by Dale, Lindy
Chapter 22
Her hand was on the gate when James caught up with her after school a few afternoons later. His cheeks were flushed. It made him look more of a schoolboy than the Year Sevens, if that was possible.
‘Um, hi.’ He seemed uncomfortable.
‘Hi.’ Flora knew what was coming. She had seen James talking to Luke again the day before and today he had sat next to her in the staffroom at lunch. He had complimented her choice of skirt for the day, an unheard of occurrence in male staff.
‘Um… um, I was wondering if you’d like to go out for coffee or maybe go to the Pizzeria for an early dinner?’ He looked at her expectantly.
‘What, like, on a date type of dinner or coffee?’ Flora knew she shouldn’t tease him but for some reason she couldn’t resist. She was so much more confident now. Luke had changed her.
James shuffled a foot along the ground near the flowerbed. ‘Yes, like on a date.’ Clearly, this was not as easy for him as he’d thought it would be.
Flora paused. She smiled sweetly. ‘Thank you for the invitation. That would be lovely. When shall we go?’ Taking her hand from the already open gate, she turned to face him. ‘I’m free tomorrow.’
‘Er. Ah. Yes. Tomorrow should be fine. Um, pizza? You do like pizza?’
Flora dimpled. Maybe she didn’t look like the pizza type but then she didn’t look like the type to have steamy sex with her boss on a table either. ‘I love pizza, James, but I think coffee or a drink at the pub would be good for starters.’
‘Shall I pick you up?’
Gee, he was keen, but the last thing she wanted was for James to be anywhere near her house. She guarded her privacy jealously. And she had to be more careful with the weirdo note-writer around. Still, she felt safe with Luke keeping a watchful eye. He’d promised.
‘How about we keep it casual? What about if I meet you there?’
Once again, James looked relieved.
****
Within half an hour both PJ and Louise were in her classroom.
‘Please tell me you’re not going to do it,’ Louise begged. They had been greeted in the staffroom by a beaming James, telling all and sundry about his impending date. ‘What about Jake? You could go out with him instead.’
‘Jake’s your brother, Lou. It’d be creepy.’
‘Going out with that bloody weirdo is what’s creepy, Flower,’ said PJ. ‘He lives with his mother, for God’s sake. He’s a loser.’
Flora tried to keep a straight face. They actually believed she was into James. If only they knew. ‘He could be saving the deposit for a house or anything. We don’t all have a pool of money in the back garden, you know.’
PJ snorted. ‘Or he could be just plain freaky.’
Flora’s eyebrows rose. ‘And Dylan’s not? Because the last time I looked he wasn’t very nice.’
‘Point taken. Not that it matters. We’ve split up.’
Louise grabbed the side of the desk. ‘Since when?’
‘Since I found the international calls he’d made to Singapore on my mobile. Two hundred and sixty three dollars worth to be exact. A lovely girl – Mei Ling, I think. She seemed to be under the impression that she was coming here to live when his bloody ‘inheritance’ came through. I had to set her straight, poor love.’
Flora moved closer. She searched PJ’s face for outward signs of the despair she usually displayed after a split. ‘And you’re okay with this?’
‘Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve got a date on Saturday night.”
“With who?”
“That guy, Stew, from the gym. He really is hot now that he’s shaved that heinous beard off.’
****
Flora and James sat awkwardly in Dome Café the following day, the only topic of conversation they had in common being exhausted some twenty minutes previous. Lifting his eyes to hers across the small table that divided them, James waited with baited breath for her to inject something profound into the exchange. What else could she add without sounding like she was disinterested? The dialogue had been stilted so far and she had no interest in feigning an interest in white water rafting or what ever it was that he did on the weekends.
‘They make an excellent macchiato here,’ James remarked, as he gazed into his glass.
