The Long and the Short of it...

The long and the short of it…

It’s a sweltering 33 °C, the sticky gross kind of heat that you do anything to escape. Liz and Darren stand outside their office block waiting impatiently for a semitrailer to finish loading so they can get to their car.

Liz pats dry the sweat above her chin. ‘Of course there is a truck in the way, my face is melting off. I need air-conditioning quick’    She whines to herself. Not caring a snot of how she looks right now she stands at ease fanning her face with her note pad.

 “We have to pick Peter up from the train station and then head to the meeting” Darren who is wearing a charcoal coloured suit, in this weather, breaks the silence remaining statuesque, attempting to ignore the heat wave.

 ‘What?’  “Who’s Peter?” asks Liz straightening up.

 “He is our rep in Darwin; he will be travelling with you to visit clients at the end of the week so be nice” he glances at Liz in warning.

 “Ok, I am always lovely” she mutters frowning “So how long has he been with the company?” ‘What does he look like?’ She wonders.

She imagines Gerhard Butler with his sexy as hell three day growth. She grins; there he is, she can envisage him standing at the train station, a smouldering smile reserved for her eyes only.

His tie loosely sits around the collar of an open white crisp shirt. His shirt suddenly untucks itself and it flutters in the wind showing off his perfect six pack…

 

She shakes her head, who is she kidding? This is HER life, she will be lucky if he doesn’t have a second head growing out of his neck!

 “He joined us five months ago; around about the time you started”

 ‘Oh good a newbie, we are on equal footing’ She muses.

 “Thank Christ” says Darren as the truck drives out of the driveway.

 “Thank Christ” exaggerates Liz as turning up the air-conditioner as soon as he starts the ignition.

Darren drives his silver Lexus to the station. “Do you see him?” he asks absentmindedly.

 “See him? I don’t know, what does he look like?”

I wide cheeky smile creeps over Darren’s face “Tall”

 “Tall?”

 “Really tall” he chuckles.

Liz frowns and chews on her bottom lip looking out the window look for a tall man. ‘Tall’ she mouths and rolls her eyes at the less than helpful description. It could be anybody. Tall compared to what?

After doing a double take on the walking tree shading the rest of the people on the platform Liz finds her words. “Ah so by tall did you mean giant?” her eyes wide and she blinks to ensure her vision is working. He is ridiculously tall. He must be… six foot six? Darren obviously meant tall compared to humankind.

 “Ah yes that would be him” Darren lowers the electronic window “Peter” he waves and quickly raises the screen up again not wanting the cool air to escape.

Peter squints and as he approaches the Lexus Liz notices he looks even lankier up close…and no… he is no Gerhard Butler. What he is - is freakishly tall and way too slim.

He opens the car door and attempts to sit behind Darren. He has to slide in sideways or the other option would be fold his legs up like an accordion.

Darren introduces Liz to Peter; she can’t help but laugh as his knees come up to his chest so she turns around quickly.

 “Err excuse me. You can’t laugh at me..” he points to Liz ironically “Do you even have legs?”

Darren chuckles

Liz pierces Darren with an evil stare and turning her nose up retorts “Yes I have, Thanks very much and enough leg room here to dance if I feel like it” She smiles looking out the window.

Liz angry tweets:

*Great. New guy is a giant. Literally. Fee-fi-fo-fum*

Darren leaves his precious car with the valet. They all gather at the foyer of The Marriot.  As they stand there waiting for Darren to get directions to the meeting room, glances are exchanged, both Liz and Peter mentally size each other up.

 ‘Holy shit this tiny tot must be like five foot nothing?’ Peter gapes at her.

 ‘What is this skyscraper staring at? The Burj Khalifa has nothing on him’ Liz frowns uncomfortably.

In the elevator on the way up to the meeting they both look at Darren feeling slightly irritated as they watch him looks up and then down, then up and then down as he attempts to speak to both of them.

Liz looks up at Peter ‘I can see up his nose. Gross’

Peter looks down at Liz ‘Hope I don’t step on her on the way out’ he smirks.

Darren puts his arm around Liz as they walk down the hall “Remember you got this, I have complete faith in my little ninja”

Liz nods and looks up to catch Peter smirking. ‘The point is ninja not the little part’ she screams in her head.

The meeting ended well, mission accomplished.

 “Let’s go for a drink guys, we kicked ass” Darren has visibly relaxed and now remembers how to breathe.

 “Well I wouldn’t say that, let’s be honest she kicked their ankles” Peter quips

Darren and Peter laugh and Liz does her best to keep a straight face but against her will finds him amusing.

Walking into the bar Peter heads straight to the high bar stools.  Liz realises and quickly suggests a booth near the bar. There is no way she is going to attempt to climb on those in front of them “Let’s sit here, these are much nicer”

Peter catches on quickly and laughs “Not a fan of the high chairs?” he arches his eyebrow

 “Bar stools” Liz corrects him and can’t help but giggle.

Darren and Liz both sit comfortably on one side of the booth while Peter shuffles in to the other side and sits sideways so he is able to stretch his legs.

 “Not a fan of booths?” Liz teases and a broad smile is returned.

 “I am fine with booths but I wonder …can your feet reach the ground?” he narrows his eyes and looks under the table

Liz quickly sits forward placing for feet on the ground “Yes I can” she smiles at him arrogantly.

They all laugh.

