When the key turned in the lock, his heart nearly leapt out of his chest and his soul practically sprinted to meet her.
How many times can you mess up? Your mistakes are downright daft! Look here! What in the world is this? Alice Edwards jabbed her elaborate manicure at the monthly report, nearly snapping a nail in the process.
Go on! Redo it! Honestly, if you cant handle the job, just quit! Her boss, the very picture of polished sophistication on any other day, could pass for a banshee when she lost her temper.
Liz said nothing as she slipped out of the office. There was a little over an hour left before the end of the workdayjust enough time to salvage her dignity, even if her bonus had already evaporated.
It felt like life had lined up one calamity after another, hurdles and all. Only a week ago, shed called her mum, who, as luck would have it, was in one of her infamous moods. A row erupted from thin air, with her mum accusing her of every sin under the sun before slamming the phone down. Liz, unable to get used to these scenes, was torn up about it. Now, she was afraid to call home at all.
Two days ago, Liz lost her bank card, prompting a flurry of phone calls and a wait for a crisp new replacement.
To top it all, the one living creature who didnt routinely pick a fighther year-old calico cat, Pippahad scrambled onto the balcony after a pigeon and promptly tumbled off the third floor. Liz watched in horror as Pippa vaguely righted herself among the battered flowerbeds, shook off the indignity, and tottered away, but a search around the block revealed nothing of her stripey companion. It had been nearly a day, and Pippa still hadnt come home.
Battling sorrow, Liz cobbled together the blasted report and dragged herself home, even too miserable to pop into the supermarket.
Back home, she collapsed on the sofa and had a proper sobmessy, raw, and saltwater-fuelled. Half an hour later, her cheeks had dried, but it did nothing to lift the gloom. Grim, slithery thoughts slid in: Who am I doing all this for? Mum doesnt need me, Ive got no partner, and even the cats had enough. Oddly, making such a decision brought a wave of relief.
Let them all break their own nails and dash themselves to bits, she thought rather wickedly, only itll be too late then.
Just the thought of not having to clock in tomorrow, not having to ring Mum and beg forgiveness for imaginary sins, filled her with mad, reckless glee.
Just as the last little step remained, the phone rang. An unfamiliar number flashed up. Instinct said ignore, but what if it was the very last human voice shed ever hear?
Hello… No response. Well, why call if youre just going to sit there in silence? Her patience, these days, ran paper-thin.
Er, hello… The low, uncertain voice finally filtered through. Please, dont hang up.
Who are you? And what do you want? Liz had places to begrim, fateful placesand didnt appreciate interruptions.
I just wanted to hear another human being speak… I havent talked to anyone in a week. I thought, if no one answered todaywell, that would be it… He sounded as though he barely scraped out the words.
What, you mean you dont get visitors? Why not head to the park for a walk? Its not rocket science. Liz curled herself onto the wide sill, feeling oddly curious.
I cant. I live on the fifth floor. Wife left last week. Suddenly, his voice trailed off.
Cant blame her, really! Are you a man or a mouse? Liz was baffled by his self-pity.
I use a wheelchair, since last year. Im frightenedthe stairs are impossible. No lift in my block. He sounded less afraid, more matter-of-fact this time.
You havent got legs?! Liz blurted, instantly regretting it, but the cat was out of the bag.
Oh, spinal injury, thats all. I cant walk. She imagined, with some relief, that he smiled a little as he said it.
They chatted for half an hour, and Liz jotted down his address. Within an hour, she was stood at his front door, clutching two enormous shopping bags for moral and nutritional support.
A cheerful, rather good-looking young man answered, seated in a wheelchair.
Im Liz! she announced, only just realising she hadnt got his name.
Arthur, he said, grinning as if shed been expected his entire life.
Turns out they didnt live very far apart. Liz started popping round every day. She soon realised, compared to his dilemma, her own string of bad luck barely merited a footnotehardly grounds for existential despair. Her pluck grew. She cared for him, she stood up for him, and in a way, for herself too.
As if by magic, Pippa came backcalm as you like, loafing on the doormat when Liz got in from work.
Her boss attempted another morning tirade. This time, Liz wasnt having it.
Alice Edwards, what gives you the right to shout at me and tear strips off my dignity? I cant work in this constant storm of nerves. With a migraine brewing, Ill need to take sick leavewhere will you find a replacement at a moments notice? The girls in the office giggled. Alice turned very red and retreated in silence.
Not long after, Lizs mum broke radio silence.
Hello, daughter! Why havent you called? You dont care how your mother lives, do you? So heartless! Ungrateful! Elizabeth, are you even listening? her mothers volume climbed steadily.
Hello, Mum. Im not speaking to you in that tone anymore, Liz replied, her voice steady as a metronome.
How dare you! Im hanging up! Mum shrieked.
Go on, then, said Liz, unbothered.
Two days later, her mum did call back. No apologies, of course, but at least the conversation remained civil.
A month passed, and Liz moved in with Arthur, letting out her own flat for extra income.
Their friendship blossomed into something deepertenderness, trust, gratitude. Perhaps thats how love gets a foothold.
With the rent money, Liz hired a proper physio and signed Arthur up for weekend swimming sessions. Miraculously, his legs began to stir, nerves reawakening like bulbs in spring.
Then Lizs mum fell ill, so she took leave from work to visit her for a couple of days.
Arthur, waiting at home, missed her terriblyhe sprawled on the sofa like a golden retriever on standby, heart pounding with anticipation.
February. Snow whipped through the air in sideways sheets the day Liz was due home. Arthur knew the exact minute her bus would arrive, calculated her walk, even padded in the extra time for her to heave her suitcase up all those stairs. But the minutes ticked by, and no Liz. The phone stayed stubbornly off.
Three hours dragged by. When the key finally turned in the lock, his heart almost burst with joy as his spirit flew to greet her.
Artie, the bus spun out on the road. We had to wait ages for the gritters! My phone diedI couldnt charge it before we set off. She was babbling from the hallway, boots thudding. Artie! She rushed into the living roomand froze.
He was standing just two steps from his chair, beaming that luminous smile that said hed been waiting his whole life just for her.
