Page 20 of Minha Dona

I know that tone and I’ve moved what I had. See you at twelve? x

***

Isabella was there already when Helena arrived. She greeted Helena warmly, as ever, and then sat looking at her expectantly… Helena asking to meet last minute was a once-a-year kind of event, so it clearly had her attention.

Helena smiled. “Thank you for rearranging whatever it was you had to meet me.”

“Pah.” Isabella waved her hand dismissively. “It was a good excuse, you saved me from a very dull and likely very long lunch. You’ve done me a favour.”

“Well thank you anyway.”

“Forget about it, seriously. So… what is it you need to ask me?”

Helena opened up her phone, pulled up the invitation to the conference, and slid it across the table for Isabella to read.

She read the email, then read it again, then glanced up at Helena. “This is very cool, wow… I guess this is a big deal getting invited?”

“Very. I’m really excited. Thrilled. Delighted.”

Isabella studied her face for a few moments. “You don’t seem it. What’s the catch? There has to be a catch, right?”

“Scroll down to the agenda, the session on Adoption of Modern Data Environments.”

“Ok…” Isabella scrolled down and read it. “Sounds riveting,” she added, smiling. “But I don’t get what the catch is.” She looked at it again. “Oh.”

“Oh?”

“Oh.” She looked back up at Helena. “The speaker’s from the Houston office.”

“Yeah.”

“You were on secondment in the Houston office.”

“Yeah.”

“You met someone from the Houston office.”

“Yeah.”

“She’s incredibly cute from that photo…” She nodded. “I see. Caitlin, right?”

Helena nodded herself. “Caitlin. The one and only.”

Isabella shook her head, laughing. “She is hot. Really hot.” Isabella looked up at Helena again. “What was it that attracted you to her?”

Helena pursed her lips, knowing that Isabella was teasing. Knowing too that Isabella knew that it went far deeper than looks. She stayed silent, waiting for Isabella to continue.

“Sorry, but I’m straight and even I’d be tempted. So, your problem is…?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? She’ll be there, I’ll definitely see her, and I have to assume as you said that her silence is a choice. I’m…” Helena hesitated. “I guess I’m terrified, because I don’t know how I’ll react. I’m worried I’ll make a fool of myself.” Helena looked down and played with her napkin on the table. “I’m thinking of declining the invite.”

“What?” Isabella was incredulous. “Are you serious?”

Helena nodded. “That’s why I needed to talk to you. I don’t know who else to discuss it with and I can’t work it out on my own.”

“Ok, it’s a good job I’m here. Talk me through it, all of it, and we’ll work this one out.”

“It might take a while.”