"It always takes five or six tries to get the design of the product right. So do not despair, we are getting there..." encouraged John, comparing different models of a clock that the designers had worked on.
Sarah was sitting at the other end of the table. She couldn't follow the meeting properly that morning; all she cared about was her mobile. As soon as her boss turned his back to the team to inspect the sketches of clocks hung up on the whiteboard, she took a sneak peek at her phone to check if Lydia had contacted her. The manager of The Dash was meant to find out about the aggression that morning, and her friend would inform her as soon as she received any news about it.
"...These problems need to be solved with a bit of creativity..." John continued.
No message from Lydia. Sarah still hadn't found the courage to get in touch with Mark, but if the manager of the club decided to warn the police, it was imperative that she contact her brother as soon as possible. In any case, I'll have to pass by his house tonight, she decided. The sooner, the better.
"The color and the shape must be a little more in harmony..." the boss carried on in the background.
Sarah glanced at her phone one more time... Still no word from Lydia. Roll on eleven o'clock! she wished.
Rebecca, who was sitting two seats away, managed to catch Sarah's attention for a second... She beamed, putting her hand on her round belly. Her pregnancy was starting to show, and she was proud of it. Sarah smiled back at her friend – whose eyes were twinkling with happiness – but looked down at her mobile's screen immediately after.
"As you can see, this shape–" John stopped the moment he noticed Sarah's head tilted downward. "Miss Danton! Is there something on there you would like to share with us?"
Sarah looked up at the room and blushed, then slowly slid her mobile in her trouser pocket.
"No," she said, embarrassed.
"So, like I was saying..." John resumed, "this shape is a little too rough on the edges, it needs smoothening out..."
Sarah felt a sudden nerve-racking judder against her right leg. Her mobile was vibrating in her pocket! She grabbed it without a second's hesitation.
Calling:
Lydia
"Miss Danton!" shouted the boss as soon as he caught Sarah with her phone in her hands.
Sarah jumped and a terrified look appeared on her face. Her forehead began to sweat, and her hands shook. Staring back at her, John wasn't oblivious to her anxiety. He chose to go easy on her, for once...
"Miss Danton, if it is urgent, I suggest that you take the call outside. If not, turn it off," he requested.
Sarah nodded, then quietly left the meeting room. Once outside, she pressed on the green button...
"Sarah! Don't worry!" said Lydia at the other end.
Her enthusiasm immediately put Sarah at ease.
"The manager isn't going to warn the police!"
Sarah let her body drop onto a lonely chair just outside the meeting room, and sighed with relief.
"Thank goodness!" she whimpered, shedding a few tears.
"Yes, the manager said that too much time had passed. The victim and the culprit had left the premises, and nobody was pressing charges, so she let it go. The stain of blood on the cloakroom floor had also been cleaned up because there was another big party there last night. They will keep the video of course, but they aren't getting involved any further."
"Thank goodness..." Sarah repeated, still sweating.
She took her mobile in her left hand and wiped her right, clammy one on her dark brown trousers. It left a damp crease on the cotton material.
"We were lucky that the attendant was willing to cooperate," added Lydia.
"Yes! He didn't get into trouble, did he?"
"No, the manager said he was new to the club and it was the first time he had witnessed an aggression. It was overwhelming for him too."
"But are we considered as... you know... accomplices, or something like that? We saw the video and we didn't tell the cops, is that a bad thing?" worried Sarah.
"I... I don't know... I think so, but if Sam isn't going to press charges, then we are out of the woods. Is he going to?" her friend checked.
"No," confirmed Sarah.
"Then we have nothing to worry about."
"I'm sorry it happened during your special evening," said Sarah, feeling guilty for her brother's actions again.
"It certainly broke at bit of the magical feeling to the celebration, but at least it solved a mystery!" said Lydia, looking on the positive side. "How have you been?"
"Not too good..." confessed Sarah. "I'm hoping to put this straight with Mark tonight."
"Good luck!" wished Lydia.
They said goodbye, both having to return to work. John glared at Sarah as she tiptoed with caution into the meeting room.
"Are you back here to stay?" he challenged.
Sarah wiped her hands on her trousers one last time, then smiled at her boss. She was getting used to his little comments, and had begun to take them as some kind of terms of endearment.
"Yes, you have my complete attention," she replied.
"Jolly good!" he grinned. "What I like about this clock design is its futuristic feature..." he said, picking up where he left off, and pointing his index to a sketch on the whiteboard.
Sarah turned her mobile off and could finally concentrate.
YOU ARE READING
A SMILE IN A WHISTLE
RomanceSarah was seven years old when she met Sam. He was twenty. He taught her how to grass whistle. They found friendship where they least expected it. Now she is twenty-five. He is thirty-eight. They meet again. Their long-lost friendship turns into lov...