Flora took a sip of her latte. ‘Mmm. My latte is quite creamy too.’ Talking about coffee was scraping the barrel, for sure. He would never ask her out again after this, which in one way would be a very good thing. She didn’t know why she let Luke talk her into it in the first place. He seemed to be able to talk her into a lot of things she would never have considered in the past. Like, having an affair, for one. And allowing him to do unspeakable things to her body. Delicious, unspeakable things. Flora gazed out the window as a bird crashed into the pane of glass, snapping her back to reality.
‘I suppose you have lots of dates….’ James’ voice trailed off.
What was that supposed to mean? Did he think she was a party girl? Had he not noticed she wore glasses and ate the same thing for lunch every day. She was not the kind of girl who lined up men for the girlie firing squad.
‘You’re such a pretty girl, Flora. I never thought that you would go out with me. That was why I never asked you before.’
‘I thought you disliked me, you’re always teasing me somehow,’ she remarked. Either that or gay, she added in her mind. Lots of the staff had thought James to be the nerdy gay type. His cheeks and hair were just a tad too boyish to be straight.
‘That was because I didn’t know what to say, your beauty blinds me,’ he flushed. ‘I lose my words when I’m with you.’
Hmm, clearly not at the moment. He was being so verbose in his praise it was nauseating.
Flora looked at James. He was a nice man, odd but nice, and she could see he was trying to flatter her, but it wasn’t going to work. She had no interest in him. Yes, his smile was friendly and he was sort of good looking in a geeky, teacher-ish type of way but she was only interested in one man.
‘I don’t have time for lots of boyfriends, James,’ she smiled. I’m far too busy shagging the Principal.
‘I suppose you’re one of the Sex and the City girls…. always off with your girlfriends, don’t need a man, eh?’ he chuckled. Flora stared at him again. He sounded almost jealous.
‘I do spend a lot of time with my friends but I have other interests, too. I do yoga three times a week and I’m attempting to learn Japanese and I do Latin Dancing on Friday nights.’
‘Where?’
‘At Enrico’s on Main Street. I’m only a beginner but its heaps of fun.’
‘Oh. I thought you’d be out on the town, you know, clubbing.’
That showed how little he knew her. If James had paid attention in the last two years they had worked together he would have known she was not the sort of girl to go ‘clubbing.’ She liked the pub now and again but clubbing was not her scene. He knew nothing at all.
Flora changed the subject. ‘What about you James? Are you still doing martial arts?’ At least, she had been paying attention when he spoke. That was more than he could say.
‘I did my brown belt earlier in the year. Soon I’ll be sitting for the black.’
‘Wow.’
James twiddled his tie and flicked up the cuff of his shirt, glancing at his watch. ‘Well, I guess it’s time to head off. I promised Mother I’d stop in on my way home. She wants my opinion on her colour choice for the new lounge.’
Flora gathered her things. She was glad the torture was over. She couldn’t stand another minute, especially if James was the Mummy’s boy he appeared to be. Maybe the hiking and white water rafting were a front for his being gay. Perhaps he trying to hide it? ‘Are you close to your parents?’
‘Oh yes. Mother and I have a very close bond. She consults with me about everything.’
Flora walked to the door of the cafe and James followed. ‘It was nice to see you outside school, James. Thank you for asking me.’ But please don’t do
it again.
James leant over. For a moment Flora thought he was going to kiss her and she pulled away but he was only reaching to hold the door. ‘I had a nice time. Maybe we can do this again?’
‘Um, I guess so; let’s discuss it tomorrow at school, shall we?’ And waving goodbye, she escaped down the street.
****
When the bud arrived, Flora was on the computer in the workroom, staring blankly at the screen that displayed her supposed planning for the next week. Unfortunately for her, after twenty-five minutes of free time, the screen had remained blank except for the Office Help Assistant. Someone had switched it back on and downloaded a ridiculous purple gorilla who kept asking her repeatedly if she’d ‘like some help with that?’ As if she needed help from a gorilla! Ninety-nine percent of the time, constructing a forward plan and getting the resources together was a breeze, it was only a matter of looking at the outlines she’d made for the term and marrying them up with the children’s needs at that time. But not anymore. Things had taken an unexpected turn.
