Beyond the Skyline

by Lise Gold

  “Great. I have secret recipes going back to my great grandmother. I’ll teach you everything about authentic Brazilian food.” She nudged Mel. “Her brothers’ girlfriends have no interest in cooking. I always worry that they don’t eat enough vitamins with all the junk food they put away after work. One of them is Brazilian too so I thought she might want to learn a bit more about the food from her country, but she isn’t remotely interested.” She turned back to Sophie. “So you don’t have a husband or a boyfriend you cook for? Or a girlfriend?” Mel interrupted her.

  “Mum, that’s enough. Stop interrogating her.” Isabella held up her hands in defense.

  “Melzinha, I’m just making polite conversation here. It’s a very standard question.” Sophie laughed.

  “No, I don’t have a boyfriend.” She hesitated. “I’m kind of seeing someone, but it’s only been a couple of weeks so I’d rather not get into it right now.” She knew she was blushing and when she glanced at Mel, she could sense her discomfort too. Isabella studied them both, rested her gaze on Mel and grinned.

  “Well, there’s nothing like young love. You should enjoy every second of it.”

  “I’m sorry it’s so late,” Mel said when they were lingering by her front door two hours later. “I hope you’ll still make it home in time for dinner. My mother talks too much and she really gets up in people’s business. Next time you come over, I’ll make sure she sticks to the cooking class.” Sophie laughed.

  “Are you kidding me? I had a great time. Your mother is so sweet and funny. I think she might be on to us, though.” Mel chuckled.

  “She’s on to everyone. Nothing escapes her. She’s become worse since she stopped working as a cleaner. I think she loved snooping around in other people’s private lives and now she needs something else to focus on.” Sophie smiled and kissed her.

  “That’s perfectly understandable. And don’t worry about the time, I’ve already ordered a cab.” Mel shook her head and stepped outside.

  “No, that’s way too expensive. Let me at least walk you to the tube.” Sophie stopped her.

  “Really, it’s okay. My mother has a taxi account. I don’t use it very often, but she’s perfectly happy for me to do so.” Mel raised an eyebrow.

  “Wow. Your mother has her own taxi account? Do you even know how cool that is in a city where it takes forever to get from A to B?” Sophie shrugged.

  “She doesn’t like to drive, and she doesn’t take public transport. As I said, I don’t use it very often.” She smiled uncomfortably. “I don’t want you to think I’m some kind of spoilt brat. Because I’m not. I’ve always worked, even through university.” She paused. “But I do realize that I’ve been brought up privileged and that I’m very lucky. And I’m grateful for that.” Mel held up a hand.

  “Stop it right there, Sophie. Just so we’re clear, I’m not judging you. Did I ever accuse you of being spoilt?” Sophie shook her head.

  “Come on; I know you’re not, so please stop defending yourself, okay? Your world is just different to mine, that’s all. It makes things interesting for both of us.” She pointed at the car that was pulling up and blew Sophie a kiss. “Now get our ass into that taxi and enjoy your family dinner.”

  31

  It was distracting having Mel in the office. Although they were seated on different islands, Sophie saw her each time she walked down the corridor to get a coffee. She felt anxious as she waited for her cup to fill and knew it was down to the ten coffees she drank a day, just to walk past Mel’s desk and catch a glimpse of her. They never had lunch together. As soon as they started speaking, sparks were flying, and it would have been impossible to keep it casual.

  “More coffee?” Sophie jumped up and turned around.

  “Oh, hey Mel. You can have mine if you like. I’ve already had way too much.” Mel smiled.

  “Yes. You do seem to drink a lot of coffee. Just like I seem to fill up on water all the time. It’s just that the water in the tank behind your desk is really tasty.” She grinned and took the cup that Sophie handed to her. “Thank you. That’s very kind of you, Sophie.” She winked and walked back to her desk. Sophie stared at her behind until she suddenly remembered where she was.

  “Sophie, can I talk to you?” Debbie waved at her from her office. She was supporting her baby bump with the other hand, looking stressed and exhausted. Sophie wandered over and took a seat at her desk.

  “How are you feeling, Debbie? Everything okay?” Debbie nodded, clearly lying.

