by Crin Claxton
Tony wasn’t following Beth’s logic. “Erm. Not so much.”
“This macho, masculinity thing isn’t doing it for me anymore. You’re a bit too butch for me, to be honest.”
“Good to know.” Tony wondered if she’d ever be able to get back to the crossword.
“But of course, you’re not actually a man. And you’ll always have a special place in my heart.”
“Well, that’s true. That I’m not actually a man,” Tony added hastily. “Of course I have a special place in Maya’s heart.”
Beth heaved a sigh. “You don’t have to mention the quack homeopath every time I pay you a compliment. Well, I can’t sit here talking to you all day. We should go out some time. You, me, and your fit friend Jade. You can bring the homeopath if you must.”
“Oh, I think Jade…” Tony had been about to say Jade had a girlfriend, but she caught a sadness in Beth’s eye. There was no reason to crush her hopes. “I think Jade’s got a job in the provinces starting soon,” she amended.
Beth just shrugged and left. Tony looked at her watch. She only had five minutes before show call.
“I can’t see it myself. You and the newbie fruit of the loon.”
Deirdre materialized. She sat elegantly in the broken swivel chair. As she was a ghost, it didn’t spit her out. She was wearing a shiny, gold metallic body suit, topped with a pink rah-rah skirt.
“What have you got on now? And do you mean fruit of the loom? You said loon.”
Deirdre ran her fingers through the long blond wig that sat on top of a shiny gold mask covering her face. “You’re in the future, right?”
“I’m in the present actually.”
“You’re in the future from when I died, which makes you futuristic, so of course I’ve come as C3PO. Haven’t you seen Star Wars?”
“I haven’t seen anything that looked like that in any Star Wars film.”
“Well, I wasn’t going to come in just the bodysuit. I felt practically naked. And there was no way I was going to appear bald.”
“Of course not. So you’re that robot thing?”
“C3PO. But a female version.”
“And moving swiftly on, what do you need? The show’s starting soon and, as I keep telling you, I can’t talk at work.” Tony plonked on her comms headset and opened her script.
“The frowny 1960s butch with the bad haircut. She’s still hanging round, cramping my style. It’s ruining my Tupperware parties with the angels.”
“Seriously?”
“Angels are very sensitive. They have this positive vibe thing going on. They can’t function in negative atmospheres. And yes, they do like tidy boxes. Don’t go there.” Deirdre raised a hand in Tony’s direction as Tony opened her mouth. “I’m fond of angels. They’re pretty, and yet muscular,” Deirdre said, panting slightly. “I need pretty muscles around me. I don’t think it’s too much to ask.”
Tony had stopped listening. “I keep thinking about Frankie.”
“Really? With that haircut? She looks like she was attacked by sheep shearers. And then dressed by them. I thought you liked your women a bit more like women.”
“I do. I mean, I don’t fancy Frankie. I keep thinking about the case.”
“I suppose it’s a sad story. Maybe she’s gotten used to being pulled back to the living by Rose and misses it. I may have to bring her to you, to help her move on.”
“Why me?”
“She won’t listen to me. Okay, see you later, Terminator, gotta fly. Angels are calling.”
Deirdre’s visit gave Tony food for thought. It was good to think about something other than the incident. She opened her script, feeling lighter than she had for days.
*
Jade picked all the cushions off the sofa and threw them to the floor. It was getting ridiculous. She wanted to go to the gym, and half of her possessions had taken a walk in the night. She was searching for her iPod. She’d had it the previous day when she’d jogged into Docklands. It wasn’t like there were many places things could disappear to on a houseboat.
She squeezed herself under the sofa, wrinkling her face against the dust and bits of fluff living under there. She stretched her arm as far as she possibly could into the far reaches. Her fingers curled around something vaguely iPod like, but as she pulled it out, she realized it was too thick and large to be her MP3 player.
In the light streaming in through the windows, Jade stared at a phone that looked just like her own. She clicked it on. It was her phone. Well, that was one thing found. Jade had been searching for it since Saturday. It was switched off. That explained why it didn’t ring when she was looking for it. Jade had looked under the sofa several times.
