She had excused herself to take a call.
He sat at the table wondering how long she would be. He knew that their regular time together was limited. She had finished her drink. He had hardly touched his. It was as though there was a chance that the activity of drinking could lead to him missing something. Missing time with her. She was beautiful and these brief encounters allowed hardly enough time to fully appreciate the fact. He stared at the napkin with her lipstick on it. He wanted to pick it up and kiss it. He also noticed the scratch mark on the edge of the wooden table. It was almost a letter ‘s’. He tried to think of someone he knew whose name began with an ‘s’. He couldn’t. He felt sure she wouldn’t be long.
He looked up at the ceiling and saw an air vent with tiny square holes in it. He wondered whether there were any spiders living in there; and did they come out at night looking for food? A woman appeared, entering from the other side of the room. It wasn’t her, but she wouldn’t be long. She would want to get back to him as soon as possible, he knew that.
He was wondering what she would say if he suggested they make a change and go out to a restaurant sometime. He was thinking this when he caught sight of the paint that was peeling on the side of the nearby tea trolley. He couldn’t help wondering why it was peeling in that one particular spot. He couldn’t see any reason for it. Not knowing that, bothered him, but his attention was quickly grabbed when he saw her returning, closing down her phone as she approached. His heart leapt and his face lit up.
She returned his smile as she stood at the table. Then, nodding, she picked up his papier-mâché frog and said, “That’s very nice, Tommy.” Putting it down, she picked up his folder and put it in her case. With another smile, she said “I have to go now, but I’ll see you again next week.”
He watched her go.
The man in the white jacket and trousers stepped forward. “OK, let’s get you back to your room.”
