Page 88 of The Reboot
‘Is there any food?’ Ella asked desperately. ‘I could really do with some soakage.’
‘Food?’ Roly raised his eyebrows, seeming surprised. ‘Yeah, of course. You should have said.’
‘Well, I just assumed…’ She shrugged, annoyed that he was making her feel so basic because she needed to eat. ‘I mean, aren’t you hungry?’
‘Yeah, I could do with a bite, now that I think about it.’ When the waitress returned with their drinks, he asked her to bring them menus, then disappeared to the loo again.
To Ella’s relief, the menus appeared quickly, and her mouth watered as she studied hers. She was starving.
‘What do you fancy?’ Roly asked when he came back, seeming more wired than ever, his leg jiggling under the table, as if he couldn’t sit still.
‘There’s a Middle Eastern mezze that sounds really good. Want to share?’
‘Sure.’ He glanced down at his menu, then closed it. ‘Have you ever been to the Middle East?’ He knew damn well she hadn’t, and continued on without even waiting for her answer. ‘We were in Dubai last year. It’s amazing! You should go if you ever get the chance. Anyway, we had this incredible mezze – really authentic, you know, not like the stuff you get here…’
And he was off again. In between increasingly frequent visits to the loo, he boasted about the places he’d been, the food he’d eaten in Hong Kong, Sydney or Osaka, the night markets in Bangkok, the Las Vegas strip lit up to daylight at three am … Ella decided not to tell him about the trip to Greece she and Andrew had planned for the summer. She was so excited about it – the little three-star hotel they’d booked in Athens, the holiday apartment in Crete, the archaeological sites they’d visit, the cheap local wine they’d drink at little tavernas … But she knew Roly would make it sound small and pathetic, and she didn’t want him spoiling it. So she kept it to herself.
Roly barely touched the food when it arrived. Ella didn’t know if it was because whatever he was doing in the toilets had suppressed his appetite or if it was just that he couldn’t stop talking for long enough. She ate silently, concentrating on the mezze, which was delicious, throwing in the occasional ‘sounds amazing’ or ‘congratulations’, which seemed to be all that was required of her. She polished off most of the platter by herself.
She felt sad and weary when they stepped out into the street. Roly’s lips were cold when he leaned in to kiss her cheek. ‘See you,’ he said. But somehow she knew that he wouldn’t, that this was the last time. Their strange on/off friendship had finally run its course. She huddled into her coat, wrapping her arms around herself as they walked away in opposite directions. At the corner she turned to wave goodbye, but Roly was already gone.
22
On the firstFriday in August, Ella’s phone rang as she lay snuggled in bed waiting for her alarm to go off.
‘Good morning, honey! Happy birthday!’ She smiled at the sound of her mother’s voice.
‘Thanks, Mum.’ She sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes and yawned into the phone.
‘Sorry, did I wake you up? I wanted to get you before you left for work.’
‘No, I was already awake, and I was about to get up anyway.’ She leaned over and switched off the alarm on her nightstand. ‘What time is it there? And where is there?’
‘It’s two in the afternoon. We’re in Hanoi – just got here yesterday.’
‘Oh, lovely. Are you having a great time?’
‘Oh, Ella, it’s amazing! We’re having so much fun.’
‘I’m glad.’ Ella smiled and settled herself against the headboard. It was great to hear her mother sounding so happy. She was always upbeat, but the enthusiasm in her voice now was on another level.
‘We’re spending a couple of days here and then we’re joining a group trip on Monday. What about you? Any plans for today?’
‘Not really. Just the usual – work, home.’
‘You’re going to work on your birthday? You should have taken the day off, done something fun.’
‘Well, I’ve had my birthday off for the last ten years, so this will be kind of a novelty. And work is quite fun at the moment.’
‘I hope you’re doing something to celebrate later, though. Maybe with your lovely new housemate?’
‘Yeah, we’ll do dinner together.’ It was probably true. They ate together most nights, so in all likelihood tonight would be no different – unless Roly had something else on. She didn’t want her mother to feel bad about her not doing anything special, but she hadn’t actually told Roly it was her birthday. She’d wanted to, but she couldn’t find a way to casually work it into the conversation, and if she just told him out of the blue, it might look like she was angling for a present.
‘And Hazel’s away this weekend, but we’re going out to celebrate next week.’
‘Have you opened your presents yet?’
‘No. I’ve been very good and saved them for today.’ Ella glanced across at the wardrobe where she’d stashed the birthday gifts and cards her mother and Nora had given her before they’d left. She’d buried them right at the back so they’d be out of sight and she wouldn’t be tempted to open them before the day.
