The furious flapping of wings jolted Tara from her stupor. The bird on the windowsill outside her room was making its presence felt. It had more to do than her, she thought glumly as she rolled onto her side. The days were dragging by and she was starting to resign herself to the fact that this would be her summer.
As the holidays had loomed, the questions had come thick and fast: what were the pair of them going to do, were they flying home, did they have plans to go visit someone else... surely they wouldn't be stuck in this dump for two months? Tara had looked over at Fay and echoed her shake of the head. Their flatmates still didn't get it. It was only when the day arrived and they were running around packing that they saw the two girls sitting there, at a loose end, and realised they weren't kidding. Then came the sympathetic noises and attempts to cheer them up. The idea was to go out for a final drink, but that had become staying in for a final drink instead. By mid-afternoon they were gone, off to catch their various trains and buses, leaving the two rejects behind.
That was what came of being foreign scum, Tara mused. She and Fay had managed to scrape by the previous year in their halls, with all the other overseas students for company. But now they had a proper roof over their heads it was time for them to use it. She knew if she got desperately homesick she could always hop on the plane back over the Irish Sea, but she doubted her folks would welcome the sight of her. When she had left home the unspoken message was, this is your big opportunity over there -- make sure you see it through. She hadn't gone a million miles, so didn't feel out of her depth. Fay, however, had gone several thousand miles, and wouldn't see her family again for a long time. If she felt isolated she did a good job of hiding it, but Tara figured that was part of the Aussie charter that she had to live up to. You couldn't come all the way from Down Under and sit around moping, keeping yourself to yourself. People would think you were an impostor.
Life in the flat was just about bearable now that the building work next door had stopped. However, they hadn't taken their litter home with them for the summer. The path running up to the flat was a tip. Rubble, planks and loose sacks were scattered everywhere, frying slowly in the heat. Inside was only a little better. Some of the worst offenders had gone home to live like decent human beings for a while, but the pile of dishes they'd left behind had to be tackled in stages. It had crossed Tara's mind to clean the whole place from top to bottom in one mad burst of activity -- but she wasn't really a neat freak. Fay certainly wasn't.
Finally she stirred herself and climbed off the bed. She did have something to do today, exciting as it was. She picked up her glasses and slipped them on, smoothing back her long raven-coloured hair. Then she left her room and galumphed down the stairs, her sandals thudding into the wood. Fay was just visible through the living room door, lounging on the sofa. "You off out?" she yelled.
"Uh-huh. I won't be long." Tara picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder.
"Well geez, take your time. You don't get to go the library every day -- oh no, you do..."
"They'll kill me if I have these out any longer. Besides, I've already got a list for next term."
"Have fun!" Her voice echoed into the hall as Tara crossed to the door.
"I'll get a few things on the way back. Maybe something good for dinner." There was a grunt of acknowledgement. She unlocked the door and stepped out, blinking in the sudden glare. Her pale complexion didn't agree with the sun, and she made fast tracks down the debris-strewn path onto the main road. The one good thing about their home from home was that the bus stop was only five minutes away. Moreover, it was shaded, which she was extremely glad of when she got there. She sat on the bench and drummed her feet on the ground, looking at the journey board. Bus stops were the only place in the world where time did not merely stand still but ran backwards.
She unzipped her bag and did a quick inventory. Everything was present and correct, except... she rummaged deeper and pulled out the very last book. Wasn't it...? She swore as she realised that she'd chucked the wrong thing in there by mistake. She was definitely no neat freak. Moreover, the board had come to life and was telling her that the bus would be here in two minutes. She looked back the way she had come. If she was five years younger and ten degrees cooler she would probably have legged it home and back again, and still been just in time. But since neither of those conditions was met, she was out of luck. With a sigh she hauled herself upright and began the return journey. This was the kind of day to avoid making three trips instead of one.
Unsurprisingly, the heat felt even stronger on the way back. Tara came round the corner mopping sweat and was relieved to see the rubbish tip for once. She hurried up the path and dived into the house, smacking the door shut. "Back again!" She dumped her bag at her feet and moved to the living room. "Brilliant, I managed to forget one...!" The door was slightly ajar and she pushed it open. Fay was sitting bolt upright on the couch, her legs pressed together. Her eyes peered out from under her messy, dark bob. "Sorry, did I make you jump?"
"No no, it's fine," she replied hastily. "Did you... I mean, you forgot one of your books, is that it?"
"Yeah. And the bus was due any minute, I'll have to wait for the next one. Typical!" Tara pulled the door closed again. As she did so, she suddenly took in Fay's appearance in detail. Her shirt was bunched up around her waist and the cut-off denim shorts that she was so fond of had a button undone at the top. More importantly, her laptop was pressed into the cushions to her left at a weird angle. The lid was mostly but not fully closed. Tara moved to the stairs and climbed them slowly, replaying that picture in her mind. Why had Fay been so nervous? By the time she got to the top she had a hunch. By the time she was searching for her missing book she was absolutely certain, and the book wasn't remotely important. Acting on autopilot, she dug it out and sat on her bed. A smile crept slowly over her face and stayed there, getting wider and wider.
She came down again and swapped the books over in her bag. The living room door was still and there wasn't a peep coming from inside. Tara was tempted to say something, but she thought better of it. Instead she called out, in a slightly knowing voice, "See you
later...
", and moved to the door. This time there was no acknowledgement from her flatmate. She headed for the bus stop again. Her trip had just got a lot more interesting, although she conceded that the most interesting part was happening out of her sight -- behind closed doors.
You little dark horse...
she mused silently.
The journey was a drag. It was one of those dead, lazy days where the heat kept most people indoors and crushed the energy of those who did venture out. Tara trudged to the library, hiked up the stairs and returned her overdue books. The place was virtually empty. She pulled out her list of required reading and began a circuit of the shelves. The air was still and heavy. The only thought running through her head was that Fay was having a much better time than her right now. She found a desk and slumped behind it. Focusing on her list was a chore. Instead, she dwelt on what was happening back at the flat -- and her imagination started to run riot.
When she turned the corner onto her street, she was amazed to realise that her heart was beating faster than normal. What did she expect to find when she got in? Deep down she knew it would be nothing, but she still took care when she opened the front door, rather than barging in like she had before. The hall was quiet, the door to the living room undisturbed. She crept over and pushed it open. Fay was lying on the couch, flicking through something on her laptop. She glanced up and smiled benignly. "Hey. Did you get what you needed?"
