a cafe opposite the gallery that was as good a place as any. I parked some distance from it, so Anna would not see the car, and began to walk back. No sooner had I set off than it started to rain. By the time I reached the cafe I was soaked.
I bought a cup of coffee and sat in a window seat, uncomfortably damp. From there I could look over the road at the gallery. I doubted I would be noticed. Plants cluttered the window sill, and the glass itself was so misted I could barely see through it myself. I sipped the appalling coffee and settled down to wait.
I was just beginning to suspect that Zeppo might have lured Anna off somewhere when I saw his car pull in further down the road. A moment later they were both running towards the gallery, sheltering under Zeppo’s coat. I was pleased by this unexpected intimacy, and felt more kindly disposed towards the rain. I watched as they went inside, and then the lights came on against the dark afternoon. Now I could see them clearly through the gallery’s large windows, a silent pantomime. I wished I could hear what they were saying. Both of them seemed to be smiling a great deal. The telephone must have rung, because Anna suddenly picked it up and began writing something in the messages book. Zeppo watched her for a moment, than moved to the window and looked out. I drew back but he did not see me. After a while Anna hung up, wrote some more, then said something to him. He answered, nodding. They laughed.
I took another sip of coffee, and was surprised to find it was cold. I was. about to order another when I saw someone else going into the gallery. I could see it was a woman, but she had her back to me, and it was only when she turned to acknowledge Zeppo that I recognised her. It was Miriam, the rather ridiculous designer who had been at my party. I hoped she would leave once she found I was not there. But she showed no inclination of doing anything of the sort, and when Anna disappeared and came back with three cups on a tray, I knew Miriam was planning to stay.