Polls Apart Read Online Free PDF Page A

Richard assumed must have been a correction by the way her face further contorted with every word uttered. He slowed to a snail’s pace as he made his way past the scene so he could watch the full spectacle unfold.
    The actress was waving her hands in front of her now.
    “Can we start again?” she asked in her thick Yorkshire accent. “I didn’t get that right.” She tossed her long hair to the other side and cleared her throat. “I’m just so thrilled to be presenting an award to Jamie. He’s such an inspiration to us all in the way he bravely fought off thugs who were trying to steal a pensioner’s wallet.”
    Richard couldn’t help but laugh out loud which earned him a very dirty look from the now-mortified actress. He turned to Anna behind him who was so busy scouring the room she had missed the entertainment right in front of their noses.
    “Mr Williams.” A very smiley young lady was standing in front of him and, judging from her headset and clipboard, he guessed she was from the production crew.
    “I’m Mary Waterman, the assistant producer. Pleased to meet you – and you Ms Lloyd.”
    Anna returned her smile but, Richard noticed, she still hadn’t lost that distracted look as she half-heartedly tried to listen to Mary’s instructions whilst star-spotting.
    “If you follow me to your table, I can introduce you to Ruth,” Mary continued. “I’ll then call you fifteen minutes before you’re due to present the award and take you backstage where there will be make-up artists on hand should you need freshening up.”
    “Lovely, thank you,” Richard said as he dutifully followed the assistant producer to his chair.
    “This is Ruth,” Mary said, pointing to a young woman who was the total opposite of what Richard had been expecting.
    “My goodness,” he blurted as he shook the girl’s hand. “How did such a petite young lady like you chase two armed robbers from a bank?”
    “I used shock tactics,” Ruth giggled. “I’d read an article in a magazine a few weeks earlier saying if you were ever assaulted then the best thing to do was to act all weird and make a lot of noise as it would throw your attackers off course.”
    “So what did you do?” Richard asked.
    “I just shouted ‘ raaaarrrrrr ’ and then ran at them. And before I knew it they started running in the opposite direction.”
    “Weren’t you afraid it wouldn’t work?” Anna chipped in from behind Richard. “Some robbers would have shot you for less.”
    “Oh, hello,” Ruth said shyly as she realised who Anna was. “I didn’t really think about it, I just went on automatic. Looking back on it, I was very lucky that it worked and everyone escaped unhurt.”
    “I’d say,” Richard laughed. “What a wonderful story though. We need more people like you who are willing to stand up to the bad guys.”
    Suddenly an announcement cut across their conversation: “Ladies and Gentlemen. Will you please take your seats as the Great Britons Awards Ceremony is about to begin.”
    Richard spotted his place card beside Ruth’s while Anna was seated between her husband and the sponsor’s very straight-looking chairman whom she realised she would be stuck talking to for the next couple of hours. She sighed quietly to herself and glanced at who was placed on the nearby tables. She was quickly cheered to see she had been seated at a better table than several so-called A-list singers and actresses who were positioned behind them.
    Once she had taken her seat, Anna leant close and whispered in Richard’s ear: “I didn’t realise there were going to be so many major celebrities here.”
    “Yes. It’s become quite a high-profile event. That’s why Henry insisted we present the award.”
    “He’s much more in touch than I thought,” Anna laughed. “In fact, I’m quite looking forward to this campaign now. I think we’ll make a dynamic team.” She winked at Richard and gave him a teasing nudge.
    Anna woke early the following