“Felicia!” Jade called the ghost’s name. She had started to think of Felicia as “the ghost.” She knew she was depersonalizing her, but she couldn’t help herself. She hadn’t talked to her for several days. Every time Felicia went quiet, Jade hoped that was the last of her.
“I told you, go see Tony. And leave my damn stuff alone.”
It must be the ghost moving her stuff around. Two days previously, Jade had spent half the morning looking for her tablet. She’d found it under the mattress. That wasn’t the kind of place something fell to by accident.
Jade needed to talk to Tony. She hadn’t spoken to Suni about Felicia and had no intention of doing so. Maybe Felicia knew that somehow and was messing with Jade’s stuff to punish her.
Jade had planned to drop in on Tony that evening, but Suni had booked a table at Plateau, an expensive restaurant with stunning views over Canary Wharf. She pulled up Tony’s name from her contacts.
The call went straight to voice mail. It was the standard greeting, though, rather than Tony’s personalized one.
Jade left a message anyway.
“Tony, call me back as soon as you can, will you? This ghost of mine is getting out of hand. Honey, let’s get together and talk. I’m out tonight, but I’m around tomorrow. We’ve been friends too long to let stuff get in the way. I miss you. And, babe, I need your help. Call me.”
*
Maya stood at the gate to Jade’s marina, her finger poised over Jade’s buzzer. She remembered standing in the same spot, over a year previously, on a late spring evening. That was the night she’d met Tony properly. Maya smiled. Tony had been funny and sweet and very, very sexy. She still was for that matter, but she’d been distant for days. Maya put it down to the row with Jade. Someone had to get those two to see sense.
“Hello.” Jade’s voice came out of the intercom.
“Hi, Jade,” Maya said brightly.
There was a pause.
“It’s Maya,” Maya said quickly. She hoped Jade wasn’t upset with her as well as Tony.
“Fantastic. Come in, come in.”
Maya pushed through the released gate and walked along the quayside until she reached Jade’s boat. Jade had pots of daffodils on either side of her steps. They cheered up the dull scene. Some days Maya really missed the hazy, open skies of Provincetown. She loved London, but it could be gray for days on end, making her long for the beaches crashing with surf and misty skies that she’d grown up with.
Jade opened the door as Maya got to it, and pulled her inside. She hugged Maya tightly.
“So what brings you here, girl?”
“I wanted to see you. I miss you,” Maya said, glancing around. Cushions were strewn everywhere, and the couch was pulled away from the wall. Jade was in her sweatpants and top. Strange clothes to be cleaning in, if that was what Jade was doing. Jade looked tired and drawn, with dark circles under her eyes.
“Sit down, sit down.” Jade bustled about, throwing cushions back onto the couch. With a forceful movement, she flattened the couch back against the wall. “I’ll make some tea.”
“How are you?” Maya followed Jade up into the tiny galley kitchen. Jade filled the kettle and got out two cups.
Jade opened her mouth. Then shut it again and thought for a moment. “Okay, I guess. I fee
l tired.”
Maya raised her eyebrows and smiled.
“Well, yes, partly because of lots of fantastic sex. But also because I haven’t been sleeping too good. Do you want herb tea or ordinary?”
“Mint if you have it. Why aren’t you sleeping?” Maya slipped into herbalist mode.
“I think it’s the ghost.” Jade poured hot water into the cups, handed one to Maya, and then walked back down the boat to the sitting room. They both sat on the couch. “Felicia’s not speaking to me at the moment. I told her to go and see Tony. Has she, do you know?”
Maya shook her head. “I don’t think so. Tony hasn’t mentioned it, anyway.”
“And I don’t have an appetite.”
“That’s odd.” Maya smiled. Jade had the appetite of a horse usually.
“Food tastes funny. I’ve got a salty taste in my mouth, and my mouth feels dry a lot of the time.”
“Have you seen your orthodontist?”
