Page 61 of Never Too Late
‘That’s a yes, then!’ I put the phone back against my ear. ‘Thank you.’
It was strange. After thirty years apart, and one evening together, talking to Gabby now felt like none of that had happened and we were picking up exactly where we’d left off. And it was wonderful.
‘Fantastique! Unfortunately, Ashok can’t come. He’s had to go home.’
‘How did it go?’ I asked as I handed the keys to Sash to unlock the main door so that I could gossip with full concentration.
‘Ah,mon dieu. Kitty. He is perfect! We had lunch together after his meeting and I came home to a delivery of twenty-four yellow roses. You remember they are my favourite? I don’t even remember telling him, but perhaps I did.’
‘Actually, he asked me.’
‘He did? He is so sweet. Which is terrible!’
‘It is?’
‘But of course! He is too good to be true, which means there has to be something wrong with him!’ She laughed but I caught the catch in her voice. After all this time, I could still remember her tells.
‘Nothing drastic that I know of but there are obviously some. We’ll winkle them out.’
Gabby gave a snort of laughter at my phrasing and I got a burst of warmth. Childish humour for the win! Hugh wasn’t always a fan of it, especially when he was surrounded by his academic pals.
‘Oh, I know one! He’s always,always, early.’ For many, that could be seen as a good thing but, with this disclosure, I was about to see how much my old friend had changed.
‘Ah! See! I knew it! I knew there would be something!’ Gabby laughed. ‘Although you will be pleased to hear my timekeeping has improved… a little.’
Gabby’s tardiness had often driven her brother up the wall but to be the successful businesswoman she clearly now was, I guess that it had improved more than the little she was teasing about.
‘OK. I have a few meetings this week but shall I come around a couple of hours earlier before the exhibition and we can gossip some more?’
‘That sounds perfect!’
24
Within minutes of us entering the gallery for Tomas’s opening night, Gabby was summoned by a very glamorous elderly lady dressed from head to toe in Dior. I’d never used my degree in anger but I could still spot Dior at a hundred paces. The clever lighting not only highlighted the artwork on the walls, but also the diamonds that glittered on her hands, ears, wrist as well as the enormous pendant at her throat.
‘Sorry, I have to…’ Gabby gave us an apologetic look.
‘Go, go!’ I whispered. ‘Good luck!’
Gabby gave me a private fingers-crossed sign and then strode away confidently as if she already knew the deal was done. Dior lady put her hand on Gabby’s arm and they moved to a quieter part of the gallery where an extra couple of small sofas had now been installed, I assumed for instances such as this. Silently, I wished Gabby, and Tomas by default, luck and turned back to Sasha.
‘There is alotof money in here,’ she spoke out of the corner of her mouth.
‘Yep. I’ve never felt so out of place.’ Well, apart from that one time long ago… But according to Gabby there was no chance of that happening tonight at least. Their father had passed some time ago but their mother was still around, although now living a much quieter life in the countryside. It had occurred to me that she might have been attending her son’s exhibition but Gabby had mentioned, even without me asking, that her mother no longer came up to the city. The fact I’d even had a moment’s thought about coming face to face with the woman again irked me at the time but Gabby had made me laugh, as usual, and knowing that she would not be here tonight allowed me to relax. Sort of.
‘Why?’ I turned to find Sash staring at me, her brow creased in apparently genuine surprise.
‘Because,’ I said, almost laughing at her reaction, ‘this is very much not my world.’
‘Just because you don’t normally come to things like this, or might have less money?—’
‘There’s no might about it. I’m practically blind from the sparkle of that lady’s diamonds.’
‘Yeah, they were amazing,’ she agreed with just a hint of longing. I felt the same way. ‘But just because someone has less money doesn’t mean they’re any less entitled to be here and enjoy the art.’
‘No. I know. It’s just?—’
Sash put her hand up. ‘There’s no “just”, Mum. That’s it. That’s the whole statement. You and Dad always taught me not to look down on people, and not to let people look down on me. That it is people’s actions that determine their merit, not their bank balance or how many houses – or diamonds – they own.’
