Lost and Found

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Wednesday 23rd April 2008

Amelia was worried about Clay, he’d been absent for more time than he was around, when she did seem him he looked grey and worried. Finally today he was in the office, she’d tapped Marilyn to let her know when he was free, and as soon as she had the nod, she dived into his office.  

                “Should I be worried?”

Clay’s head shot up and he stared at her, “worried?”

Amelia sidled across to his desk and sat in the seat facing him, “you’re looking a little stressed, you’re rarely in the office and I don’t think I’ve seen you eat a meal in two weeks!”

He shrugged, “I’m just trying to stay one step ahead of this situation, I’m sensing some sort of crisis, which could see us all struggling, but I’m just trying to stay one step ahead!”

Clay was rarely this serious, or this concerned, so she took his warning at face value. “So what sort of time frame are you talking about Clay? I mean should I start to panic?”

He shook his head, “if things collapse we’ll be safe, we just have to watch the banks like a hawk. I’m meeting with everyone this week to get some guidelines in place. This is a high risk job Amelia, so we have to expect some ups and downs, but let’s hope it’s not too heavy a down! Or we could see ourselves dragged into more than we’re bargaining for!”

She took his sombre words as she made her way back to her office and digested them at length. If there was the market crash that some people were predicting some of the biggest investments they worked with would lose millions. Her own money was wisely, and safely invested, she’d had a few large bonuses since being in the States, and had instantly tied them up in solid investments. It was different gambling with other people’s money, but her own, no, she was careful with that. But it didn’t stop her from pulling her profile up on her computer and double checking.

 

Saturday 3rd May 2008

Amelia pulled a pillow over her eyes. How sad? She wanted to shout from the roof tops, how sad that on your twenty sixth birthday you wake alone...to one birthday card! Is this what my life has become? Rolling over, burying her head further stopped any formal answer escaping her lips. Instead she slowly gathered herself and climbed out of bed. The solitary card from Li was a black and white photo of a small child in a rubbish bin with a witty comment. It was so typical of her best friend, always wanting to cheer her up!

Chuckling she placed on her fireplace, next to the photo of her and Li halfway through the revolution of the London eye, that had been Li’s birthday last summer. Life had been so simple back then. Before she’d moved to New York, and before she’d reacquainted with Sol, when her heart was hard but not broken. And now? Now she was close to tears.

Determined to enjoy her day she showered, dressed, then headed around the corner to a great breakfast place. After coffee, eggs and the tastiest sausage she had ever tasted, she headed out into the spring sunshine. She’d booked a pampering session and haircut on 5th Avenue, so that was her first stop.

Two hours later she emerged, her dark long locks cut into a chestnut sleek bob with copper highlights. She loved the way it swung around her jaw, and her head felt so much lighter, she almost bounced along the street, ignoring the fact that it was still only lunchtime, and there was a hell of a lot of birthday left yet.

Aimlessly wandering and enjoying just being she didn’t pay real attention to where she was going, so the shouting to her right, the kids rushing around playing football surprised her, though she’d heard about the legendary feistiness of these ‘Soccer moms’, and they didn’t let her down. Grinning, she found a bench and watched the comings and goings for a while. She’d promised herself that she’d head to Times Square and get the best tickets she could for a Broadway show, but glancing at her watch she knew there’d be huge queues already, so she thought about what restaurant she’d like to eat at that evening. Marilyn was like the News of the World, always explaining what was new, where the celebs hung out, but she also knew she’d not get a table anywhere that desirable.