The Debt & the Doormat(81)

‘Err, sort of.’

‘Oh, maybe me and you should just elope to Vegas and be massive lesbians.’

Her eyes light up animatedly.

‘I thought you’d never ask!’ she shouts dramatically before grabbing my face and kissing me on the lips, dragging me off the sofa.

God, she can be hilarious sometimes.

‘OK!’ I shout, throwing her off, laughing. ‘So after we’ve become lesbians, what would we do?’

‘Duh!’ she says, as if I’m stupid. ‘We’d buy a big butch van, get a goat and adopt a couple of albino children. That's the dream, right?’

‘That's the dream,’ I repeat through hysterical giggles.

‘Anyway, do you think you’ll be able to eat a dinner tonight?’

‘I don't know. I just can't be bothered to eat.’

‘Babe, the last couple of days all you’ve eaten is cereal.’

God – even cereal reminds me of him.

‘OK, I’ll try.’

And that was the first night I was able to eat a dinner and keep it down.

* * *





‘Hey Pops, how are you?’ Lilly says, as soon as I get to my desk.

‘OK,’ I say smiling weakly.

‘It just wasn’t meant to be, you know.’

‘Thanks for the support,’ I say sarcastically.

The last thing I want to hear is how it wasn’t meant to be. It was meant to be, but I fucked it up. It's my fault and people should admit it to me.

‘You know I love you Pops. I just think you need to move on.’

‘Yeah, I know.’ my voice threatening to break.

‘Anyway, have you heard the latest with Neville?’

‘No, what?’

‘The two temps are fighting over him! He keeps telling them maybe he’ll go out with them and it's driving them crazy.’

Shit. I should really speak to him and give him something else to say. I pick up my ringing phone, seeing that it's Suzanne on reception.

‘Hey Suzanne.’

‘Hi Poppy. Victor’s visitor is here, but there's also some animal protestors outside. They’ve got banners and everything!’

‘What? Why the hell are they here?’

‘Apparently they say some of our products have been tested on animals. Do you think they are?’

‘Oh fuck, I dread to think. This is a big meeting for Victor – he’ll go mental. OK, don't worry – I’ll be down to sort it out. Maybe call the police in the meantime?’

‘Yeah OK.’

‘Lilly, there are animal protestors downstairs! Will you help me get rid of them?’

‘Normally I’d love to, but I’ve got a meeting with Hugh.’ She smiles apologetically.

Hugh? Shit, is she going to be made redundant now? Today? I brace myself before going in to Victor’s office.

‘Victor, your visitor is here.’

‘Put them in the boardroom.’

‘But...there’s also a problem. There’s some animal rights – ‘

‘Poppy, I don't have time for problems. Today is a big day. It's D day for redundancies. Just sort it out.’ He dismisses me with his hands as he plays with his iPhone.

Fuck. Today is redundancy day. I was right. Oh my God, I didn’t have time to prepare myself for this. I was too busy worrying about myself.

When I get to reception the scene is far worse than I’d first suspected. There must be two hundred people outside, all in brightly coloured clothes holding up banners with slogans like ‘There is no excuse for animal abuse’ and ‘Being cruel isn’t cool’.

I welcome Brady Thomson and usher him quickly into the meeting room. When I walk back out a few of them have actually come into reception and are bothering Suzanne, who looks terrified.

‘Hey! What the hell are you doing in here?’ I shout in my best intimidating voice.

The tallest guy steps forward, his blonde dreadlocks down to his bum.

‘We’re here to stop animals being tested on! You’ve got blood on your hands!’

‘Hey, look – I don't even think we do test on animals.’

‘Yes you do!’ a purple haired girl protests.

‘Look at this,’ the dreadlock guy says, handing me over a piece of paper. It's an article in the newspaper saying that one of our companies we buy products from tests on animals. It's there in black and white.

‘This can't be right,’ I protest.

‘It is! And until you stop doing it you’re a murderer! We want to speak to your CEO.’

Oh my God. Victor is going to be coming down any minute and if he finds this he’s going to kill me.

‘Well you can't. The police are on their way and if you don't leave reception I’m going to have to call security.’

