TRUSTED LIKE THE FOX

chapter 12

A band of sunlight coming through the chink in the blind woke me. I stretched, yawning, then lifting my head, I looked at the bedside clock. The time was twenty minutes past six. Lola had gone.

It took me a few minutes to realise
that she had spent the night with me.

There's no need for us to be enemies she had said, but she hadn't fooled me
and she wasn't going to fool me. I was sure all she thought about and all she
planned for was to persuade me to open the safe.

She was now attempting to
break down my resistance by this new intimacy, hoping she would be able to influence me to change my mind and open the safe.

This was going to be a one-sided bargain. The safe was going to remain
closed.

I slid off the bed, shaved, showered and dressed. I was curious to see what her attitude was going to be towards me this morning.

I went to the lunch room. The screen door stood open, and there was an
appetising smell of ham grilling coming from the kitchen.

I walked around the counter and tentatively pushed at the kitchen door, half expecting to find it locked, but it swung open.

I walked in.

Delphina, wearing her neat white overall, was breaking an egg into the fry pan.

She looked over her shoulder at me. "Hello, I was beginning to wonder if you
were going to sleep all day," she said.

I went up behind her and slid my arms around her, pulling her against me. I kissed the side of her neck.

"Hey! hey! Your eggs will be spoiled," but she leaned against me, her face against mine.

"Are they for me?"

"Who else do you imagine they're for?" She twisted out of my grip and faced
me. Then she smiled. "Hello, lover! Any regrets?"

"No regrets."

"Surprised? Knocked for a loop."

She came up to me and slid her arms around my neck, her green eyes glittering. Kissing her was an experience. Her body pressed hard against mine, her fingers moved through my hair.

"Who's spoiling the eggs now?" I said.

She moved away. "Come on and eat then."

I watched her dish up the eggs and slide the ham onto a plate.

"Pour the coffee," she said, putting the plate on the table.

We sat opposite each other. She took a cigarette from the pack and lit it.

"I guess I've been pretty mean to you ever since you came," she said, staring
at me. "But I have had a change of heart. I realised we couldn't go on living the
way we have been living. Besides, you're attractive and it's been a long time
since I've lived near an attractive man. Do you want to move into the house?"

I hesitated for a moment, but only for a moment. In that moment a picture of
Perry came into my mind but I pushed it out fast as I looked at her.

"Yes," I said. "You're attractive too, you know."

She smiled. "I'm not so lousy. Are you going to forget how mean I've been to
you?"

"Yes. The moment I saw you, I wanted you."

"I'm goingto finish cleaningin the other room," she said. "You finish your breakfast."

As she went past me, she touched my shoulder in that intimate way women in love have, then she went out of the kitchen.