Page 5 (1/2)
‘Mind if I join you, Leslie?’
Yes, he thought Yes, Iunder your breath, yes, yes
‘Of course’
Meaning, of course I mind, but that was not how she chose to take it
She settled down at the bench, exuding her lunch vapours of Bovril and cheese
‘Tuna?’
Leslie nodded
‘I don’t care for fish’
How often had she said it? How often had he proain he would kill her?
He se of his newspaper But she had ruined that too
She opened a packet of crisps and now the smell of chemical onion puffed out
‘I wanted to catch you because we had a coht to vote on the final choice’
He turned his head away from the onion smell
‘It’s The Mikado! I can’t tell you how pleased I arounds that it wasn’t often done, but there is a very good reason why It isn’t often done because it isn’t really very good’
‘No?’
‘Not one of the best by a long chalk’
Where did that co about the plans to convert the Old Gaol into workshops to go over it in hischalk Sport, it ore, it’s The Mikado’
Or some old taprooht be that?
He took the second half of his tuna sandwich out of the polythene bag and bit neatly into it
‘You know, you really should join us, Leslie I’ve been saying it for ages I know, but with The Mikado co up I don’t see how you can bear to refuse’
‘I did see it once,’ he said ‘Soo now’
‘And?’
‘I’m afraid I remember very little about it, June’
‘But you enjoyed it?’
‘I don’t remember that either’
‘Of course you did How could anybody not enjoy The Mikado? Once you heard the tunes again it would all co I’ve said so before I can’t sing Or play any instrument What use would I be?’
‘There are plenty of jobs backstage We always need extra hands’
Why did she do this to hiht hi in on his lunch hour, to try and persuade hiet that he told her each ti or play an instruet out, have a life, you know’
She had a small, pale mole on the side of her nose He would have liked to take a razor blade to it, slice it off, watch the blood flow
He turned the page of his newspaper but he had come to Classifieds and Property
‘I have a perfectly happy life, thank you’
‘Meet new people’
She didn’t listen She never listened He could have used a chain of obscenities, shouted them into her face one after the other, and she would wait until he had paused and then continue, telling hi, she could surely not expect hiive up a social life for her June Petrie had made it her business to find out assmall questions like drops onto a stone over thehiht have a voice, anyway You don’t know till you try Youand took out a srapes June Petrie ate the last of her onion crisps,sound
Today, tomorrow, or the next day, he would kill her
‘You knohere we are, the Baptist Hall You knohere that is’ It was not a question ‘Thursdays at seven, until it gets nearer the production, then it’s Thursdays and Fridays’
Leslie stood up He folded his paper He crunched down viciously on the last grape
‘Then I’m afraid that’s that, June,’ he said ‘I’ What a pity’
She ca doors, up the concrete staircase She would not do so yet, but before long Leslie Blade knew that she would ask him, in some roundabout hat exactly it was that he did, where he went, every Thursday and Friday evening He smelled the onion crisps as she panted up the stairs He could ht move, turn sharply and push He pictured it, her soft ht of concrete to the botto Minstrel’ softly, under her breath
Eight