“I haven’t got money to see a dentist. But I have a healer. She’s given me some powder to clean my teeth with.” Jade wrinkled up her face.
“Neem?”
“Sounds about right. It tastes horrible. I’m not using it,” Jade said in a stage whisper.
Maya tutted. “She can’t help, you know, if you don’t let her.”
Jade grinned. “I miss you guys.”
“I miss you too. I was hoping you and Tony would have sorted it out by now. Do your rows always go on this long?”
“Never. I just left her a message, actually. Do you know why she hasn’t answered my texts and calls?”
Maya stared at Jade. “No.” She didn’t know what to say. She was sure Tony thought Jade was ignoring her attempts to communicate.
“Maybe the three of us can meet up. After I’ve touched base with Tony and made things right with her.”
Maya nodded. She was happy to hear Jade wasn’t still angry at Tony.
“I’ll go to the theater. And I want you guys to meet Suni. Well, I know you’ve already met her, but I mean hang out.” Jade dipped her eyes shyly.
Maya smiled. “It’s going all right then?”
Jade nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, girl, it’s going great. The sex is incredible.”
Maya smiled. Jade was looking tired, but she also had a glow that was lovely to see. Jade caught Maya’s eye and grinned from ear to ear.
“Have you ever done it while having acupuncture?” she blurted out.
Maya swallowed in surprise. “Er, no. Have you?”
“Yes. We did it on her massage couch. It was intense.”
Maya blinked. Suni was sharing her practice room, so Suni’s couch was Maya’s couch. Maya felt that healers should never blur the lines between professional and personal during a healing session. She tried not to let her disapproval show.
Jade didn’t seem to notice. “Suni’s been helpful. Made me see sense about Tony. I was annoyed.” Jade sighed, then smiled. “But Tony means well. She’s got a big heart.”
“She sure has. She’s been quiet lately. I think she’s missing you.” Maya cast an eye round the room. “Were you in the middle of clearing out stuff or something?”
Jade followed her gaze. “No. I was looking for my iPod. God, Maya, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I keep losing things.” She lowered her voice. “Actually, it might be the ghost.”
“What things have you lost?”
“I just found my phone this morning. That went missing on Saturday. My tablet disappeared for nearly a week and turned up under the mattress in my bedroom.”
“That’s an odd place to lose something.”
“That’s what I thought. Oh, and my old address book is still missing.”
“So is this ghost like a poltergeist then?”
Jade shrugged. “No idea. That’s another reason I called Tony.”
Maya cleared her throat. “There’s no chance you could be misplacing the stuff yourself?”
Jade frowned at her. “Why do you ask that?”
“Well, you’re sleep deprived, and Tony mentioned you’ve borrowed her diazepam.”
Jade raised her eyebrows. “Ah. I see your reasoning. I am sleep deprived, but Suni has confiscated the Valium.”
Maya laughed at the way Jade said it. “Has she? Good for her. Sorry, you know I hate tranquilizers. I mean, unless people really need them. Have you told Suni about the ghosts then?”
Jade shook her head furiously. “I like her, Maya. I don’t want her running a mile.”
“So, what does she think you were taking the tranqs for, just in case I bump into her at the practice?”
“That was easy. I told her it was anxiety. I was treated for anxiety when my aunt died.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“No, it’s okay. She died years ago. I was only seventeen. Hasn’t Tony told you?”
“No. You know Tony. She’s far too honorable. She wouldn’t tell me something that personal about you.”
“Well, it was a terrible shock. My aunt was my only family here. I didn’t have friends then either. After the funeral, I stayed on, in my aunt’s house. Fortunately, she owned it and left it to my mum. I was desperately lonely, and for a short while, I was anxious that everyone I loved would die. I wrote home all the time. This was the eighties so my family didn’t have emails. Every morning, I rushed down to check the post, hoping for a letter, just because I wanted to be sure no one had died. When my hair started to fall out, I knew I had to get help. I saw a therapist for a couple of months, but as soon as I started at LAMDA I was fine.”
