A smile spreads across her face as she spots you from your spot across the road, leaning against the wall of an upmarket health centre, where you'd received more than a few dirty looks from the upper class clientele. "What are you doing here?" She asks as she reaches you.
You shrug and stand up straight. "Thought I you might like lunch. Or a beer?" You smile and she laughs, reaching up to pull her hair out of its clip.
"A beer sounds awesome." She smiles, leaning into you.
"Didn't go well?"
"It was fine. I just think I might be too young. The girl, sorry lady, before me looked ancient. Like a proper teacher. Her sweater looked older than me. And the guy after me had elbow patches. I'll never get it. But it looks like an awesome school."
"You'll get it." You smile down at her, reaching for her hand, leading her back to your battered car.
"You don't know that." She sighs as you open her door for you.
"I have a feeling. Get in." She wrinkles her nose at you in disagreement and then climbs in. She fiddles with the radio and the way back to her apartment and finally settles on the station she started with. Sighing, you feel her gaze in you.
"When did you get this car?"
"When I was eighteen. Why?"
"It's falling apart." She picks at a tear in the leather of your chair.
"I love this car." You tell her. "It's a classic."
"Classic or not it's in terrible condition."
"As long as it drives, it works for me." You smirk.
"Okay." She smiles. "I was looking at car I was gonna get if I got this job."
"What was it?"
"Red." She answers, pulling down the mirror behind her sun-visor and running her hand through her hair.
You laugh and you can see the glare she's giving you out of the corner of your eye. "What make of car was it?"
"I dunno." She shrugs as you pull up to her building. "I was gonna ask you to come look at with me. But I guess that's pointless. I'll just change and then we can go." She pulls open the door to her building and sighs before heading up the stairs.
Following her up, you nod at Mrs Valencia who is on her way out, and get to the apartment just as Lydia is kicking off her shoes. "Call Mathew. And Chris." She tosses you her phone. "Tell them we need tp drink."
"We need to drink?" You smirk, closing the door behind you.
"Yes." She nods. "I'll be a minute." She turns and goes to change. Phoning Truncheon, you speak to Chris and tell him to meet you and Lydia at a local bar around four, thinking you could take her for lunch and get some food into her.
When she returns, her skirt traded in for a pair of skinny jeans and her blouse now a grey sweater, she is stepping into a pair of black flats. "They coming?"
"Mathew has a meeting and Chris has a deadline to meet. They'll meet us at four at Molly's Yard. I thought we could get some food there now. I'm starved."
"As long as there's beer." She smiles and picking up her bag, pushes you back towards the door. "Thanks for this. Taking time of work I mean." She kisses your cheek and slips her arm through yours.
"Anytime." You tell her.
"Maybe I could present a kid's show?" She stops suddenly on the stairs and blinks down at you. She had started on beer with lunch and moved on to cocktails with Chris, and ended up singing Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick in the Wall' on a table before being asked to leave. On the walk home she had tried to come up with alternative careers.
"A kid's show? Like on TV?" You laugh. "Doing what?"
"Teaching math." She scoffs. "Making numbers fun. Like Sesame Street. Without the puppets. Or maybe with puppets. I dunno yet."
"Come on." You step up beside her and wrap your arm around her waist, leading her up the final flight of stairs. Pulling out your key, you open the door and she runs inside.
"I need to pee, but when I get back, we're gonna talk about this TV show." She calls out over her shoulder. Throwing your keys onto her phone table, you notice that her answering machine has one new message. Hitting play, a grin spreads across your face as you listen.
When she comes back, her hair on top of her head, in a pair of red flannel pyjama bottoms and her glasses, she looks at you with one eyebrow raised. "What's with the smile? You think the shows a good idea? I'm gonna call in Magic Math. Or something less lame."
"You don't need a TV show." You tell her. "And when are you free to go see about that red car?"
"What?"
"Listen." You hit play again and the message is relaid once more.
"This is a message for Lydia Murphy. This is headmaster Green at Fort William Preparatory. I'd like to formally offer you the position at the school. If you could call back on Monday morning we can organise a meeting. Congratulations. I look forward to hearing from you."
The machine beeped and you smiled at her, but she just blinked in confusion. "Wow." She rubbed her forehead. "I must be really drunk. I could have sworn that message said I got the job."
"You did."
"But..." She trails off and shakes her head, before looking back up at you. "I got it?"
"Yeah." You laugh, "You got it."
She breaks into a smile and runs toward you, jumping at the last minute. You catch her and she wraps her legs about your waist. "I'm a teacher!" She yells and bursts into a fit of laughter.
Walking to the couch, you set her down and kiss her temple. "Congrats." You whisper in ear and she kisses your cheek in response. "Tea?" You ask and she nods once, before tucking her feet under her.
"Please." She smiles and you head to the kitchen. When you return five minutes later, mug in hand, she's already asleep, her glasses askew on her face. Lifting her, you carry her to bed and remove her glasses. You pull off your jeans and get in beside her. She turns and places her head on your chest.
"Can we buy my car tomorrow?" She whispers, half asleep still.
You tighten your hold on her. "Sure." You reply, feeling that you would do anything tomorrow, as long as it was with her.
