Page 20 of The Promise of Tomorrow
Elena folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.
Tahoor’s cheeks reddened and he pulled at his beard. ‘Oh dear. I’ve done it again, haven’t I? When I talked about Isha dressing up at night, the same look came over your face. It’s a look that crosses my Yalina’s sometimes – and now she’s a teen, my granddaughter Sharnaz’s, too.’ He sighed. ‘We’ll have to bring in the card system.’
Elena frowned. ‘The what?’
‘Seeing as I’m such a football fan, Sharnaz made three cards – two yellow and one red. She or Isha hold them up if I’ve said something inappropriate. A yellow is more like a warning. Twoyellows or one red means I mustn’t speak about women for the rest of my stay.’
Genius! Should have been introduced years ago, although Elena would never have needed them at home. Her dad’s expectations had always been high for his daughter – like when, in the sixth form, he’d landed her that job in his friend’s cosmetics company. It gave her work experience and a degree of responsibility that looked great on her CV. He’d also give her a lucky silver sixpence from his coin collection, to put in her pocket for every exam. ‘Love it! That’s brilliant,’ said Elena, giving a thumbs-up.
‘Isha ran our household. I always saw her as an equal, but I’ve got certain views, with good reason too…’ he waffled, and sat quietly for a moment. ‘It’s one of several reasons why I could never move in with Yalina,’ he said eventually.
‘She’s asked you to?’
‘Oh yes. But her family are a busy bunch and she has her accountancy job. I wouldn’t want to be a nuisance. What’s more, I’m not ready to give up my independence. I… I’m just waiting for that moment to come, when I get over Isha’s death, and am able to rebuild again.’
Rory sat listening.
‘Watch out then,’ said Elena. ‘I’ll make those cards for your next visit.’
‘I’ll still be invited around?’
‘Who else am I going to share my fun facts about football with?’ asked Rory.
Humour was restored to Tahoor’s face. ‘I do love a football fact! Did you know most footballs are made in Pakistan?’
‘Are they? I’ve been to Karachi. Elena said you come from there? Best kebabs in the world.’
‘You should have tasted Isha’s! Did you go to Clifton Beach? She loved the seafood there.’
‘It was a brief day trip. We focused on the markets and drove past Mohatta Palace. Stunning.’ He smiled. ‘Now it’s my turn for a fun fact: Gary Lineker didn’t receive a single yellow or red card during his whole career.’
Elena hurried into the kitchen to get the egg and chips, leaving them talking about other well-known players. When she went back, they were both absorbed in the game. Or that’s how it looked. Perhaps Rory was a good actor, but then he punched the air and almost knocked his drink on to the floor when City scored. Keen to seek peace after eating, she left two slices of cake in front of them on the terrazzo coffee table and went upstairs. The imminent bungee jump, tomorrow’s pitch to the board, the hangover from last night, the lack of bolts at night… All of this left her wanting to get off the excited spinning top of life for a while, to take stock, to recharge.
Elena reached the upstairs landing and took a deep breath. Five minutes later, there was no trace of her.
13
ELENA
Elena sat at her desk and stared at the clock, as if it would help her time-travel forwards to the end of Derek’s meeting. She hadn’t even been able to focus on the last chapter of her current read by her favourite uplifting fiction author. For the last two hours he’d been on the top floor, with the board. It was lunch time now. Rory had gone to the staff gym for the first time, with Gary. It had only taken Gary a year to persuade Rory that you also get a buzz from pushing your body in an environment that wasn’t ten thousand feet high, or under threat from cascading water.
The door to the office opened. Derek came in, jumper sleeves rolled up, glasses off. He headed straight for her desk, sat on the corner of it, mouth downturned.
‘They rejected the idea?’ she said and put down her book.
‘We need to get our act together, need to raise our game, because the board said if we don’t’ – he paused and then punched the air – ‘then this brilliant project won’t hit the heights it deserves! They love the idea and want us to move forwards, full pelt!’ Derek’s face split into an axolotl smile and he held outhis palm. She high-fived it back. Cheeks sweaty, hair ruffled, and wearing bright yellow trainers, Rory walked in with Gary. Elena waved them both over and Derek stood up.
‘Well done on those figures you collated on competitors’ broken biscuit sales, Rory,’ said Derek. ‘The number of consumers for those items impressed the board. As did the fact it’s not a widely pushed product at the moment. The market is crying out for another brand to jump on board. That’s us.’ He looked at Gary. ‘I conveyed how the whole team has got behind this idea. The enthusiasm is contagious – that boardroom was buzzing when I left. Right…’ He rubbed his forehead. ‘In the first instance I need to speak to product development and?—’
‘First coffee more like, the oil to our engine,’ said Gary.
Derek followed him into the staff kitchen to help, the two of them talking in an animated fashion.
Rory held out his hands.
‘No,’ Elena said. ‘Not doing it.’ She shook her head. ‘Nuh uh.’
He raised an eyebrow and she gave a mock sigh, stood up and slipped her hands into his. He did a quirky dance and she joined in, laughing.
