Page 57 of The Way We Are Now

‘I spoke to your brother.’

‘Right?’

Theo laughed. ‘He said…’ And here Theo took on a rather poor broad Yorkshire accent: ‘“Well, she said she were off to Leeds to stay with some mates, but who knows what our Anna’s up to these days? Anyhow, she set off with an overnight case, so your guess is as good as mine where she is…”’

‘You didn’t say you were waiting for me?’

‘Would it have mattered if I had?’ Theo took my hand. ‘No, I just asked if I could speak to you.’

‘So much is going on with my family and the strike at the moment – you know, Les going off flying picketing…’

‘Isn’t that illegal?’

‘Very probably.’

‘I mean,’ Theo went on, ‘there’s thought that the whole strike is illegal: you know, the miners called out without a ballot from the NUM…’

‘Theo, I’m actually working for the NUM,’ I said irritably. ‘Of course I know all this. Striking miners – like Les – who’re travelling in large numbers to other sites is being seen as unlawful obstruction under the Employment Act 1980.’ I heard myself quoting verbatim. ‘The police are being ordered to make mass arrests for public order offences rather than specific flying picket charges.’

‘OK, OK.’ Theo stopped as we walked, looking down at me. ‘Anna? Are you all right? Are you sure you want to be here with me? You seem upset. I’m sorry if the little I know about the NUM and the strike makes me appear to be showing granny how to suck eggs.’

I smiled at that. ‘Theo, you can’t imagine how much I want to be here with you.’

‘Good!’ He squeezed my hand, bent to kiss me and then, taking my bag said, ‘Let’s get a drink and something to eat.’

‘The Wimpy Bar?’ I asked.

Theo laughed. ‘Really? Is that what you want?’

I shook my head. ‘The first time I saw you, you were in there. The one on Boar Lane.’

‘Oh?’ I could see Theo trying to recall when he’d been in there. And with whom. He pulled a face, changing the subject once he clearly realised he’d been with Susannah. ‘I thought you once professed to being vegetarian?’

‘I tried it for twelve hours. No, I was in there one lunchtime with Fliss, and you were with who I presume to be Susannah.’

‘Right.’ Theo didn’t say anything further as we headed towards York Place.

‘Where are we going?’

‘Len’s Bar.’

‘Oh, I’ve never been there.’

‘It’s one of my favourite places when I want to get away from the whole student scene and just people watch.’

The bar in question wasn’t packed as I’d assumed it would be. We found a table and Theo went to the bar, returning with an ice bucket containing a bottle of white wine.

‘Pushing the boat out?’

‘My godmother sent me a rather nice cheque for my birthday.’ He smiled and started pouring, tasting the wine first, as posh people always do in films.

‘I thought she always bought you gloves?’

‘That’s my granny.’

‘Ah, the godmother with the villa in some alpine paradise?’

‘You remembered!’