Minding Frankie - Maeve Binchy [35]
“No, not too many,” Lisa agreed. This was the way it had to be played. She knew that now.
She signed on for the business diploma the next day. They were very helpful in the college and she gave them a check that was the very last of her savings.
“How will you support yourself?” the tutor asked her.
“It will be hard, but I’ll manage,” she said with a bright smile. “I have one client already, so that’s a start.”
“Good. That will keep you solvent,” the tutor said, pleased.
Lisa wondered what he would say if he knew that the one client wasn’t going to pay a cent for the job she was doing and that he was costing her a fortune because he liked a woman to smell of expensive perfume and have lacy underwear, but because he was putting everything he had into the business he was unable to buy her any of these things.
At her first lecture, she sat beside a quiet man called Noel Lynch, who seemed very worried about it all.
“Do you think it will help us, all this?” he asked her.
“God, I don’t know,” Lisa said. “You always hear successful people saying that qualifications don’t matter, but I think they do because they give you confidence.”
“Yes. I know. That’s why I’m doing it too. But my cousin is paying my fees and I wouldn’t want her to think it was a waste.…”
He was a gentle sort of fellow. Not smart and lively and vibrant like Anton’s friends, but restful.
“Will we go and have a drink afterwards?” she asked him.
“No, if you don’t mind. I’m actually a recovering alcoholic and I don’t find myself at ease in a pub,” he said.
“Well, coffee then?” Lisa said.
“I’d like that,” Noel said with a smile.
Lisa went back to the bleak terraced house that she had called home for so long. Why was Anton so against her moving into his premises? It made absolute sense for her to be there, and once settled she could persuade him to give up his ludicrous bachelor existence with the others. After all, they were still on the prowl, while he had everything sorted: his own restaurant, his own girlfriend. What was the point in keeping up the charade of all being men about town?
If she could have gone back to the restaurant now and told him about the introductory lecture, it would have been great.
Mother was out somewhere and Father was watching television. He barely looked up as she came in.
“It went very well,” she said to him.
“What did?” He looked up, startled.
“My first lecture at the college.”
“You have qualifications already: a career, a job. This is just some kind of a figario you are taking.” He went back to the television.
Lisa felt very, very lonely. Everyone in that lecture hall tonight had someone to talk to about it. Everyone except her.
Anton was out tonight. He and the flatmates were going to some reception, not that he would have been very interested, but he would have listened for a little bit anyway.
Katie would have cared, but Katie and Garry had gone away on a long weekend to Istanbul. It seemed a very long way to go just for three nights, but they were highly excited about it and regarded it as one of the great explorations of all time.
There were no other friends. None who cared. What the hell? She would call Anton. Nothing heavy, nothing clinging, just to make contact. He answered immediately.
There was a lot of noise in the background and he had to shout.
“Lisa, great. Where are you?”
“I’m at home.”
“Oh, I thought you’d be here,” he said, and he actually sounded disappointed.
Lisa brightened a little. “No, no, I was at my first lecture tonight.”
“Oh, that’s right. Well, why don’t you come along now?”
“What is it, exactly?”
“No idea, Lisa, just lots of fun people. Everyone’s here.”
“You must know what it is.”
She could hear him frown. Even over the phone.
“Love, I don’t know who’s running it, some magazine company, I think. April invited us. She said there was unlimited champagne and unlimited chances to meet people, and she was right.”
“April asked you.”
“Yes, she’s part of the PR for it all. I was expecting you to be here too.…”
“No, honestly, I have to dash,” she said and got off the phone