station.
âCool,â Abe said about the explanation that had somehow taken the place of saying goodbye. Abe straightened up and left, shutting the door behind him. His last view was of Richard locked in position in the middle of the hall. It was as if the sight of a man doing up his shoes had unhinged him.
The trains out of Paddington Station were running sporadically. â CANCELLED â appeared several times on the departures board and there was one deranged heading composed of a string of consonants. Among the positive entries was the Oxford service, which called at Reading. Abe bought a newspaper and a takeaway cup of coffee. There were no crowds; in fact, remarkably few people. Abe felt a change in mood â a lightening â as if he might be going on holiday. This buoyancy continued throughout the journey. The unusual brightness, reflected by the snow, shone through the dirty train windows. Once they left the built-up districts and were out in the open, Abe shifted across to a seat thatwas in shadow. He looked at the changed white fields. The countryside in the Thames Valley had expanded under the snow. He sipped at the coffee and enjoyed the scenery.
When Abe arrived at work he remained upbeat. Ben and Holly, who shared his office on the third floor of the slab-like building, had taken advantage of the transport chaos and called in, stranded. Liam, the boss, sent an e-mail round cancelling the weekly departmental meeting and kept his door, on the floor above, shut. This gave Abe a chance to progress BRAND BUILDING IN THE BUSINESS TO BUSINESS MARKET SECTOR but he failed to get started. The words sounded aggressive, reverberating round his head. Abe wandered about the empty spaces between the desks. He stared out at the similar premises across the courtyard; the figures inside, jackets discarded, sitting at their computers. If he moved his head to one side he could see some white in a gap between buildings. Usually it was green. That was Berkshire. Or maybe it was the university campus. He had never got to know Reading, only the walks to the station and to the pub round the corner.
Abe made a few calls not connected with work. He left a message for his friend Shane, suggesting they meet. Shane was hoping to start a business leasing Japanese exercise equipment to gyms and health clubs. He had asked Abe to go in with him. The equipment, Shane claimed, was superb. It made even the top-of-the-range stuff seem clunky. The machinery was powder-coated in soft colours and had some nice features, like the built-in screen that tracked the simulated run up Ben Nevis or the row along the Boat Race course between Putney and Hammersmith Bridges. Shane was planning to target spas and fitness centres. Abe hadnât said yes or no. He needed to check it out â but the idea of working for himself appealed to him. Maybe heâd go to Tokyo.
At lunchtime, Abe went down to the Beehive and ate a vegetarian chilli. It was on the Specials board. He returned to the office, feeling bloated from the chewy undercookedbeans. The daylight was going. A dark patch of sky beyond the next building was spreading like dye across wet cloth. The fluorescent tubes that had glimmered redundantly throughout the morning now turned the office pink. Abe got down to work.
5
AT SIX OâCLOCK that evening Kirsty Rivers came out of a small shop tucked awaybehind Oxford Street on the north side. She set the burglar alarm, turned off the lights and pulled down the security shutter. There were no late nights at the shop â apart from the stocktake once a month â and no earlies either, whatever the weather. The business acted as an address, or an office, for people who didnât have one. Kirsty spent the day sending, receiving and forwarding mail. She wrapped up fragile and oddly shaped parcels. Gloria, her mother, couldnât understand why Kirsty was doing anything so lowly when she had a 2:1 in media and music. She said
âCool,â Abe said about the explanation that had somehow taken the place of saying goodbye. Abe straightened up and left, shutting the door behind him. His last view was of Richard locked in position in the middle of the hall. It was as if the sight of a man doing up his shoes had unhinged him.
The trains out of Paddington Station were running sporadically. â CANCELLED â appeared several times on the departures board and there was one deranged heading composed of a string of consonants. Among the positive entries was the Oxford service, which called at Reading. Abe bought a newspaper and a takeaway cup of coffee. There were no crowds; in fact, remarkably few people. Abe felt a change in mood â a lightening â as if he might be going on holiday. This buoyancy continued throughout the journey. The unusual brightness, reflected by the snow, shone through the dirty train windows. Once they left the built-up districts and were out in the open, Abe shifted across to a seat thatwas in shadow. He looked at the changed white fields. The countryside in the Thames Valley had expanded under the snow. He sipped at the coffee and enjoyed the scenery.
When Abe arrived at work he remained upbeat. Ben and Holly, who shared his office on the third floor of the slab-like building, had taken advantage of the transport chaos and called in, stranded. Liam, the boss, sent an e-mail round cancelling the weekly departmental meeting and kept his door, on the floor above, shut. This gave Abe a chance to progress BRAND BUILDING IN THE BUSINESS TO BUSINESS MARKET SECTOR but he failed to get started. The words sounded aggressive, reverberating round his head. Abe wandered about the empty spaces between the desks. He stared out at the similar premises across the courtyard; the figures inside, jackets discarded, sitting at their computers. If he moved his head to one side he could see some white in a gap between buildings. Usually it was green. That was Berkshire. Or maybe it was the university campus. He had never got to know Reading, only the walks to the station and to the pub round the corner.
Abe made a few calls not connected with work. He left a message for his friend Shane, suggesting they meet. Shane was hoping to start a business leasing Japanese exercise equipment to gyms and health clubs. He had asked Abe to go in with him. The equipment, Shane claimed, was superb. It made even the top-of-the-range stuff seem clunky. The machinery was powder-coated in soft colours and had some nice features, like the built-in screen that tracked the simulated run up Ben Nevis or the row along the Boat Race course between Putney and Hammersmith Bridges. Shane was planning to target spas and fitness centres. Abe hadnât said yes or no. He needed to check it out â but the idea of working for himself appealed to him. Maybe heâd go to Tokyo.
At lunchtime, Abe went down to the Beehive and ate a vegetarian chilli. It was on the Specials board. He returned to the office, feeling bloated from the chewy undercookedbeans. The daylight was going. A dark patch of sky beyond the next building was spreading like dye across wet cloth. The fluorescent tubes that had glimmered redundantly throughout the morning now turned the office pink. Abe got down to work.
5
AT SIX OâCLOCK that evening Kirsty Rivers came out of a small shop tucked awaybehind Oxford Street on the north side. She set the burglar alarm, turned off the lights and pulled down the security shutter. There were no late nights at the shop â apart from the stocktake once a month â and no earlies either, whatever the weather. The business acted as an address, or an office, for people who didnât have one. Kirsty spent the day sending, receiving and forwarding mail. She wrapped up fragile and oddly shaped parcels. Gloria, her mother, couldnât understand why Kirsty was doing anything so lowly when she had a 2:1 in media and music. She said
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