you! I thought you were busy doing art boy stuff today.’
‘I’ve got art boys’ block.’
‘What’s art boys’ block?’
‘It’s like writer’s block but it only affects art boys. So are you busy or can you talk for a while?’
‘God, this place is dead. Done the lunch crowd and Poppy’s on washing-up and I’m re-filling the tomato ketchup tomato things.’
‘You’re what?’
‘Y’know, those plastic red tomatoes that you put the ketchup in.’
‘Oh,
those
tomato ketchup tomato things! So can you talk then?’
‘Yeah, Anna’s at the cash and carry and Italian Tony’s popped off to the bookies.’
‘I’m bored Edie. Can’t you take the afternoon off and we could go and see a film or something?’
‘Oooh! Yes! ’Cept, no, I can’t just, like, leave.’
‘You could say you were ill.’
‘Yeah but Anna would come upstairs to see me. And there’d be no ill Edie and hell to pay.’
‘I suppose that’s the problem with living above the premises. Well, do you want to see
Moonrise Kingdom
after work? It’s showing at the Rep. I’ll pick you up.’
‘Yeah, that’d be cool and then we could go for something to eat.’
‘OK, soooo… c’mon talk to me.’
‘Actually there was something I needed to talk to you about. But you’re not going to like it.’
‘That sounds ominous. You’re not going to dump me, are you?’
‘No! Don’t be silly. It’s just, well, I’ve got an acceptance letter from University College London for their French course.’
‘Oh.’
‘So say something.’
‘I guess I knew this was going to happen but I just decided that if I didn’t think about it, it would go away.’
‘But it wouldn’t start till the end of September and we’re going to spend the summer in America and you’ve only got a year to go anyway and you said that you wanted to do a Masters degree in London so it would only be a year apart and I’d get really long holidays and we could still…’
‘Jeez, Edie, you’re going to start hyperventilating if you don’t take a second.’
‘Don’t be mad at me, D.’
‘I’m not mad at you, I just can’t imagine what life would be like with you being more than fifteen minutes’ walk away from me.’
‘I know. I feel the same.’
‘So what did your mum say about it?’
‘She got all tearful about me moving to London and taking a job as a podium dancer in between lectures but I think she was also pleased.’
‘At least I’ve got you till the end of September I s’pose.’
‘You’ve got me after that as well.’
‘Yeah, I know. Listen, I’m pleased for you but it’ll take some time to get used to being Edieless.’
‘Yeah, but I hear they’ve invented this wonderful thing called a train and if you give a nice man some money he’ll let you go on his train all the way to London.’
‘Hey, you’re a real funny girl aren’t you?’
‘’Sides September is ages away.’
‘I know and I am going to have to kiss you and have wild, post-watershed sex with you even more now just to make up for all the times we can’t spend together.’
‘That’s sweet.’
‘I am sweet, that’s why you’re going out with me.’
‘Oh yeah, that’s why. I knew there had to be a reason. My God! I can’t believe I didn’t tell you this. Guess who came in here for lunch?’
‘I don’t know, Randolph the dog-faced boy?’
‘Who? No! Grace and Jack!’
‘On their own? Like, as a couple?’
‘There was a whole bunch of them from college but they sat opposite each other.’
‘Did they actually manage to speak whole sentences and maintain eye contact?’
‘Not so you’d notice but it’s early days. Don’t start that whole matchmaking business again. You have to let them do their own thing.’
‘Huh! If I let them do their own thing they’d be drawing their pensions before they’d even get round to saying “Hello”.’
‘Like us. If I hadn’t been the one to make the first move we’d never have got
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