Agency

In Which Planet Earth Is Blue and There's Nothing Berry Can Do

days and days (and days) later

"You can't call me when I'm at home," he whispered into his cell phone.

It was Sunday evening. A family day. Sacrosanct, and she knew it. But that hadn't stopped Berry's phone from insistently buzzing all through supper until Berenice gave him a sharp look and asked why he wasn't answering it if it was so bloody urgent?

He wasn't answering it because he knew exactly who it was. And she could damn well wait until working hours if she needed to talk to him.

So he'd silenced the phone, but when he checked again after clearing away the dishes, he had eight missed calls. He waited until Berenice took the girls upstairs for bed, then slipped outside into the damp, Sunday evening air and pressed "Al (Managing Director)" in his call log.

He'd considered this a clever little bit of insurance, listing her number that way. If Berenice ever checked, he could always say it was a work emergency. Why else would "Al" the Managing Director be calling him? Brilliant.

"I'm sorry, Bertrand," she started. "You know how lonely I get on weekends."

"Most people would sign up for a class or find some way to make friends in a new city," he replied tetchily, aware that he could only be so unpleasant to her before she would make things difficult.

Allegra sighed. "I've never been very good at making friends. Women can be so facile in their interests. Shopping, wine, rom-coms," she intoned with bone-weary cynicism.

He remained stonily silent, unsure what she expected of him and unwilling in any case to give it.

"Anyhow, listen, I apologize for calling you on a Sunday. I know, I know. Family time. I should have waited, but I have the most exciting news!" Allegra's voice tripped upward, and he could imagine her twisting her hair around her finger like a teenage girl.

"What's your news?" he stage whispered, trying to make the point that he was continuing this call under duress and putting himself at risk every moment she insisted on keeping it going.

"You won't believe it. I found the most gorgeous puppy today. I couldn't help myself. He's just the sweetest thing I've ever laid eyes on."

"A puppy?" Berry found that a bit rich. The woman was almost never at home. How did she think she was going to take care of a puppy?

He was pacing around the edge of the nearest gigantic hole in the yard, wanting to get back inside before someone noticed him out here.

Upstairs, the back bedroom's light went out. The girls had been put to bed, which meant Berenice would be on her way back down.

"Listen," he said with urgency. "I have to go now. My wife --"

Allegra cut him off.

"It's for you! The puppy. I remember you said your" -- he could hear the slight grimace as she continued -- "children wanted one. I thought... this would be the loveliest, loveliest gift for them. And you could bring him into the office because, you know, I would love to see him too. And they do say it's the thing to have dogs in the office nowadays, don't they?"

Berry interrupted her, "Allegra, I cannot bring a dog home."

"Why not? Oh, you can! Just wait until you meet him, you'll fall in love. He's such a sweetie."

"But Berenice -- my wife, I mean -- she would not want a dog. No. Especially if it isn't her idea."

He was now crouching behind the garbage bins to make sure Berenice didn't come back down to the kitchen and see him outside on the phone.