“I’d like that.”
She smiled, even if a bit lopsided, and I realised that it has been her first smile in a long time.
“Why don’t we go to the river? We can have a picnic.”
“We’ve just been there with Ruby…”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It would be nice to go back, though,” I added quickly, I didn’t want her to think it was a bad idea. “Main thing is, I’ll have my favourite girls with me.”
Connie
“It’s all over Facebook,” said Emma when I returned to work two days later. She was making coffee in the kitchenette, surrounded by the sergeant and two other policemen.
Relaxing by the water the previous day had definitely helped me. I lost some of the unpleasant tension in my shoulders, cleared my head and sorted out my thoughts and priorities. I could feel my Dad’s scrutinizing gaze on me all evening, he must have been wondering about my sudden mood change. But he didn’t say anything, and I spoke to him as light-heartedly as I could. When emotions threatened to overcome me, I quickly shifted my attention to Ruby and immersed myself in her games. At home we didn’t speak of the video again, although I wasn’t surprised that at the station it was a hot topic.
“It will cause a mess,” the sergeant mumbled, “and guess who’ll be dealing with it.”
The crowd in the kitchenette nodded in agreement. Every event or protest required police surveillance. Mishaps happened, crowds got over-excited. Sometimes there were fights, but I hoped that in the case of events connected to the Collective’s video, it wouldn’t come to that.
I didn’t take part in the conversation at the station. Instead I thought how, during my lunch break, I want to finally respond to those missed phone calls and do my bit to help a good cause, in any way I can.
When the moment finally arrived, I sneaked out into the parking lot and chose a place where I wouldn’t be disturbed. I dialled the number and listened to the ringtone until there was a click.
“Animals and Environment Protection Association, Andrew speaking.”
“Connie Fiala,” I introduced myself. “Can I speak to Mark, please?”
There was just silence, and I quickly checked if the connection hadn’t been broken.
“Hello?” I said.
“Yes… sure.” His words sounded hesitant. “He’s right next to me. I’ll put him on the line, hold on.”
I heard a short conversation between the two men, but it was muted and distorted, as if someone had covered the phone with their hand.
“Connie,” Mark said after a while, and unlike his colleague he sounded happy to hear my voice. “I’m glad you’re calling.”
“I’m sorry for the delay,” I blurted out. “Last time you caught me at a bad moment, I had to deal with some things first. I… I wanted to say I’d like to accept your offer. I’ll come for that meeting.”
Mark gasped with surprise, he probably thought he’d never hear from me again. “That’s amazing. I’m glad, and I really appreciate that you’re willing to do this… and of course, I’m talking on behalf of the whole company.”
I’ll do whatever I can. Let my last months be worth it!
“When would be convenient for you?” I asked him.
“Oh, yesterday,” he said breathlessly, and we both laughed. “As soon as possible, but of course, I don’t want to pressure you.”
“I’m free today after work. I finish at four.”
There was another surprised silence. “How about at five, here at the Association? If you have enough time to get here… We’re five minutes from the city centre.”
I agreed and wrote down the address. The rest of the shift went fairly quickly. Emma had relaxed, probably because I was more open and communicative than in previous days. I refused her invitation to go for a drink after work, but I suggested a meeting on the weekend. My resolution to spend as much time with my loved ones included close friends too.
Just before five I was walking up the stairs of the Association building. I could see their big logo from afar, a picture of a man, one hand hugging a koala sitting on his hip, the other holding a lump of soil with a tree sprout.
I remembered this picture from the Association website. It embodied the longed-for harmony between humanity, nature and the animal kingdom, one of my own biggest desires too. I liked the picture a great deal; it probably wasn’t that surprising that it made me think of the video from the news.
I pushed the glass door and entered the vestibule. It was empty, except for a tall young man, clearly waiting for someone.
“Mark?” I said to him and he turned around to face me.
“Connie?”
We both froze with shock. I expected us to be strangers, but the man standing in front of me was one I’d already met, and spoken to… and not that long ago.
He was the man who kindly drove me home after my car crash, was very understanding of my mistake, and gave me important life advice.
Mark
I doubted Connie suspected anything; I put on a good show, acting surprised at seeing her again.
The fact that it was me driving right behind her when the accident occurred wasn’t a coincidence at all. I took Andrew’s warning not to get her involved to heart only inasmuch as I made sure she didn’t notice me when I was in her vicinity. She didn’t see me by the police station, at the intersection in front of her house, in a grocery shop, or at the hospital car park. I may not have always known what she was doing–for instance, what exactly she was buying at the supermarket or why she’s going to the hospital–, but I knew where she was. As soon as I made the decision to meet her, nothing could stop me, not my conscience, not Andrew.
I’d been working for the Association and The Collective for many years. A volunteer only, but I felt a stronger sense of fulfilment than I’d gotten in any
