The Aftermath Of You

Chapter Twenty Nine

After an hour Toni had become the proud owner of two pairs of shoes - proper shoes, with soles that didn't flap - a trench coat, two pairs of jeans, four shirts and a handbag, with no annoying shop attendants calling through the cubicle or pouncing on her whilst she was trying to make a speedy exit.

Toni was just clicking 'one day courier', when Danny walked in through the front door, topless.

"It's winter!" Toni cried in shock. "Are you alright?"

"Actually, Navel, it is spring. I put my washing in your machine a couple of hours ago, while you were writing. I told you my washing machine's on the blink." He paused near her, leaving her eye level with the finest six pack she'd ever been this close to. Toni didn't know who in their right mind walked into someone's house at one in the morning and shoved their abdominals in the proprietor's face. If she'd stuck her tongue out at this second it would become immersed in belly lint. Toni dragged her bottom lip between her teeth, trying desperately to focus on what he was saying.

"Ugg boots." He whistled. "They're cute. But what's wrong with the pair of shoes you have?"

"They aren't waterproof."

He laughed loudly. "Not waterproof? Or cold proof, or road proof... you're a dag, Elbow," he said, and he flounced off (like a brazen hussy as far as she was concerned) leaving her to watch him go.

*

After gaping unintelligently at all of the paints and brushes imaginable for ages, the shop assistant finally wandered over. His name tag read Manu.

"Hey!" he called happily.

"Hi, Manu, I'm wanting paint."

"Aww aye?"

"Err, yes."

"Inside or outside?"

"Outside. For a trellis."

"You'll need a water-proof weather-resistant paint. What color? We have orange, blue, grey, turquoise-"

"White would be lovely," she said quickly, interrupting what could have been a long monologue judging by the amounts of paint buckets there were in the shop.

"Aww aye!" he exclaimed, before dodging to and fro between the aisles like a pro rugby player, grabbing a bucket and running back.

Toni watched Manu duck this way and that as he weaved up the aisles, and tried to imagine if his body was just as fabulous as his teeth. She stopped herself quickly. He was far too cute, and would end up leaving her wallowing in a pool of her own tears.

She was trying to avert her eyes when she heard someone speaking over her shoulder. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Toni Handcock herself. Long time no see!"

She spun around to find a very well-dressed man staring at her from beneath bushy black brows. He was the proud owner of a roman nose and a gap between his front teeth, like a young Tom Cruise. Just her type of man ... good looking enough to be pleasing on the eye and yet not so good looking that someone would try stealing him from her.

"Hello," she yelped, thanking her lucky stars that she'd changed out of the dirty night dress and pulled her hat on before leaving the house.

"You don't remember me, do you?"

"Yes, yes, umm ..."

"Athol Russ."

"Oh." It all came back to her in a rush: the lawyer she'd used when she and Jack had bought their home. He looked great; he'd lost at least ten kilograms since she last saw him and his wiry body was appropriate for his tailored suit. She'd never noticed that he had the biggest brown eyes like puddles of melted chocolate, and the most adorable sandy blond highlights.

"Oh, just the man I wanted to see!" she lied. "Need to see you about some ... some business. Do you still work in the same place?"

"Sure do." He smiled. "What's up?"

"Oh, what's up? Just ..." That I want to date you, a little voice in her head screamed. Toni racked her brains. "Copyright, that's all."

"Great, well, swing by when you get the time. It's really good to see you, Toni," he said then wandered off.

The room swirled around her until she felt quite giddy, and her body was filled with glee, or was it lust? She couldn't quite decide.

"Excuse me, ma'am ..."

She opened her eyes to find Manu standing in front of her. "As I said, that will be four hundred and twenty dollars."

She smiled awkwardly, paid for her paint and left, feeling lighter than she had in weeks. Months. Or actually, heavier than she had in months - clearly the two kilograms she'd managed to put on hadn't gone unnoticed. Toni spent the following afternoon wondering how long she had to leave it before calling Athol ...

*

The phone rang later on that night. "Hello, is this Miss Handcock?"

"That's right." Taking deep breaths Toni steadied herself. It's him she thought in excitement. She didn't know how he'd got her number, but she just had to keep it cool. "Athol?"

"Sorry, no. I found your brochure in a hostel I'm staying in. What do you specialize in?"

"Brochure?" Toni kicked herself, angry that she hadn't forced her mother to throw all those business cards out. She must have delivered them all. "I don't really specialize in anything," Toni confessed. "I just turn my hand at all sorts of things."

"Indeed?" The young man sounded optimistic, "So you do threesomes?"

"Threesomes, group bookings – basically as many people as you like."

"Oh, great. How much is that? For the group bookings ..."

"It's free. I volunteer, I guess you could say. I really love what I do." It was actually quite nice to say it aloud, pretending she had a job and everything. Not just a job – a calling. Maybe she'd found gainful employment, after all.

"Really?" The man was shocked. "Well, where would you like to ... you know ..."

"Tomorrow morning, nine o'clock, in front of the Arrowtown Museum."

"And then where do we go?"

"Well, we will start off looking around the Chinese mining village before walking through the historical village and perusing the Arrowtown Jail," said Toni, rather pleased with how organised she sounded.

"Sorry, I think I've got this wrong. What is it that you do?"

"Historical tours through Arrowtown."

"Ah! I should probably hang up. Thanks, Miss ... um ... Handcock. Goodbye."