What Happens Next

The Saturday after Cody sees Francis at the bus-stop, she goes to a party with Thea and Thea. It’s a long time since Cody’s been to a party. This one is in a warehouse off Cuba Street. There is a DJ playing reggae music and a lot of white people dancing to it. Cody is glad she brought her whisky.

—Something something KITCHEN something, shouts Thea at Cody.

—WHAT, shouts Cody, —WHERE?

She follows Thea into a small, brightly lit converted office. There is a bench, a sink and a stove-top element thing over which knives are heating. Thea helps herself to a bottle of wine left by somebody. Three people leave, shutting the door. It is much quieter.

—Thank fuck, says Thea, —I’ve got to talk to you. I think Thea’s having an affair with a cycle courier.

—Oh no, says Cody. She lights a cigarette. —Male or female?

—Female, says Thea. —Which is worse, I think.

– 7 –

—Are you sure it’s happening? asks Cody.

—No, well I am, I haven’t asked her, but you know she’ll only lie anyway, I’m pretty sure oh shit Code I’ll really miss her if we break up.

—Now hang on, hang on, says Cody. She passes Thea a paper napkin to wipe her face. She goes round the corner of the table to hug Thea and as she does the door opens and Francis walks into the room.

—Sorry, says Francis. —Bad timing. Hi.

It’s a question really, he’s not sure that he knows her, or if he does, from where. A lot of people are looking familiar to him these days. But he’s interrupted something so he’s just going to grab a plastic cup and leave.

—Wasn’t that —starts Thea, wiping her nose on the lining of her suede jacket.

—Mm? says Cody. —Who? Do you want to go now?

—No, says Thea. —I don’t want to leave Thea here. That cycle bitch might show. Can I have some lipstick? They spend a minute putting Thea back together again and then walk out to the party. Thea finds Thea and they dance while Cody walks over to the window not looking for Francis.

He finds her anyway, and this is what he says.

—Leo Tolstoy and his brother believed anything they wished would come true if they could stand in a corner and not think of a white bear.

Cody feels her rib cage expand, contract, expand, contract. She lights another cigarette off the butt of the one she’s just smoked. She has a mouthful of whisky, making sure not to spill any down her chin. Her hands shake. She tightens her grip on the windowsill.

—I know you from somewhere, he says.

—Um, says Cody, —I think we might have worked in the same restaurant once, ages ago now, about ten years ago or something, is your name Francis?

—Yeah. He smiles. —What’s yours again?

—Cody, says Cody.

—What? says Francis.

—Cody, she says again, hating this. —C–O–D–Y.

—Cody? he says.

—Yeah. She’s feeling sick now even without the whisky, wondering where her personality’s gone. She could have sworn she had it on her when she left the house.

—Visions of Cody, he smiles.

—Yeah, says Cody. —I never read it yet.

– 8 –

For a while they stand there at the window next to each other not saying anything. Cody looks around the room at the other women there. They all look completely gorgeous. She glances carefully over at Francis. He’s looking straight ahead, sucking the rim of his plastic cup with red wine in it. Cody realises with relief that she is bored, and walks away.

But here she is now at the end of the party and there’s only a handful of people left. Thea and Thea have gone home. The cycle courier never showed up. Cody is talking to a red-haired woman about Virginia Woolf and trying to sound informed but not pretentious while keeping Francis in her peripheral vision. She got Thea to make some enquiries for her earlier on and found out he’s not with anyone, he just got back from overseas. Which potentially places him in a high-risk category but at least he’s available. Cody can’t get over how he looks exactly the same. She’s not sure whether this is good or bad.

—Ugh, said Thea, —He looks like he crawled out from under a rock. I thought you’d gotten over that Brideshead cheekbone thing.

—I did, said Cody. —I did get over it.

Cody sees him going for his coat and manages to look as if she got up to leave first. There is an art to this manoeuvre and she has to concentrate hard, which is not easy after three and a half hours of whisky and forty-five minutes of leftover beer.

She hears him behind her on the stairs. Once she’s outside she stops and looks up at the stars. The night is clear and very cold. She is wide awake. She looks at him, surprised. She smiles.

—Hi, he says.

—Hi.

They walk together down the street, hands in pockets, ears ringing from the music. Everything else is still. They reach the taxi stand.

In the taxi he asks her if she wants to go back to his place. She can’t believe it’s been this easy. She says OK, still looking surprised, smiling a small smile.

Actually it’s not his place, it’s his brother’s who’s away for the weekend. This is a further stroke of luck. Cody does not like to encounter strange flatmates in the morning. The mornings are awkward enough as it is. Francis pours them each a glass of wine and puts a record on. He touches Cody’s face. He says, —I remember you.

They go to bed.

—Well, says Thea the next day, —how was it?

– 9 –

—Good, says Cody. —I think. I can’t remember much.

—So, says Thea, —what happens next?

*