Since the event in the shower - Flora was too embarrassed to even call it for what it was, a great fuck - the simplest of daily tasks had become harder to concentrate on. The only thought that travelled through her mind, with exacting clarity and consistency in fact, was that of Luke. A coffee date with James had done nothing to dampen the furnace of daydreams. In fact it had only been cause to magnify the feelings she was developing for Luke. Feelings Flora knew she should not have because he was leaving in three weeks. Feelings she knew would break her heart. It would be just like her mother, all over again.
Powerless to change the past, to retract Luke from the vine of shared memories that was he and Juliana, Flora had decided to make their own. These would be the things that would help her cope after he had gone. The way he looked, the way he laughed and the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled or darkened with the lust that sent shivers of yearning up her spine. Those memories would all be there. Then there were reminiscences of the first time they kissed, of dancing together and stepping on each other’s toes, of picnics on the lounge room floor and DVD movies. These would sustain her when she and Luke were no more. Their time was now. There would be no tomorrow. And she would have no regrets except one. Flora would have given anything to have one night as a normal couple – out on the town proclaiming their affection for each other. She did not want him to go. A whisper of a tear tickled at her cheek. Despite all the promises she had made to herself this was more than sex. Flora was falling for Luke. No, she had already jumped the cliff. Who would be there to catch her?
Staring blankly at the monitor, Flora wiped the tear away. Now, there was another far more pressing problem. James. Since the date he had become even more ardent with his attention. He hadn’t made a single wise crack to any of the girls for an entire week, which was a good thing, but he always seemed to be popping up from behind piles of sports equipment or around corners asking how she was, what she was up to. Not that he hadn’t done that before, it was just that now he was fifty times worse. He had also taken to wearing a Justin Timberlake trilby and humming Lovestoned every time she walked by, not to mention being irritatingly nice. So much so, that Flora wanted to punch him. In trying to deflect attention, she had created a monster.
Disturbed from her thoughts by a movement at the door, Flora looked around to find June, the secretary, coming in.
‘I think this is for you,’ she said, handing Flora a small box with a clear plastic lid that looked like something a boy would give to his date at the prom. ‘It’s very pretty,’ she continued, as if waiting for confirmation that it was. Flora smiled and thanked her.
Beneath the clear lid was a single white frangipani bloom, so delicate in its simplicity that it was beyond beautiful and Flora gasped. It had to be from Luke. He was the only one who knew her passion for the flower.
‘New boyfriend? He must be crazy about you to send flowers.’
So crazy he wants to lose his job, Flora thought. How could he even think of sending gifts to school when they’d agreed their relationship was to stay private? It was hard enough avoiding him in the corridors and pretending she thought he was a pompous ass but this was playing with fire.
Of course, he’d done it to stir up trouble. Flora could only imagine the vast enjoyment he’d get from handing her over to the gaggle of gossips that populated the staff room and watching her fend off their pecking advances. It wouldn’t affect him at all. Nobody knew the flower was from him. They probably thought it was from James.
Flora’s mouth tilted. ‘It’s not a massive bouquet, June; it’s only a single bud.’
‘But sometimes it’s the simplest things that say the most, eh? That boy’s real keen I’d say.’
Flora smiled to herself. Luke – a boy – hardly. It was not the most apt description but to June anyone under the age of fifty was a lad. Ignoring June’s probe, she picked the card off the top of the lid.
This bud of love, by summer’s ripening breath,
May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet.
‘That’s lovely,’ nodded June. ‘Whoever he is, I bet he’s gorgeous. Pretty young thing like you would be sure to have a handsome fella.’
‘Guess so,’ Flora replied. She wasn’t going to fall for that old trick.
‘Even so, I wouldn’t let Miriam see that,’ June’s head inclined to the flower. ‘You know how she is about mixing personal and professional lives.’
