Workman: Chapter Four - Part Five

5 

At half time, Sangeeta and I found a booth on the quieter side of the bar while the other blokes started a drinking game involving knocking back shots while shouting expletives at the top of their lungs. I chuckled to listen to them, half wishing I was taking part.

Sangeeta and I had a big ice-cream and fresh cream dessert to share in a tall class with two long spoons. She looked beautiful in a sleeveless dress, ringlets dropping from the side of her exquisitely tied up hair. She was an expert applier of make-up and her eyes were framed beautifully. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

“I’m really glad I ran into you again,” she said.

“Yeah. Me too.” I had the impression she’d come here specifically to see if I would be here again and the trouble she’d gone to with her appearance telephoned her intentions pretty clearly. That made me both quietly thrilled and rather more uneasy.

“It’s great to escape,” she said. “I’ve had a day like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Really?”

“I won’t bore you with it.”

“No. Bore away. There’s nothing I like more than being bored by a beautiful woman.”

“So you’re saying I’m beautiful?” She smirked mischievously.

“Not at all,” I quickly added. “I wouldn’t want to give a false impression that I was coming on to you.”

“Oo, shame,” she said. “Cause I definitely would have been up for it.”

We laughed and she gave my knee a little scratch with her forefinger under the table.

“So why was it so bad?” I asked.

She rolled her eyes and shrugged. “It started off well. Sort of. Only had one customer all morning but we had a lovely chat; you know.”

I nodded, feeling duplicitous.

“Then from lunch time on it got worse and kind of crazy at the same time. You remember me telling you about the latest guy my dad is trying to set me up with?”

“Uh huh.”

“Well he only turned up at the shop today.”

“Really?”

“Said he’d come for the weekend.”

“It’s Thursday.”

“Exactly.”

“Staying...?”

“With me apparently. He invited himself; claims he just wants to hang out as friends – he’s brought an air bed – but obviously... Obviously he’s got aspirations.”

“It’s kind of creepy isn’t it?”

Sangeeta looked surprised.

“Or not,” I added. “I mean, is that...? I’m not too up on the protocol of arranged marriages and stuff. Is that normal?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. With my father involved, nothing is normal. I’m terrified of him jumping on a plane and coming over here. He keeps threatening to.”

“So where’s this guy now?”

“Rasheed?” She gave an exaggerated shrug. “Sitting in my flat where I left him for all I know. I told him I was meeting a friend here.”

We both chomped on the ice-cream for a little bit.

“Oh yeah,” she said. “And my business is failing.”

“Really?”

She raised her eyebrows and gave a mock smile. “Great day.”

“Well... thank God for beer.” I raised my pint glass.

“You said it.” She raised hers too and we chinked. “Let’s forget about all this boring crap and get shit-faced. The second half’s just starting.”

I laughed, knocking back a swig of beer. “You are just my kind of girl!”