  “All good, Sophie. Thank you.” She rummaged through her drawer. “I have some paperwork for you to sign. That is if you’re still interested in being design manager.” She smiled. “Temporary, of course. Until I’m back. But who knows what will happen? You’ve been great to the company, and we appreciate your hard work. There’s a generous raise in the contract; please take a look.” Sophie opened the file. She tried not to flinch at the hefty number on her temporary salary contract. It was more than she had expected.

  “Great,” she said. “Do you know when your last day will be? It was supposed to be last week, but I guess it’s no secret that you’re still here.” She hesitated. “I didn’t want to bother you because I know you’re busy, but if I take this offer, we need to do a hand-over before you leave.” Debbie sighed.

  “I know. I should have done this sooner; it’s very unprofessional of me. It’s just been so hectic, and quite frankly, I’m nervous to leave.” She paused. “Not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that…” She hesitated. “Well, you know how it goes. It’s hard to combine this job with a baby, and I’m not sure what the future holds for me. My last day will be this Friday, and I should have given this to you a month prior to my leave. I could probably get fired for doing this last-minute, and I honestly don’t know why I kept on postponing it. If you need time to have a solicitor look it over, please do.” She grimaced. “But don’t take too long because this baby could pop out any minute and I’ll be fucked for failing my successor-planning if we don’t have someone in place by then.” Sophie read through the list of roles and responsibilities and nodded. She shifted on her seat when it dawned on her that she would have to do Mel’s performance reviews. She’d known it all along but seeing it black in white made her realize how serious the situation was. She looked at Debbie who was sweating behind her desk, praying for Sophie to accept the offer. She couldn’t let her down now. It would be cruel.

  “Don’t worry Debbie,” she heard herself say, “I understand. It must be hard to leave ten years of work behind. I’d be nervous too.” She handed her back the file and kept the two contract copies. “Looks fine to me.” She signed on the dotted line on both the sheets and filled in her name and date. “Thank you for the opportunity.” Debbie sighed in relief and took one of the copies.

  “No. Thank you, Sophie.” She pulled herself out of the chair by the bookshelf next to her desk and put on her coat. “Well, I’d better head off now.” She turned around. “Oh, and one more thing. Mel, the new girl. You two are okay, right?” Sophie’s eyes widened.

  “Yeah, sure. We’re okay. Why do you ask?” Debbie shrugged.

  “It’s just that I never see you two together, the way I've seen you with your other co-workers. You know, laughing, gossiping, having lunch…” Sophie laughed nervously.

  “No, you’re wrong. Mel and I get along great. But we’ve both been more focused on our jobs lately. She’s just started, and I’m about to take over from you… Hong Kong was hectic, and we haven’t had much time to get to know each other better.”

  “Very well,” Debbie said. “That’s good to know. But if you think there might be any problems ahead, you’d let me know, right?” Sophie nodded and handed Debbie her handbag.

  “Sure. You’ll be the first one to know.”

  32

  “So are you going to tell me why you’ve been all mysterious lately? You haven’t texted or called me back in three weeks.” Cat bit her nails, trying to act like her question was totally cas
ual, giving Sophie her famous ‘either way, I-don’t-give-a fuck’ look. There was something comical in her delivery, and Sophie knew she had rehearsed the question. Despite her childhood dreams, Cat would have made a terrible actress. They were having their usual Monday night catch up, gossiping over cocktails in a private members club in Chelsea, booked on Cat’s parent's memberships. Weekends were busy there but Mondays were quiet, and it was the perfect place for them to talk without being interrupted by drunk men or nosy acquaintances. The premises were dark around their candlelit booth, and Cat squinted, trying to read Sophie’s face. Live blues music was playing softly in the background, just loud enough to give Sophie an excuse.

  “Sorry, what were you saying?” She felt her heart rate accelerate. The conversation had seemed so easy in her mind, but now, it was almost impossible to speak. Cat leaned in closer and opened her mouth, ready to repeat the question louder. Then she rolled her eyes, walked around the table and took a seat next to Sophie. She put an arm around her, taking a sip from her drink.

  “There we go. Much easier this way. So my question was… and I’m pretty sure you heard me the first time…What the hell have you been up to? You’re acting all weird. Are you okay?” Sophie felt flushed and turned her head away, staring right ahead.”

  “Yeah. I’m good. Why do you ask?”

