the mention of Nancy lingering between us in the air. It feels like static electricity, as if a ghost is moving by us. He mentions her so often even I’m not sure what to believe. Maybe Lucy is right. Maybe I should look into whether there is more to his story. I shake the sensation away and jumpstart myself into answering the question.
‘The café. Tess has been arranging them. She thinks I should be able to find love within a hundred dates. I’m really not so sure.’
‘Can I be a fly on the wall? I can sit at another table and see if your cheeks flush. If your heart rate isn’t indicating anything, maybe you need someone else to keep an eye on the signs.’
My initial instinct is to say no. Especially when I’ve already said no to Lucy, knowing she’d never be discreet. I find the whole palaver strange enough already without adding to the stress, but then I reflect on the fact Clive seems to be having a positive effect on my heart rate. His presence might make me calmer.
‘Is it for the purpose of helping with my research?’
‘If research is what we’re calling it, then yes.’
I nod. ‘Then I guess that will be okay. Just don’t be surprised if I disappear.’
Because before we even get there, it’s almost a guarantee that I will.
24
Clive
Unlike Keisha, Clive wasn’t experienced in working out which seat was the best one to take up for his purpose. Rather foolishly, he’d sat nearby, but facing the wrong way. It meant he was able to listen in, but not see what was occurring.
He’d seen the gentleman come in before he took his seat. He had a striking beard and he wore a chequered shirt with the sleeves rolled up. As far as Clive knew, the term to describe him would be ‘hipster’. He’d chosen a nice aftershave, Clive was able to note from his poorly chosen back-to-them position.
The conversation started off badly when the hipster insulted the café’s décor: ‘This place is a tad blinding with all this unicorn stuff, don’t you think?’
‘I find it cheering,’ Keisha had replied. She might not be peppered in glitter herself, but Tess was one of her best friends. She’d stick by her to the end. She was that kind of girl.
Within a few minutes the conversation had stilled to nothingness. Things didn’t seem to be going to plan, least of all for Clive, who wasn’t able to see what was going on without arousing suspicion. He would really need to take up a better seat next time.
A phone rang behind him.
‘Really? What now?’ came the gentleman’s voice. ‘I’ll come straight away.’
Clive managed to crane his neck somewhat at this point.
‘Sorry. Another time, maybe,’ Hipster said, before hurriedly making his way out.
‘Well, that was swift. What was his rush?’ Clive asked, joining the rather ashen-faced Keisha.
‘His ex-girlfriend has just gone into labour!’
With the date over in the blink of an eye, and with good reason (or awful, depending how he looked at it), Clive hadn’t witnessed enough interaction to give any kind of feedback, other than to say that that particular date was stricken and the fault was not Keisha’s.
With date number forty-one declared a dud, Keisha then told Clive over lunch about the agreement she’d made with George, who would help Clive view the flats. George was on shift over the weekend, but apparently that worked out well because they only held viewings on weekdays. Clive knew he wouldn’t be able to wait that long. His urgency wasn’t in being shown round a new flat, but in wanting to visit his old allotment. He decided, there and then, that as it was Friday, he was going to go on his adventure that evening.
The rest of the day dragged, knowing what plans lay ahead. While Keisha had been at the library to get a medical journal, Clive printed out street maps for the route he would need to take.
When Keisha finished for the day, she asked her usual questions, checking he’d be okay. ‘I’ll come and check you’re fine at around eleven tomorrow. We can go to Tess’s café for lunch.’
‘Will being here at the weekend be more problematic? Are people more likely to notice any comings or goings?’
‘We’ve held sleep studies over the weekends before when it was the only time people were able to attend. It won’t be that different on campus, I just won’t be about as much.’