I don't dare tell him that we don't actually have security.

Dreadlocked guy stares at me silently for a minute. He signals to the others and they leave. Thank God!

‘Poppy.’

I turn around to my name to see Lilly by my side, her eyes red from crying. Shit.

‘Lilly, are you OK?’

‘Did you know?’ she asks, her voice shaky.

‘What? Did I...did I know what?’ I stammer, my stomach doing summersaults.

‘You fucking did know!’ she screams, finding her voice. ‘You knew I was being made redundant and you didn’t fucking tell me!’

‘I...I couldn’t...I mean, they’d have fired me.’

‘So you chose your fucking job over me? Your fucking job that you hate, over your best friend? How long have you known?’

‘Um? A....few weeks.’

‘A few weeks! I assumed you’d only been told this week!’

Well if I’d have known that I wouldn’t have admitted it.

‘So what, I’m only your friend if I work here? The minute I’m leaving I can go fuck myself? I’m dead to you?’ She’s shouting, but tears are falling fast out of her eyes and her words are choking.

‘Lilly, please! I never meant to hurt you.’

‘I can't fucking believe this! How did you think I’d react?’

‘Um...’ I can't even respond. I can never win this.

She closes her eyes and pinches her nose with her finger. ‘Please, please don't tell me it was you and Jazz that made us lose the flat too?’

‘What?’ I say, alarmed. How the hell does she know that?

‘It was you! Alex read out the description in the paper, but I told him no way would you do that. Why the hell would you do that? Are you sick in the head or something?’

‘No! Lilly, you don't understand,’ I start.

Suddenly all two hundred or so protesters start barging into reception. Oh my God – they’re going to kill us.

‘You know what,’ she says, her angry vein popping out of the side of her head. ‘I should have known it was you. The minute they said she was chubby!’

I take it like a bullet to the heart. I can't even speak.

‘MURDERER’S!’ the protestors scream.

‘Poppy! Help!’ Suzanne calls. I look up to see dreadlocked guy standing on her reception desk.

I turn back to Lilly and open my mouth to say something, but what? There are no words.

‘You know what,’ she says. ‘Go! Go put your job before everything else again! But you’ll be a lonely fucking old woman. And I...’ her voice begins to break again ‘I was such a good friend.’

I put my hand out to her, but she knocks it away and pushes the protestors out of her way. I reach out for her, but I’m being swarmed by the crowds and she’s gone.

‘What do we want?’ Dreadlocks guy shouts at his audience.

‘ANIMALS RIGHTS!’

‘When do we want them?’

‘NOW!’

‘Please!’ I shout, my voice breaking from emotion. ‘Just go away!’

Victor is going to be here any minute. In fact, I already think I can smell his over powering Old Spice after shave.

‘Shut up murderer!’ a girl with pink dreadlocks shouts before chucking something cold and wet over me.

I close my eyes, not sure of what it is. I open my eyes, wiping the liquid off my eyes and look down to see that the bitch has thrown red paint on me. All fucking over me! My hair, my face, my clothes!

‘You fucking bitch!’ I shout, tears already at my eyes.

‘Come on then, murderer!’ she challenges. ‘How do you feel with those animals blood on you?’

‘POPPY!’

Everyone seems to turn round to stare at Victor walking down the stairs, his face like thunder. I run up the stairs to him, the paint dripping after me.

He puts his hand up to his brow, his hands shaking in anger.

‘Poppy, what the fuck are these people doing here?’ he whispers, furious.

‘They’re animal rights protestors.’

‘I can fucking SEE that! And why the hell are you covered in paint?’

‘Isn’t it obvious? They’ve covered me in it,’ I say losing my temper.

‘Isn’t it obvious?’ he scoffs. ‘Are you taking the piss out of me Poppy?’

‘Oh, no! Of course not.’

‘Really? Because it sounds like you’re calling me a fucking moron? Is that what you’re calling me Poppy?’ His eyes grow black and he suddenly looks like he could kill all of these people in one swift movement.

‘No,’ I say, traitor tears escaping. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything.’

‘Well, maybe you should think before you speak next time. Now get cleaned up for Christ’s sake and get us some drinks.’