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Freya knew that Theo’s parents would have done no such thing. They had sold up and moved to Spain when he was in the middle of his A-Levels, with no thought as to how he’d finish another year of college. They hadn’t been prepared to wait another year so that he could finish college and go to university. He’d spent the second year mostly sofa-surfing and sometimes sleeping rough. Then he’d spent a summer working in a summer camp in America before starting university and moving into halls of residence. He’d always said that if it wasn’t for his education and some wonderful college lecturers who had pointed him in the right direction he didn’t know where he might have ended up; sleeping rough on the streets, and a life of crime, perhaps.
Losing his job and depending on Freya’s family did not sit well with Theo. But he’d settled in rather well – too well. In between searching for jobs, he’d continued doing pro bono work, helping others. It was what he’d always wanted to do, which explained why he’d turned down well-paid jobs in the city in favour of joining a small local firm in Cambridge that specialised in family law.
Freya knew it was what he was interested in. Unfortunately, the small firm had been taken over by a larger one and he had been made redundant. He had received a small redundancy payment, and had thought he’d just walk into another job in a law firm. That hadn’t happened. He’d walked into a remote working call-centre job instead.At least it’s something, thought Freya. She frowned at the thought of the study he’d set up in one of the spare bedrooms. Although Theo found the insurance job mundane, she knew he wasn’t missing the commute into the centre of Cambridge. It gave him more time to write his novel. After railing against moving in with her parents, he now seemed far more settled in her family home that she did.
‘I’m looking forward to date night. I’ll leave work on time, I promise.’ Freya smiled. ‘The dean has asked to see me. I bet it’s about the secondment,’ she said excitedly.
Theo was silent. She wasn’t surprised. He was not happy about the secondment, and hadn’t been from the beginning. It was, however, the first genuine interest he’d shown in her career, even though it had been negative. Freya rolled her eyes, thinking about how she didn’t have a career yet, as he often reminded her.
He’d never shown the slightest bit of interest in the past. She could see his eyes glaze over whenever she talked about it. But when he’d found out she’d applied for a secondment that would take her abroad, to the famous library in Alexandria, Egypt, it had been another story. He hadn’t been interested in the secondment itself; only in the fact that it meant she’d be away for three months. He hadn’t wanted her to go.
Rather than being supportive over her being given the opportunity of a lifetime, he had become sulky and moody, and it had created tensions. She had seen nothing wrong with applying for it without discussing it first. She’d assumed he’d be happy for her. It was the first time they had rowed about anything.
Freya frowned when she thought about it. She was supportive of whatever career decisions he made. She’d told him that. So why couldn’t he be supportive of her? He’d shot back that his career didn’t take him to the back of beyond, to other countries – to the Middle East, of all places.
Freya had been especially defensive over that comment. Growing up, she’d been surrounded by books on archaeology and anthropology on the Middle East – her mother had kept all her books after doing her degree, and they’d come in handy when Freya had followed in her mother’s footsteps, taking the same degree. It was Freya’s passion – that and riding horses. Neither of her parents were horsey types, but Freya had fallen in love with riding as a child.
‘Freya, are you still there?’
She frowned and looked at her watch. She’d only been standing there a minute or two with all this going through her mind, but she was keen to get off the phone. It wouldn’t take her long to walk to her boss’s office upstairs, but she didn’t want to be late.
‘Look, I’d better go. Wish me luck.’
He didn’t. ‘I’ll see you later, then.’
Freya rolled her eyes and ended the call. She expected he’d be over the moon if she didn’t get it.Well, that’s not going to happen, thought Freya. Nobody else had applied for the secondment. It was, as the saying went, in the bag. There was just the formality of getting things organised with the library at Alexandria. She was so excited. She loved that she was following in her mum’s footsteps – kind of. She didn’t intend to teach, but like her mum, she’d had a passion for archaeology since high school.
For some reason, her thoughts drifted to her secondary school years, and the discovery that there were few children in her school who had no siblings. She recalled asking her mum why she was an only child.
Her mum just told her that there was a saying,God laughs when you make plans.Freya didn’t understand what she meant by that, but she recalled her mum’s response: that life doesn’t always turn out the way you expect.
Freya was finding that out now. She was thinking of Theo. Perhaps it would have been easier if she’d met someone more in tune with her passion for archaeology. But that hadn’t happened.
‘Penny for your thoughts?’
She jumped at the sound of Jolene’s voice behind her.‘When did you get back?’ Freya asked, running into the arms of her best friend.
‘Today! I was going to text you, but I thought I’d surprise you instead.’
‘It’s the best surprise!’ exclaimed Freya, hugging her best friend tight. She’d missed her. She stood back and took in her long blonde hair, perfectly straight white teeth, freckles and piercing blue eyes.
They’d known each other since they were sixteen, when Jolene had joined her riding school in Cambridge. They both had a lot in common. Both were children of teachers, both loved horses, and both had a passion for archaeology and anthropology. If Jolene had been a boy, or Freya had been gay, her best friend would have been the perfect partner. Freya knew from the off that Jolene wasn’t into boys – never had been. That didn’t matter, although Jolene had once got very drunk and tried to make a pass at her. Jolene didn’t remember, and Freya chose not to tell her. She didn’t want things to be awkward between them and ruin their friendship.
Jolene was American. Her mother had secured a position at Cambridge University, so they had made the move from Arkansas, where she had taught at the University of Central Arkansas. It had been a temporary post for one year, but her parents had fallen in love with Cambridge and had made it their home. Jolene’s father had found work at the university too.
Jolene and Freya hadn’t gone to the same school; Jolene’s parents sent her to a private school. The best thing about that was that when they got together at weekends at the riding school, they always had so much to talk about. But Freya recalled how much they missed each other during the school week. Freya still missed Jolene when she returned to America to visit friends and family she’d left behind.
Soon after they’d become friends, Freya had met Jolene’s parents and they’d invited her to go with them to spend the summer in America. Freya was sixteen, and it was the most exciting thing to happen to her in her whole life. But her parents had point-blank refused. She’d had a carefree, liberal upbringing. It had never crossed her mind at the time that they’d say no. She recalled that they’d had a very heated row about it. She’d told them that she was sixteen; she could do what she wanted. Or so she’d thought. It was the first ever time they’d had a real falling-out, a proper slamming-doors row about something. They’d told her that while she lived under their roof, she was not going with her friend to America for the summer. It wasn’t even a discussion; she was going with her parents to France, as usual.
She’d made that holiday hell. Freya cringed when she thought about it. It made her wonder if her two middle-aged parents rued the day they’d had a child late in life. Looking back on it now, she imagined they hadn’t been ready for their only child to spread her wings, fly the nest, and leave the two of them behind.
‘So, did you get it?’ Jolene asked, bouncing from one foot to the other.
Freya had thought Jolene would apply for the secondment too, but she’d said she wasn’t bothered. Jolene was single just then, and as she was also pursuing a PhD, Freya knew there was no reason for her not to go abroad. Freya had a feeling Jolene had not applied so that Freya wouldn’t face any competition.
‘Why the frown?’ Jolene continued. ‘Don’t tell me they withdrew it – or something?’
‘Oh, no, nothing like that. But I just got off the phone with Theo.’
