Bombay Mixx

Bombay Mixx - Chapter Three - Part Six

‘What a difference a month can make,’ I daydreamed as I sat at my desk pretending to work whilst looking at the latest celebrity spilt on the internet.

Work was going really well. I aced the interview for the research assistant’s position so I moved floors and had an office (which I had to share with one other person but it was a start) with a nice view and an even nicer pay cheque!

My relationship with Angus recovered from ‘the hanging up on him’ incident and we were back to romantic meals at the Golders Green apartment, although we didn’t see each other as much as we used to but I put this down to him trying to make sure his wife doesn’t find out about us and cause difficulties with the divorce, so I never complained…much!

Amelia was going on a few dates but no matter how hard she tried to hide her feelings, we all knew she still loved Geron but we also knew that the wound was still open so she wouldn’t take him back just yet.

The engagement party and wedding plans were in full swing and Gabrielle was enjoying her moment of attention by trying to steer all conversations and arrangements towards her and the wedding. No one could blame her for this until my parent’s poor neighbour, Mrs Hastley, died of old age and as we all went to pay our condolences, Gabrielle decided to give the following soothing words to her daughter, ‘well she picked a nice day for it. I hope I have a similar day for my wedding,’ before being dragged away in utter embarrassment by mum.

Mum had given up on speed dating and instead opted for weekly salsa lessons at the local community centre with Brenda from next door and a Friday night out with the ladies from the hospital.

She still refused to speak to dad, ripping up any letters that came from him and would hang up as soon as she heard his voice. ‘Mum, you know you’ll have to speak to him sooner or later, don’t you?’ I pleaded as I went round for my regular mid week catch up (I no longer needed to stay throughout the week as she seemed to have got most of the rage out of her system, much to Gabrielle’s annoyance as she found one of the crystal vases she bought mum for her birthday in newspaper in the bin!).

‘Let say later then,’ mum coolly replied as she sipped her hot tea and diverted the conversation to Gabrielle’s engagement party.

Renesh and Shilpa’s marriage seemed to have improved as they were arguing less and Renesh looked happier and healthier. ‘The gym is really turning you into a different man, bro’;’ I commented one Sunday as we all inspected his new glow.

He laughed it off before Gabrielle added, ‘yeh, maybe now Anya might give you a second look.’

We all laughed as we all knew about his crush on Anya but he smoothly ignored our mocking and continued to eat.

‘Maybe I should join the gym and get rid of this muffin top I’ve developed, having eaten all those delicious puddings Angus allows me to eat at these fancy restaurants, when we manage to leave the flat,’I thought as I looked down at my struggling button on my jeans. ‘Do you still go to the same gym, Ren?’ I asked as I patted my stomach to show the much needed exercise. ‘Errm, no I go to the one near my work place as that one was starting to get too crowded at the weekends,’ he replied as he chuckled at my expanding waistline.

The thought of my waistline increasing any more threw the thought of more gym fanatics on a Saturday morning out of my head and I made a mental note to join and go to my first session this weekend.

I decided to keep this new regime to myself so that when they all saw me at the engagement party looking slim, toned and gorgeous it would be more of a shock and I could have a tiny bit of the limelight.

I know it should be Gabrielle’s moment but she has the limelight all the time, I only want a few minutes. That’s fair, isn’t it?

Anya was working away quite a lot and although she was always very vague when she returned, we all thought it had something to do with her new found love for her popular client, Dolph but she never admitted it.

It was good she was away a lot, as the work on the building project upstairs was becoming unbearable.

Dirt coming in under the door, noise from the badly tuned radio the workmen listened to from the time they got on site to the time they left, banging, drilling and this wouldn’t be so bad if it was just in the week day but it developed into weekends too.

‘Look can’t you come later tomorrow. It’s the weekend, we’d all like a lie in,’ Amelia requested of the two large, burley builders. Before they answered, they decided to take a sneaky peek into the hallway to see me in my rollers and replied, ‘sorry but we have strict working hours but if you and your girlfriend want to speak to the boss I’ll ask him to pop round. I’m sure he’ll be happy to,’ the one nearest to the door sniggered as he looked at Amelia in a suggestive manner.

Luckily, I had removed the large umbrella which had been drying off in the tray next to the door, as I would have been a bit nervous that the builder may have been wearing it. ‘Obviously, I can’t speak to tweedle dumb and dumber so I’ll speak to the council instead,’ she announced as she slammed the door in their now less confident expressions.

Two hours later there was a knock at the door.

Fearing it might be the two builders from earlier, I ran to the door, ‘darling, I’m so sorry for all the problems with the noise and dirt,’ said an Italian accent from behind a large bunch of expensive looking flowers.

I opened the door wider to see who the face behind the flowers was and there stood a willowy, dark blonde woman with the biggest sunglasses I’ve seen since Posh Spice on the pages of Hello magazine.

She was dressed in a fitted, sleeveless, navy blue, bodycon dress which looked like it was straight from a boutique in Milan. Long, loosely curled, ash blonde hair ending just at her elbows, gold high heeled sandals encasing perfect pedicures, a luxurious tinted gold pearl choker with a matching bracelet and a gold and navy blue handbag which pulled the whole outfit together and gave her the sexy but elegant, power business woman look with the perfect amount of feminine chic to add warmth to her personality.  

As I stood there admiring this immaculate woman in front of the dirt and rubble, Amelia came to see who was at the door and saved me from the embarrassing gawping I was doing as I admired her attire. ‘Hello, can we help you?’ Amelia enquired as she wasn’t immediately impressed by this lady’s apparel.

The lady pushed the mammoth bouquet into her left hand and held out her right hand to which Amelia accepted and shook. ‘My name is Tiziana and it is unfortunately me who is causing all this commotion upstairs,’ she purred as though she was rehearsing a play for Broadway. ‘You’ve bought the two flats upstairs?’ I butted in without hesitation. ‘Guilty, darling,’ she continued as she presented Amelia with the posh looking flowers and reached down to the side of the door and handed me a bottle of Perrier Jouet's Belle Epoque and a shiny black box wrapped in gold lace. ‘This is just a small gift to apologise. I hope we’ll be good neighbours?’ she asked as I ushered her inside to the front room and sat her down on the sofa as though I was now an official groupie.