  “Well, you’ve been looking at your phone all night. And you smile every time it lights up. It’s not rocket science. Let me see. What’s so intriguing that you don’t want me to know? Come on.” Cat extended her arm, but Sophie snatched her phone away before Cat could get hold of it. Cat laughed.

  “Really? Okay, now I know for sure something’s going on. And if you don’t tell me right now, I’ll be appropriately offended, and I’ll walk off. Seriously, I’ll be out of here. I’m your best friend, Sophie!” Her voice was so loud that the people in the booth next to them glanced over curiously. “What are you looking at?” Cat sneered, giving them a warning look.

  “Shhhh,” Sophie said. “Cool it.” She shifted further away from Cat, desperate to gain some personal space. She glanced at her friend, whose eyes had now widened to the size of duck eggs, waiting for the juicy gossip to descend on her.

  “Cat, I know you like gossip,” Sophie started carefully. “But you really can’t tell anyone about this, okay? It’s really important that you keep it to yourself.” Cat nodded, hungry for Sophie to continue.

  “Pinky swear!” she said, her voice again way too loud. She held out her little finger. Sophie maneuvered her pinky around Cat’s and gave her an awkward squeeze. It wasn’t something they’d ever done before, but it felt appropriate somehow.

  “I have to tell you something,” Sophie carefully started. “It’s not easy for me, and I’m terrified it will affect our friendship.” She looked down at her shaking hands. ‘Why is it so hard?’ Cat laughed.

  “Silly. Don’t be so dramatic. It’s nothing bad, right? Is it? Do you have an STD?” She studied Sophie’s breasts and then her face. “Did you have surgery or fillers? Because it’s no big deal, Sophie.” She bounced on the pink velvet couch, kicked off her high-heeled pumps and pulled a foot underneath her thigh, adjusting the skirt of her red dress. Sophie shook her head and raised a hand to the waiter for another round.

  “It’s not bad. It’s great. For me, at least.” She sighed and decided to blurt it out before she could give it a second thought. “I have a girlfriend.” Cat blinked.

  “You have a boyfriend? Oh my God. Finally.”

  “No Cat, I have a girlfriend.” Cat stared at her. A frown appeared between her eyebrows.

  “You have a girlfriend?” She repeated. “What do you mean by that? I don’t understand.”

  “I mean that I have a girlfriend, just like you have a boyfriend.” Sophie chewed on her straw impatiently. “Seriously Cat, it’s not like I’m telling you I eat babies for breakfast.”

  “Okay,” Cat stuttered, after a couple of seconds. “So what you’re telling me is that you have a girlfriend and that means you’re… gay?” Sophie shrugged,

  “What I’m telling you is that I’ve fallen in love with a girl and yes, I’m sure… Or as sure as I can be.” Cat frowned and pulled her long dark hair behind her ears. She seemed uneasy.

  “Wow. Okay…So who is she? Do I know her? How did you meet her?” Cat had lowered her voice, finally.

  “She’s my new colleague. Her name is Mel.”

  “No. Really? Fuck… The new one you told me about?” Sophie nodded.

  “Please don’t judge me, Cat. It’s hard enough as it is. I need you to…” She sighed. “I don’t know. I just really need you to be supportive. You’re the first person I’ve told, and you have no idea how scary it is.” Cat pulled Sophie towards her in an awkward sideways embrace, resting her face on Sophie’s shoulder.

  “Wait,” she said, still clinging on to Sophie. “I just need to process this for a second.” She let go of her grip and stared at Sophie in disbelief.

  “You? With another woman? Have you always been into girls?”

  “I don’t think so,” Sophie lied. “I’ve never felt like this before.” Cat’s eyes narrowed, hazy from the alcohol.

  “Are you in love?” she asked. Sophie smiled.

  “Yes.” There was an awkward silence.

  “Okay. Wow.” Cat fiddled with her nails, avoiding Sophie’s gaze. “I guess I’m a bit surprised but you know I’ll always be your friend, right? It’s not like it changes things.” She giggled. “I’m sorry. I need some time to get used to the idea so don’t mind me just now.” Sophie held up her glass in relief.

  “Thanks, Cat. It means a lot to me that you’re not making a big deal out of this because really, it’s not.”

  “No,” Cat said absently. “I suppose it’s not.” She paused. “So… are you going to tell people? Tell our friends? Your parents?” Her eyes widened. “Oh God, your parents are going to have a meltdown, aren’t they?” Sophie shrugged.