Yes. We have no life other than teaching. Miriam’s mantra rang in her ears. Sadly, Flora reflected, up until the moment she’d met Luke that was how she’d lived. She’d had no life at all. Sure, she’d had family and friends and nights on the town but it had all been dull and predictable, so small town. Now, she had a secret life, which in hindsight was no better because she couldn’t share it with anybody, except Luke. It was an exciting secret life, all the same, and one that her friends would never believe.
****
The flower caused a furore in the staff room, the news of its delivery taking only five minutes and thirty-three seconds to travel around campus. Being the prime topic of discussion during lunch, everyone had their own theory as they scrutinized the handwriting and analysed the verse.
‘He must be some sort of academic,’ said Cherie. ‘Normal men don’t spout Shakespeare at random.’
‘Maybe he’s not normal,’ chuckled Flora, her eyes on Luke who was eating his salmon sandwich and pretending she didn’t exist. Just wait till he got to her house later on. There was going to be serious payback for this little gesture of affection.
‘My husband wouldn’t even know who Shakespeare was. Naming the Eagles list for the last fifteen years is poetry to him. And he’s way too busy watching the footy to pick up anything other than the TV guide. I was lucky to get him out of his Jason recliner last grand final day.’
‘Do you still see any of your old professors, Flora?’ said June, fishing for a tiny titbit more.
Flora gagged on her sandwich. The only professors she’d ever had were the sort with unruly hair and a pipe dangling from the lip. ‘No!’ Ew!
Liz, the librarian, fingered the card, which was being passed from hand to hand and dissected. ‘This one’s clever, too. See how he’s used the analogy of the flower. Flora, Flower. Their growing love in the spring. Then of course, there’s the direct reference to Romeo and Juliet, an illicit love….. It’s very romantic.’
I think I’m going to puke, thought Flora, smiling through her teeth. She could see the wry amusement all over Luke’s face. He was enjoying watching her squirm. And how did he manage to look so innocent yet be so damned guilty? Oh, he was going to pay. There was no question.
‘Is there any significance to the choice of bud, Flora?’ Luke asked, seemingly innocently.
‘I have a frangipani tree in the courtyard at my house.’
‘So you do know who it is. He’s been to your house.’ PJ went straight for the jugular. ‘Where did you meet him
or more to the point when did you meet him? You never go anywhere.’ It was more of a criticism than a statement and Flora winced a little. It hurt to know that even her friends thought she led some sad pathetic sort of life.
‘He’s probably some incredibly quiet, sexy type,’ remarked Louise, ‘that would be Flora’s sort.’
‘No money though, and no taste. Frangipani is so last century. A real man about town would have known to buy white orchids.’
Flora looked at Luke who was sitting, relaxed, at the other end of the table. How could he be so calm when they were all making fun of his gift? Did he care nothing about what they were saying?
‘Oh, this is ridiculous. You people have such small minds. It’s only a stupid flower.’ Flora said, getting up and heading for the door, signifying the conversation over.
In the ladies, she washed her hands and looking in the mirror, took a deep breath. Her hands were shaking but not with anger or humiliation. She felt exhilarated and so full of life she wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all. A month ago she would have felt awkward at their teasing and open speculation into her personal life. A month ago she would have balked at an affair with a man she so obviously couldn’t have. But from the moment Luke had held her in his arms everything had changed. Things that had seemed overwhelming before were nothing now. Keeping secrets and sneaking around behind her friends backs was commonplace. Every time discovery seemed imminent, adrenalin surged through her like something she’d never felt before and she liked it. She liked the buzz.
‘Did you like the gift?’ Luke said, as he strolled past her in the hall on the way to line up.
‘I’m going to kill you,’ she replied, through her teeth.
‘Why?’
‘You shouldn’t have sent it to school. People will figure it out in no time.’
Luke stopped at the door, holding it open. He looked puzzled. ‘I didn’t send it. I can only assume it was James.’
The colour drained from Flora’s face. ‘But…’
‘It wasn’t me.’