Chapter 9

‘You know it’s very odd, but I’m not quite sure whether I want to laugh or cry,’ observed Toby.

‘It is rather disconcerting, isn’t it,’ agreed Andrew as the two of them walked slowly back to the main school buildings after the last assembly of their final year at school.

‘On the one hand it’s nice to feel free,’ said Toby as he packed his few remaining belongings into his case and looked around the room that had been their domain for the previous year, ‘But on the other hand I suddenly feel like a very small fish in a great big ocean instead of a nice big fish in a little pond.’

Andrew nodded.

‘I know exactly what you mean.’

Toby shivered despite the warmth of the day.

‘Come on, let’s get out of here.’

They clattered down the worn staircase and out into the sunshine. At the gates at the far end of the quad they stopped briefly and looked back at the building that they had grown to know so well. Then, turning their backs on it, they each took a deep breath and walked out into the street beyond.

It was a week later when Toby next returned to the city, drawn there by the quest for a new album by Simon and Garfunkel. He was browsing through the racks of records in Boots when he caught sight of a girl, standing with her back to him, trying on a pair of sunglasses from a display on the corner of one of the nearby counters. Her white-blonde hair was cut very short and she was wearing a skimpy white tee shirt and a pair of tight blue denim jeans that looked as if they had been applied with a spray gun. Toby pursed his lips and whistled silently in approval. Moving casually to the end of the rack he tried to see what she looked like from the front. He could only see her in profile and thought that for some reason she looked vaguely familiar, though he felt sure that he had never met her before. He watched as the girl evidently found a pair of sunglasses that pleased her and paid for them. She began to move towards the main exit and as if mesmerised, Toby found himself following her. She paused to let a mother with a pram go in front of her and he almost caught her up. She suddenly stopped dead in her tracks and looked for something in her handbag. She whirled round and walked straight into him.

‘I’m most awfully sorry,’ she said mechanically without looking up.

‘That’s perfectly all right,’ he replied, delighted by his good fortune.

‘Toby!’ the girl exclaimed, looking up at him. Her face lit up with pleasure.

‘Samantha?’ Toby caught her by the shoulders and held her at arm’s length. ‘Samantha,’ he repeated, unable to believe his eyes.

‘Yes darling, it’s me,’ she laughed, ‘Have I grown two heads or something?’

‘Oh My God. You look absolutely fabulous!’ exclaimed Toby, forgetting himself.

‘Why thank you darling,’ husked Samantha demurely, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

‘What happened? ... I mean ... you didn’t look like this last time I saw you,’ stuttered Toby, aware that he was hardly being tactful but unable to resist asking.

‘I decided to change my hair and I finally got around to getting a set of contact lenses. Do you think the new look suits me?’

‘Suits you? Wow...,’ Toby was temporarily at a loss for words, ‘My goodness,’ he laughed. ‘You know I can’t get over you. Hey, are you busy? Will you come and have a coffee with me and catch up?’

‘Yes, I’d love to. I’ve just got to pick up a packet of ... er ... something and I’ll be right with you.’

‘OK, listen, I was just about to buy an album. Join me over there when you’ve finished,’ he pointed to the record department and she nodded.

Toby went back to buy his Simon and Garfunkel album with a spring in his step, feeling that life had suddenly taken a very interesting turn. He completed his purchase and looking over to the other side of the store he spotted Samantha standing by a counter waiting to pay for her purchase. He went over to wait with her and noticed to his amusement that she tried very hard not to let him see that she was holding a box of Tampax in her hand.

‘You know I’m awfully glad that I don’t have to use those things,’ he chuckled, ‘Apart from anything else, I gather that they cost an absolute fortune. Tasha was saying, the last time that I was over at Northolt, that she reckons that they should be free on the National Health. She actually worked out how much they cost for a year’s supply and she says that she’ll never be able to afford them out of her grant.’

Samantha looked at him and giggled, her embarrassment evaporating.

‘She’s quite right,’ she agreed as she handed a pound note to the assistant, ‘They definitely ought to be free on the NHS.’

The young couple left the shop together and walked companionably down the street.

‘Want to go to the Café Roma?’ asked Toby, ‘It’ll be quite like old times.’

She nodded and they turned down the familiar side street and made their way to the busy coffee bar. They managed to find an empty booth and sat down facing each other. Toby took the opportunity to gaze at her again with undisguised admiration.

‘Please stop looking at me like that,’ she hissed, ‘You’re making me feel quite embarrassed.’

‘Oh, I’m most awfully sorry,’ he replied hastily and began to study his finger nails carefully instead.

‘Oh,’ she said after a few moments, ‘I’ve decided that I prefer it when you look at me after all.’

Toby flashed a smile at her and they both laughed.

‘So tell me, other than becoming staggeringly beautiful, what have you been doing with yourself since the play finished?’

‘Not a lot darling. This making oneself staggeringly beautiful is quite a full time occupation. How about you?’

‘Absolutely nothing. It has made such a lovely change not to have to spend my entire time studying, or working on the play or doing my Second Prefect’s stuff,’ replied Toby.

‘I never thought to ask you while we were doing the play, how did your exams go?’

Toby made a face.

‘If I have to be honest, not as well as they might have done. I’ve never been very good at exams I’m afraid. My mind seems to go utterly blank the minute I look at the paper.’

‘You’re supposed to be going to go on to University aren’t you?’

‘Yes, that’s right. I don’t know though. I’m supposed to be reading Law but it’s a terribly popular course. All I’ve been offered so far are provisional places. I’ll just have to see what happens when the results come out.’

‘Poor Toby. Natasha’s got quite a good choice, hasn’t she?’

‘Yes and Andrew too. They’ve both been offered places at Bristol which was their first choice and Emma’s got a place on a Foundation Course at the School of Art in the city. Those three have got it all sorted out the lucky things.’

‘Ah well, at least I won’t have that to worry about,’ said Samantha complacently, ‘They’ve said that I haven’t got a cat’s chance in hell of passing anything and I’m sure they’re right. Daddy is shipping me off to a finishing school in Switzerland. I go this September.’

‘Gosh ... are you looking forward to it?’

‘Yes, I am rather. Especially the skiing in the winter time.’

‘I didn’t know you were a skier.’

‘Oh yes darling. I’m very fond of the piste.’

Toby looked at her thoughtfully and the corners of his mouth began to twitch.

‘Oh. Don’t remind me,’ she cried, putting her hands over her face, ‘Every time I think about that evening I could die with shame.’

‘Sorry,’ he chuckled, ‘That was rather mean of me really.’

‘You never let me try to make it up to you,’ she said accusingly, ‘In fact you avoided me like the plague.’

‘Nonsense, I did nothing of the sort,’ countered Toby somewhat unconvincingly.

‘Yes you did,’ retorted Samantha hotly.

‘Well, I was very busy with school and everything,’ he offered lamely.

‘That wasn’t really it. I’m not stupid you know.’

Reaching over the table Toby covered her hands with his own and looked into her eyes seriously.

‘If I have to be honest, I was a bit scared,’ he said.

‘Scared of what, darling?’

‘Westhorpe Manor, the idea of meeting your parents, all their money, your position in society, everything really.’

‘Oh, but that’s ridiculous darling,’ she murmured.

‘But more importantly,’ he continued, ignoring her protest, ‘I didn’t want to go to bed with you just because you felt you had a debt to pay. I didn’t want to have sex with you just because I knew you felt guilty. It seemed all wrong somehow.’

Samantha blinked rapidly several times and cleared her throat.

‘You’re quite different from anybody I ever met before,’ she said at last.