  “They don’t need to know. At least not yet. I’m not ready to tell anyone else right now, and I want to see how things go with Mel first. It’s difficult. I just had to tell someone, and I guess you’re the only person that I trust with my life apart from Maggie. I’ll probably tell her too but she’s been working non-stop, and it’s really hard to get hold of her.” Sophie shot Cat a warning look. “As I said, you really can’t tell anyone about this.” Cat nodded.

  “Of course not, darling. I’m just surprised you didn’t tell me sooner. You didn’t have to avoid me, you know?” She put a hand on Sophie’s knee. “Thank you for trusting me, I feel honored, and I won’t tell anyone.” She held up her glass and laughed. “Cheers to my best friend finally being in love.” Sophie rolled her eyes.

  “Thank you, Cat. I promise I’ll introduce you to her soon. Just give me some time.”

  33

  “Come on, Sophie. I’m curious to know more about you. You know everything about me by now, but I haven’t even seen where your parents live or where you grew up. You owe me that after all the time you spent with my mother. I want to meet your parents, get to know the people who shaped you into the wonderful person that you are.” She traced a finger down Sophie’s leg, then rested it on her knee. “It’s great that you told Cat. That was very brave, and I’m proud of you. So why can’t I meet her? Why won’t you introduce me to the people that matter to you?” They were lying on Sophie’s bed; both stripped down to their underwear after a sunny picnic in Hyde Park. It was warm in the top floor apartment, despite the open windows and the fan on the antique nightstand. Mel wore navy briefs with white polka dots and a white vest top. Sophie noticed she matched the interior of her bedroom, with its heavy blue curtains, white wooden furniture and thick cream carpet. She looked like a dream, and right now Sophie could think of many things she would rather be doing than talking about her parents and her friends. She shifted the strap on her nude lace bra to check out her tan in the mirror by the dressing table.

  “I’m not su
re I’m comfortable with that, Mel. Besides, I’m nothing like my parents or even like my friends,” she mumbled. “You’re not missing out, believe me.” She stiffened when she saw Mel’s expression shift behind her reflection. It was the first time she had seen her like that. Mel looked hurt, and Sophie immediately regretted her reaction. She turned around, and when her eyes met Mel’s, she knew she had made a mistake.

  ‘Please don’t let this be our first fight,’ she thought. She reached out for Mel’s hand, but it was too late. Mel stood up from the bed and moved to the chaise longue in the far corner of the room. She pulled her legs up and rested her chin on a knee. A hint of anger trembled through her voice when she spoke.

  “What’s your problem, Sophie? It’s not like they’re going to find out we’re together. Are you scared that I’ll tell them? That I’ll just blurt it out over dinner and out you? Do you really think I’m that dumb?” She cocked her head. “Are you ashamed of me? Am I not good enough for you? Not good enough for your parents? Do I not fit into your perfect little middle-class world? What is it?” She turned her head and stared out of the window. Sophie shook her head and moved to the end of the bed.

  “No, of course not! How can you even say that? Mel, I think you’re amazing, and I look up to you. I’m in love with you for God’s sake. Madly. It has nothing to do with shame or fear or whatever it is that’s going through your mind right now. I just don’t want you to think different of me after you’ve met the people in my life. What if you think less of me?” She picked up the wine bottle next to the bed, refilled one of the glasses on her nightstand and offered it to Mel. When Mel declined, she took a large gulp, trying to calm her panic. “My friends… I’m afraid you’d find them dull. Most of our conversations are based around highly insignificant topics like where to get the best personal trainer or the rising price of avocado shakes or the stress of grocery shopping for two houses and a yacht.” She sighed. “God, now I sound like some miserable twat who doesn’t like her own friends, and that’s not true either. It’s just that compared to you, they all come across as shallow. But they’re still my friends, and I don’t want you to hate them.” She swallowed hard. “The same counts for my parents. My father is okay actually. He works hard and minds his own business. But my mother’s whole life revolves around her appearance and how everything she does reflects on the outside world. I don’t want you to have to sit through dinner while she’s trying to convince me to go on a date with whomever the latest man is that is she’s got her mind set on. And I don’t want you to dislike her because quite frankly, you might.”