Page 16 of Good Sisters

‘Well, you just try giving that talk to three boys,’ Julie said, rolling her eyes. ‘You two have it easy compared to me. That was some fun, I can tell you. Harry ran and left me to it. I even did a demonstration of putting a condom on a banana except I didn’t have a condom, so I used cling film which just didn’t work. It kept getting tangled and knotted. Eventually I just hissed, “Keep your penises in your pants,” and walked off.’

We all burst out laughing. It felt good. I couldn’t help thinking that if Mum had been there, she’d have been laughing with us. She had a great sense of humour.

‘For now,’ I said, ‘I’m going to say nothing. You never know with Clara. Maybe, with a bit of luck, she might just accept what I’ve said and leave it at that.’

I knew I was being over-optimistic. But, on the other hand, Clara was surrounded by love, support and kindness. She had men – uncles and a granddad – in her life, who loved her, and she knew she was the centre of my world: I told her so every day. She didn’t need a father and, besides,I genuinely had no idea who he was. I’d just have to deal with her queries, if they came up, and put the whole issue to bed as quickly and efficiently as possible. It had always been the two of us, and it always would be. We’d be fine on our own.

6. Sophie

I clenched my hands together as Robyn talked at me about what she needed, wanted and deserved. She was wearing leggings and an oversized jumper with the arms pulled down over her hands. Her hair was unwashed and tied up, she had no make-up on, but she still managed to look stunning. She had so much potential, but her attitude was appalling. She sat back in the chair opposite me, pouting like a grumpy toddler.

‘The thing is, Robyn, you turned up two hours late to the shoot. The company had to pay studio costs and the photographer and the stylist for their time.’

She shrugged. No sign of remorse. ‘I woke up feeling uncomfortable in my skin. I needed to get into the right headspace so I went to a yoga class and had some me-time. There was no point in turning up when I was feeling all, like, negative and down on myself. When I arrived, I was in a good place and feeling up for it.’

It was always about how she was, her feelings, her aura, her headspace … I was sick and tired of listening to Robyn’s bullshit.

‘They said that after arriving two hours late you complained about the water not being room temperature and the snacks not being vegan.’

Robyn looked affronted. ‘I mean, yeah! Everyone knows I’m vegan, and who drinks cold water? Like, hello, are we living in the olden days?’

‘You cannot arrive two hours late and complain. The onlything you should have done was apologize profusely and do an amazing job.’

Robyn frowned. ‘Listen, Sophie, back in the old days when you modelled, women let themselves be treated badly, but my generation,’ she thumped her chest, ‘is not letting anyone walk over us. We know our rights. We know our worth and our value. Hashtag MeToo.’

Hashtag You’re An Entitled, Spoiled, Bad-mannered Pain In My Arse.

I kept my voice steady. ‘Back in the old days, as you put it, we turned up on time because it’s called being professional. As for the temperature of our water, we didn’t cause a fuss about it because it was, and still is, considered rude to complain when someone offers you a free beverage. The client is furious and is insisting that the agency covers the cost of the two lost hours. Quentin and I will not be covering the cost of you being late. It’s coming out of your commission. So the total remuneration for you on this campaign is a hundred and eighty-nine euros.’

Robyn’s eyebrows flew up. ‘Are you joking right now? My commission is eight thousand.’

‘It was, but after costs it’s now a hundred and eighty-nine.’

She stood up. ‘That’s illegal!’

‘No, it isn’t. It’s called wasting client’s time and money, and on top of that your behaviour reflected badly on this agency.’

‘I don’t give a flying fuck about this agency. I want my money. My dad’s a lawyer. I’ll sue you.’

‘Go ahead, Robyn, you haven’t got a leg to stand on.’

‘I’ve two legs actually, two great legs. I will not be treated like this. I will not be bullied by some old, washed-up model, who’s jealous of me.’

Ouch. Talk about hitting my Achilles heel. This girl was a piece of work and I’d had enough.

Using my ‘Ice Voice’, as Jack called it, I said, ‘I think it’s time for you to leave.’

Robyn grabbed her oversized bag and headed towards the door. ‘I quit,’ she screamed. ‘Your top model is leaving this dump of an agency. Good luck trying to survive without me.’ She strode out of my office and down the corridor, then disappeared into the lift.

Quentin came out of his office and stood in the doorway to mine. ‘What in the name of God is going on?’

‘Robyn just quit.’

‘Because we’re charging her for the client’s bill?’

‘Yes, and because she’s an overindulged pain in the arse.’

‘Agreed, but she was a good earner.’

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