After a glass of wine they decide to have a coffee before dropping Peter off at the airport saving him the train ride.

As the waiter distributes the order Liz interrupts him pointing at Peter’s flat white.

“Oh no he didn’t order an espresso shot. He ordered a flat white.” She tells the waiter. 

Then grossly overacting she picks up his cup and says “Oh wait my mistake it’s actually a normal size cup when I hold it”

Peter laughs hard and Liz grins. Darren’s cheeks are red from a combination of wine and the good belly laugh he has been enjoying.

 “So Darren tells me you will join me on my next round of client visits?”

 “Yes, I will be back on Wednesday night”

 “You are flying down?”

 “Of course” Peter nods

“That’s a bit lazy, surely its only two giants steps from Darwin to Brisbane?” Liz smirks

Peter laughs “Oh round two” he holds out his little pinkie which incidentally is the size of Liz’s index finger. Liz cocks her head to one side, unsure of his meaning.

“Come on pinkie high five” He laughs.

Liz tweets:

 *Long and the short of it is….New guy is …just like me *

 

All of us - Short Story

All of us

“You’re my best friend” whispers Diana as a tear rolls down her face.

Still in a state of shock Rebecca asks “That’s what you are upset about?”

“The fact that right now, at my lowest point… I can’t even look at myself… You of all people are the closest thing to a friend….” Diana cannot hide the spite reflecting in her tone.

“I wouldn’t say friend” Rebecca mumbles. She is definitely not her friend. How could she be after all that has been said and done?

“Friend… is the wrong word” Diana looks at Rebecca wide eyed. Suddenly Rebecca laughs at the ridiculousness of the conversation taking place and shakes her head as she can’t help but to sympathize with the woman who has made her life a living hell for the past year.

 

Eleven months ago Rebecca and Neil where jolted out of bed by the lurid sound of a car horn beeping continuously as if it were stuck. The car was parked just outside Neil’s bedroom window.

Rebecca and Neil had finally spent the night together after dancing around each other for months. “For God sake, you two need to get a room” Andrew laughed at Neil the night before.

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t even try to deny it. You two are driving us all crazy. You both pretend to tolerate the other but the constant fighting and the way you look at each other. That, my brother, is called bloody frustration. You want her so go for it”

Rebecca turns around to face Neil who is sitting up on the bed next to her “Who is that?”

“It’s my ex-wife. She is here to drop off my son”

Neil pulls his jeans on and walks to the front door signally that he will be a minute.

Leaving the front door open he goes back to his room to find a t-shirt.

 

“I’ll just be a second” he says as he leans down and gives Rebecca a chaste kiss. She looks up at him giving him a small smile.

 “What the hell is going on?”  Diana yells standing in the doorway holding on to Nathans hand. Nathan peeks up at his dad under his jet black fringe.

 

Rebecca looks at little Nathan, he can’t be more than four years old. Embarrassed she crawls out of bed and heads to the ensuite.

 

Relieved she is at least wearing Neil’s shirt she slams closed the bathroom door. She leans against it to hear the outburst of vulgarity spearing out of Diana’s mouth towards Neil.

“We are not married anymore Diana, I can do whatever I want” she hears him say.

She then can hear a small voice that must be Nathans but can’t make out what he has said. Whatever it was it has silenced his parents.

 After a few minutes there is a knock on the bathroom door “It’s safe to come out” Neil says in a resigned tone. He jiggles the door knob “Rebecca?”

Rebecca is sitting on the toilet lid looking at the doorknob her hand is covering her mouth. After a beat she gets up and walks out straight past Neil. Collecting her clothes off the bedroom floor she says nothing and listens to Neil explain that he cannot help that his ex-wife is insane.

As she turns around to speak she notices Nathan shyly peeps his head around the side of the door. She needs space to process what has just occurred.

“I will um talk to you later” she glances at him quickly turning away to pick up her hand bag and IPhone.

“Rebecca” Neil pleads

She turns around at the door way and ruffles Nathan’s bowl haircut “Have a great day with your daddy” she smiles. “I’ve got to go”

 

During the following weeks Rebecca and Neil grow very close and she quickly feels herself falling under his spell. Although at times they seem to get on each other’s nerves for the most part they can’t keep their hands off each other.

Rebecca stays out of sight whenever Nathan is being dropped off but she is never going to get used to the vicious yelling that accompanies every visit. Why won’t this woman just go away?

 

Rebecca has parked in their driveway as she unloads the groceries. She is planning a special dinner. A horrible honk makes her almost jump out of her skin and she drops the bottle of shiraz. It smashes and starts to run down the driveway.

“Crap” she says and steps out to see Diana parked behind her.

“Get in” she demands.

Rebecca’s curiosity is her weakness. Getting into the car she is a little nervous but thinks turning points don’t come around often perhaps this is one that can change things for the better.

Diana parks in front of a brick house four blocks away. She shows her text messages, it’s from Neil.

 

*Diana you know I love you too*

Rebecca can’t believe her eyes, he still loves his ex? She begins to cry as they both sit in the car and watch Neil pick up a little girl surely no more than six months old and carry her tenderly in his arms.

“Who is that?” Rebecca whispers

“My sister Lizzy” Diana replies so impassively it chills Rebecca.

‘NO’ gasping she reaches over and squeezes Diana’s hand.

Diana looks at hand and then back up to Rebecca. “He loves all of us. Am I supposed to accept this too?”