irritated.
Perhaps it was the utterly passive, dependent persona Ginny adopted which
grated on her nerves. It was the way she looked to Joe for every little thing;
it was the modest lowering of her eyelids when she was not looking at him.
Somehow Ginny, despite her shyness, made her very uneasy. She tried to overcome
it, speaking to the girl directly for the first time that evening.
‘Are you new to
Cambridge?’ she said, determined to elicit some response.
Ginny looked up, her
strange eyes like cracked mirrors. Alice saw herself trapped there in
reflection.
‘I used to know it, a
long time ago.’
‘It never changes much,
does it? ‘Silently, Ginny shook her head.
‘What do you like best?
The Backs? The colleges? ‘Ginny smiled.
‘The graveyards. And the
river of course,’ she said.
Alice muttered some
reply, already feeling exhausted. Joe, however, did not seem to see anything
amiss; but he had been drinking cheerfully for most of the evening already, and
Alice had not expected him to notice the tension. He came back from the kitchen
carrying a six-pack of beer and some glasses, but ended up drinking out of the
cans, as usual.
‘Hey, Al,’ he said,
between gulps, ‘I see you still have old Cat. I’m sure she remembers me. When I
went to the fridge she came right up to me and started rubbing my leg with her
nose. How’s that for memory? I always liked that cat. Even when she shat in my
shoes.’
‘I think she just knows
there’s food in the fridge.’
‘Oh.’ For a minute he
was crestfallen, then, as a new idea came to him, he brightened again.
‘Tomorrow we’re playing
the Corn Exchange. Big-time stuff. Benefit gig with three more bands. You’ll
enjoy it. Ginny wants to hear us, too. Perhaps you two could come together; Gin’s
a bit nervous of being there on her own.
Ginny gave a little nod,
Alice gave a strained smile.
‘I’d love to come. What
sort of thing did you tell me you were playing?’
Alice knew that any
reference to his precious band was enough to keep Joe talking for the whole
evening. She knew that he would be satisfied as long as she smiled and nodded
and looked interested; and for the moment, she was too drained to attempt any
other conversation. Besides, there was Ginny; and her very presence inhibited
Alice in some inexplicable way. This feeling was so intense that she answered
Joe almost at random as he spoke, which earned her, despite his self-absorption,
a speculative glance.
‘You’re very quiet,’ he
said, laughing. ‘Has age mellowed you at last, or am I just boring you witless?
You always used to have plenty to say for yourself in the old days.’
Alice flicked a glance
at Ginny.
‘And you always used to
say that women talked far too much.’
He grinned. ‘They do.’
‘Do you stand for this
sort of thing, Ginny?’ said Alice, forcing herself to include the quiet girl in
their conversation.
‘She doesn’t have to,’
said Joe, opening another can one-handed, ‘she’s the most restful female I
know.’
‘Don’t be taken in,’
said Alice. ‘Beneath that charming exterior there’s a first-class chauvinist
pig.’
Ginny gave a little,
secret smile, raising her eyes to Alice’s, then dropped them again. She
murmured something in a feathery voice, which Alice did not hear; but Joe gave
a low laugh. Alice assumed that she had managed to counterfeit enthusiasm well
enough to deceive him, anyway.
‘I’ll have to go now, I’m
afraid,’ he said, with a quick glance at his watch. ‘I’ll be here in the
morning as soon as I can. I have a practice at ten, and we’ve got another at
about three, but I’m sure I’ll be able to find time to take you both out to
lunch.’
Alice smiled automatically,
grasping at the moment, understanding at last what this was leading to: soon he
would be gone, and she would be alone with Ginny.
‘Coffee before you go?’ she
asked, half in despair, because he was draining the last can of beer, because
he had
Perhaps it was the utterly passive, dependent persona Ginny adopted which
grated on her nerves. It was the way she looked to Joe for every little thing;
it was the modest lowering of her eyelids when she was not looking at him.
Somehow Ginny, despite her shyness, made her very uneasy. She tried to overcome
it, speaking to the girl directly for the first time that evening.
‘Are you new to
Cambridge?’ she said, determined to elicit some response.
Ginny looked up, her
strange eyes like cracked mirrors. Alice saw herself trapped there in
reflection.
‘I used to know it, a
long time ago.’
‘It never changes much,
does it? ‘Silently, Ginny shook her head.
‘What do you like best?
The Backs? The colleges? ‘Ginny smiled.
‘The graveyards. And the
river of course,’ she said.
Alice muttered some
reply, already feeling exhausted. Joe, however, did not seem to see anything
amiss; but he had been drinking cheerfully for most of the evening already, and
Alice had not expected him to notice the tension. He came back from the kitchen
carrying a six-pack of beer and some glasses, but ended up drinking out of the
cans, as usual.
‘Hey, Al,’ he said,
between gulps, ‘I see you still have old Cat. I’m sure she remembers me. When I
went to the fridge she came right up to me and started rubbing my leg with her
nose. How’s that for memory? I always liked that cat. Even when she shat in my
shoes.’
‘I think she just knows
there’s food in the fridge.’
‘Oh.’ For a minute he
was crestfallen, then, as a new idea came to him, he brightened again.
‘Tomorrow we’re playing
the Corn Exchange. Big-time stuff. Benefit gig with three more bands. You’ll
enjoy it. Ginny wants to hear us, too. Perhaps you two could come together; Gin’s
a bit nervous of being there on her own.
Ginny gave a little nod,
Alice gave a strained smile.
‘I’d love to come. What
sort of thing did you tell me you were playing?’
Alice knew that any
reference to his precious band was enough to keep Joe talking for the whole
evening. She knew that he would be satisfied as long as she smiled and nodded
and looked interested; and for the moment, she was too drained to attempt any
other conversation. Besides, there was Ginny; and her very presence inhibited
Alice in some inexplicable way. This feeling was so intense that she answered
Joe almost at random as he spoke, which earned her, despite his self-absorption,
a speculative glance.
‘You’re very quiet,’ he
said, laughing. ‘Has age mellowed you at last, or am I just boring you witless?
You always used to have plenty to say for yourself in the old days.’
Alice flicked a glance
at Ginny.
‘And you always used to
say that women talked far too much.’
He grinned. ‘They do.’
‘Do you stand for this
sort of thing, Ginny?’ said Alice, forcing herself to include the quiet girl in
their conversation.
‘She doesn’t have to,’
said Joe, opening another can one-handed, ‘she’s the most restful female I
know.’
‘Don’t be taken in,’
said Alice. ‘Beneath that charming exterior there’s a first-class chauvinist
pig.’
Ginny gave a little,
secret smile, raising her eyes to Alice’s, then dropped them again. She
murmured something in a feathery voice, which Alice did not hear; but Joe gave
a low laugh. Alice assumed that she had managed to counterfeit enthusiasm well
enough to deceive him, anyway.
‘I’ll have to go now, I’m
afraid,’ he said, with a quick glance at his watch. ‘I’ll be here in the
morning as soon as I can. I have a practice at ten, and we’ve got another at
about three, but I’m sure I’ll be able to find time to take you both out to
lunch.’
Alice smiled automatically,
grasping at the moment, understanding at last what this was leading to: soon he
would be gone, and she would be alone with Ginny.
‘Coffee before you go?’ she
asked, half in despair, because he was draining the last can of beer, because
he had
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