anything, allow me to—”
“Alicia.” Dwayne stood up. The tone in his voice was entirely new. “Please excuse us.”
“What happened yesterday?” she asked.
Toby had not imagined Alicia would be here. He had over-rehearsed his address, and now his starting place was hidden from him. Like finding the right key, he could not choose the right tone of voice without plinking a few notes. “I…”
“Alicia, please,” said Dwayne.
She moved in to kiss Toby on her way out, and he backed up to block the doorway.
“Actually, Alicia, would you mind staying?”
“Well…” She looked at Dwayne.
“I have a couple things I need to discuss with you, Toby.” The morning sun shone down through Dwayne’s tilted blinds and highlighted his scars.
“Please sit, both of you,” Toby said. “Just give me a moment.”
They sat.
“Exceptional.” Toby rubbed his hands. He had rehearsed hand-rubbing. “Exceptional.”
Dwayne looked at his watch. “There’s a conference call in half an hour.”
“This won’t take long.” Toby sat in the matching chair, next to Alicia. He crossed his hands in front of his chest. “I know about your affair.”
A glance between them. “There’s no affair,” said Dwayne.
“Toby, that’s insane.”
“I’m not here to condemn you or break into tears in public. What can I do? I’ve been through it in my mind, a thousand times. You obviously love one another. Why else would you forsake an epic romance, a powerful friendship?”
Alicia stood up and sucked in her cheeks. “‘An epic romance, a powerful friendship.’ With your Lord Rector voice on. We both know where you grew up.” Then she walked out.
“Wait. You had better…”
She did not wait.
“Come back here, Alicia, or it’s over between us. It’s over between us forever. You can’t…Guess what, I mean it!”
She did not come back. Toby and Dwayne looked out the door as the sound of her heels on the thin carpet fadedbelow the low hum of the computer. One of Dwayne’s eyes appeared swollen. His children brought legions of viruses into his house.
Toby pulled out a sheet of paper, upon which he had made notes earlier that morning. All of his rehearsals in front of the bathroom mirror and in the car were now entirely wasted. His soundtrack had gone silent. “Well, that was unnecessarily awkward.”
Dwayne closed his blinds.
“I apologize for that,” Toby continued. “And for yesterday. I’m prepared to take blame where blame is due. However—”
Dwayne turned his monitor around. There was Toby in front of Roslyn School. He had not noticed yesterday how handsome a building it was—multicoloured brick, turn-of-the-century design. His suit, a brown Canali, had been a perfect choice, given the architecture, the late-morning sunlight, the autumn leaves. The image was frozen until Dwayne sniffed, hit a key, and leaned back in his leather chair.
Dwayne played it once, and again, and once more. Then he slid a sealed envelope over his desk. Toby opened it and skimmed the letter from the human resources director, outlining his severance package.
“You can gather your stuff like a grown-up and leave. Or I can have Security escort you out.”
“You know the situation I was in yesterday. My father—”
“I have one letter from Mr. Isidore and another from the president of the national council of the Conservative Party of Canada. I have one from the Council of Canadians of African and Caribbean Heritage, and one very long letter from the executive director of the African Canadian Heritage Association.”
“I’m not a racist.”
“Of course not.”
“We’re friends, you and I.”
“Friends.”
“The Benjamin Disraeli Society.”
Dwayne massaged his jacket pocket to emphasize the absence of any dress handkerchief.
“I hadn’t slept. I hadn’t eaten. I was on a lot of NyQuil. I’d just learned that my trusted friend, my terrific pal, was sleeping with my—”
“There’s nothing we can
“Alicia.” Dwayne stood up. The tone in his voice was entirely new. “Please excuse us.”
“What happened yesterday?” she asked.
Toby had not imagined Alicia would be here. He had over-rehearsed his address, and now his starting place was hidden from him. Like finding the right key, he could not choose the right tone of voice without plinking a few notes. “I…”
“Alicia, please,” said Dwayne.
She moved in to kiss Toby on her way out, and he backed up to block the doorway.
“Actually, Alicia, would you mind staying?”
“Well…” She looked at Dwayne.
“I have a couple things I need to discuss with you, Toby.” The morning sun shone down through Dwayne’s tilted blinds and highlighted his scars.
“Please sit, both of you,” Toby said. “Just give me a moment.”
They sat.
“Exceptional.” Toby rubbed his hands. He had rehearsed hand-rubbing. “Exceptional.”
Dwayne looked at his watch. “There’s a conference call in half an hour.”
“This won’t take long.” Toby sat in the matching chair, next to Alicia. He crossed his hands in front of his chest. “I know about your affair.”
A glance between them. “There’s no affair,” said Dwayne.
“Toby, that’s insane.”
“I’m not here to condemn you or break into tears in public. What can I do? I’ve been through it in my mind, a thousand times. You obviously love one another. Why else would you forsake an epic romance, a powerful friendship?”
Alicia stood up and sucked in her cheeks. “‘An epic romance, a powerful friendship.’ With your Lord Rector voice on. We both know where you grew up.” Then she walked out.
“Wait. You had better…”
She did not wait.
“Come back here, Alicia, or it’s over between us. It’s over between us forever. You can’t…Guess what, I mean it!”
She did not come back. Toby and Dwayne looked out the door as the sound of her heels on the thin carpet fadedbelow the low hum of the computer. One of Dwayne’s eyes appeared swollen. His children brought legions of viruses into his house.
Toby pulled out a sheet of paper, upon which he had made notes earlier that morning. All of his rehearsals in front of the bathroom mirror and in the car were now entirely wasted. His soundtrack had gone silent. “Well, that was unnecessarily awkward.”
Dwayne closed his blinds.
“I apologize for that,” Toby continued. “And for yesterday. I’m prepared to take blame where blame is due. However—”
Dwayne turned his monitor around. There was Toby in front of Roslyn School. He had not noticed yesterday how handsome a building it was—multicoloured brick, turn-of-the-century design. His suit, a brown Canali, had been a perfect choice, given the architecture, the late-morning sunlight, the autumn leaves. The image was frozen until Dwayne sniffed, hit a key, and leaned back in his leather chair.
Dwayne played it once, and again, and once more. Then he slid a sealed envelope over his desk. Toby opened it and skimmed the letter from the human resources director, outlining his severance package.
“You can gather your stuff like a grown-up and leave. Or I can have Security escort you out.”
“You know the situation I was in yesterday. My father—”
“I have one letter from Mr. Isidore and another from the president of the national council of the Conservative Party of Canada. I have one from the Council of Canadians of African and Caribbean Heritage, and one very long letter from the executive director of the African Canadian Heritage Association.”
“I’m not a racist.”
“Of course not.”
“We’re friends, you and I.”
“Friends.”
“The Benjamin Disraeli Society.”
Dwayne massaged his jacket pocket to emphasize the absence of any dress handkerchief.
“I hadn’t slept. I hadn’t eaten. I was on a lot of NyQuil. I’d just learned that my trusted friend, my terrific pal, was sleeping with my—”
“There’s nothing we can
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