Maya sipped her tea, letting Jade’s words settle. Jade left her cup of tea on the coffee table, untouched. She scratched at her arm, lost in thought.
“Thank you for trusting me with that,” Maya murmured.
“Well, you know that Tony’s family to me. You’re starting to feel like that too.” Jade pulled Maya to her for a hug. Jade felt thinner.
“You’ve got my number, haven’t you?” Maya asked.
Jade nodded.
“You can talk to me anytime.”
Jade shifted on the sofa. “I’m okay, you know. Just tired.” She stood up.
Jade looked uncomfortable. She was probably feeling vulnerable at having revealed personal information.
Jade started walking to the houseboat door. “Tell Tony to call me, will you?” she said.
“Of course.” Maya grabbed her bag and followed Jade.
“I’ll buzz you out,” Jade said, catching Maya’s eyes for a moment before she let the door swing slowly shut.
*
Tony stood at the kitchen sink washing up. She glanced out the kitchen window, down nine stories to the busy street below. Tiny people scurried about, some going into shops and others heading for the Tube. There was a constant stream of cars with white lights from the front, and red from the rear as they sat bumper to bumper in rush hour traffic on the main road.
“Changes” by David Bowie drifted in from the living room. Maya had put it on. They shared a love of Bowie. In Tony’s mind, he was still the coolest songwriting dude in the music industry.
Tony sighed contentedly. Maya was a marvel in the kitchen. She had spent the afternoon making pumpkin ravioli from scratch. Tony could still taste the buttery sweetness on her tongue. Tony knew she was a lucky woman. Maya made her feel warm and cozy inside.
Tony was starting to put the gang incident behind her, but she had pulled back from Maya sexually.
It was a shame. In bed, she connected with Maya on a deep level. Maya took Tony to places she’d never gone with anyone else.
Tony swallowed. Well, it was just a matter of time. Tony was starting to get sparks of desire again. She exhaled and closed her eyes. Maya was absolutely gorgeous, and she had a beautiful personality as well. She was kind, political, and thoughtful. Her only real fault was her cleanliness obsession. Maya put it down to having to clean up after her father when she was a kid. When Maya’s late father had had his mental health c
risis he’d been very messy. Maya’s mother had abandoned them several times, leaving a very young child in dirty surroundings, with a disturbed adult. Even though she lived in England, Tony had never met Maya’s mother. Tony had some things saved up to say to her, if she did.
Tony hated thinking about what Maya had been through. So she was a neat freak. So what? Tony could help out by being extra clean. She took her time with the washing up. Then she dried the pots and put them away, something she’d never have done pre-Maya. They would have been left, stacked higgledy-piggledy on top of each other to drain.
“Are you ever coming in?”
Tony looked up from scrubbing away at a tomato stain on her counter. Maya was standing in the doorway, a half-empty glass of red wine in her hand.
“I’m feeling lonely,” Maya said with a sultry smile.
“Just trying to make the place look nice,” Tony said, smiling back.
Maya glanced at the countertop. “Well, you’re using the wrong scourer. You’ll scratch the counter if you use that one.” She stopped. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. It’s your countertop.”
Tony could see Maya was making an effort not to wrench the sponge out of Tony’s hand. She abandoned the stain and followed Maya into the sitting room.
“I’ll do it later,” Maya whispered into Tony’s ear, before handing her a beer.
“Tony, I wanted to talk to you about Jade.” Maya broke into her thoughts, sounding hesitant.
“Yeah?” At the mention of Jade’s name, Tony’s stomach tensed. “She’s still not answering my calls.” Tony dropped her head. “She probably just wants some space with her new girlfriend.”
“No, it’s not that. She misses you. She says she hasn’t had any texts or calls from you.”
“That’s crazy. Look.” Tony picked her phone off the arm of the sofa. “See all the texts I’ve sent? She hasn’t answered a single one.” She scrolled down a list. Maya read them, frowning. “Jade can go out of communicado, you know, when she’s got a new woman.”
“Jade is positive she hasn’t had any texts or calls from you.”