Page 25 of The Truth About You and Me
She finishes her cigarette, twists it out into a small saucer. Jack lifts the ice from her ankle. ‘Well, you’re made of stern stuff, Riz,’ he says. ‘The swelling has gone down a little already.’ Jack looks up at me; I’m clutching a vinyl record against my chest. ‘But we can take you to the doctors’ tomorrow to get it checked out?’ I don’t miss thewe. The invitation. The question in his eyes.
I want to say yes, of course we can take her to the doctors’, but I can’t. There will be too many people and it’s too much of an intrusion to have access to so many private thoughts. He must see my hesitation, and an understanding softens his expression. I need to tell him the truth; this is going too far. I mean, a second date at Flicks was OK – it’s not that huge a commitment – but now I’ve let him into my life outside of the cinema and… and I’m not sure if hecanbe part of it. Or that I can be part of his, not until I’ve explained.
‘How about I swing by tomorrow morning,’ he continues, ‘and take you to get checked out?’
I should say: no, it’s fine. You’re a busy man. I’ll take my elderly friend to a busy doctors’ surgery, no problem. But I know what it will be like, even if I’m able to avoid touching people with their own worries and fears. I could call her a taxi but then who would help her down the steps? I know she has no children, no husband…
‘I’m sure you two have much more interesting things to be getting on with than taking care of the likes of me. I’ll grab a cab and I…’ She looks around the room at the debris of her life. There is a switch, something not quite defeated, but there is a drop in her shoulders, like the weight of the task at hand is suddenly pressing down on her slight frame.
‘It’s my day off,’ Jack continues.
‘Mine too. I can give you a hand, sorting out your things if you’d like?’ I suggest tentatively. ‘You’ll probably need to rest your ankle,’ I add for good measure.
She looks between the two of us, then around the room.
‘Very well.’ She smooths down the sparkles of her dress. ‘If you insist. Thank you. But I will pay you, Maggie dear.’ I try not to show how much this will mean to me. ‘I’ve never taken advantage of people’s good intentions and I don’t intend on doing that now. Now, Maggie… you’re sure it won’t interrupt your studies?’ It takes me a moment to catch on. The fake course I’d told her about.
‘It won’t. I… it doesn’t start until the new year so I have plenty of spare time.’
‘Well then. I always believe things happen for a reason, so it was a good job I got tipsy and fell on my derriere. Thank you both.’
Jack helps Riz up, and we wait outside the bathroom while she changes.
‘Studies?’ he asks, leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets.
‘It’s’ – I lower my voice – ‘she felt bad about me no longer cleaning for her. I told a little white lie to make it easier for her.’
Riz shuffles out, holding tightly to her frame. We get her settled, say our goodbyes, and make our way to the front door, an unspoken conversation passed through glances towards each other.
‘Sorry you didn’t get to see the end of the film,’ I say, shrugging on my jacket.
‘I’ll catch it next time.’ He smiles, softly.
‘Thanks again. You’ve done more than enough.’
Jack nods before opening the door and stepping outside. He stops, turns, and makes his way back towards me. My heart is pounding again. ‘Forgot my coat,’ he says. I have to talk myself down from being so ridiculous. What did I think was going to happen? That he was – what? Going to ask me out again? Come back and snog my face off next to the door jamb?
‘I’ll get it.’
I rush upstairs, grab his coat, something heavy inside knocking against my thigh. I say goodbye to Riz again.
My mind is so filled with him, with what I should say, that I don’t notice that my gloves are peeled back, my fingertips bare. He steps towards me, hand outstretched for his jacket.
And we touch.
Again.
14
MAGGIE
What am Idoing? This is too soon.
I’m not ready.
I snatch my hand back.
‘Sorry,’ he immediately responds as I tuck my hand in my pocket.
