Читать книгу The Baby Diaries - Sam Binnie - Страница 28

An evening to try again with Jacki. She’d emailed me this time, asking if I wanted pre-Christmas cocktails at the Dorchester after work, even though we’ve only just seen one another. I knew I had to get there before her, to order my soft drinks again, so I left the office at 5; walking up Oxford Street towards Marble Arch, admiring the windows, but hurrying. I got there almost half an hour early, bursting into the bar in a sweat, and grateful that I’d have time to compose myself. But Jacki was already there.

Jacki: [waving] Woohoo!

Me: Jacki! Hello? Didn’t we say six?

Jacki: I thought so. Thirsty?

Me: I am, yeah.

Jacki: [gesturing to a barman] Here, it’s coming over now. [taking two drinks from the waiter]

Me: [smelling it] Oh … lovely. Thank you. What is it? [lifting it to my mouth]

Jacki: It’s called a Belladonna.

Me: [wetting my lips with it] Mmm, what’s in it?

Jacki: Gin and rum. And apricot liqueur.

Me: [still holding the glass to my lips] MmmMMMm.

Jacki: And a double whisky.

Me: [putting glass down] Alright, enough. [wiping mouth] Oh, that is good though. How long have you known?

Jacki: I had an email from Polka Dot telling me they were looking for my replacement editor and would let me know as soon as they could.

Me: What?

Jacki: Which is exactly how I felt. Why the hell didn’t you tell me, Kiki?

Me: Well, partly because I only found out really recently –

Jacki: So you didn’t know last time I saw you?

Me: Um.

Jacki: Was this a pity silence? Was I so sad that you couldn’t even tell me you were pregnant?

Me: No, of course not!

Jacki: So what was it, then?

Me: It wasn’t pity, it was just tact. You were sad, because of course you would be, because your husband …

Jacki: He’s not my husband.

Me: I’m sorry, Jacks. You know what I mean. Of course you would be sad, and we were talking about that, and I didn’t think it was appropriate to say, ‘Hey, guess what! I’m having a baby!’

Jacki: [quiet] OK. Alright, Keeks. What a pair we are, hey?

So Jacki drank both the Belladonnas, and I drank some amazing ginger and apple things, and we stayed there for a while. I told her about the scan, and how my family and Polka Dot were taking it.

Me: Hey, Jacks, do you want to be godmother to this baby? Well, not godmother godmother. Non- godmother. What do you say?

Jacki: Did you just think of that?

Me: Nope.

Jacki: Kiki?

Me: Please? It’s all so medical I could do with a little laughter and colour in the mix. As long as the colour isn’t flesh pink or wound red.

Jacki: Oh, you do know how to sell it, Kiki. Can I think about it?

We kissed and said goodbye, and I headed home to collapse on the sofa and tell Thom the good news.

Thom: Jacki Jones Jacki?

Me: Yes.

Thom: As the baby’s godmother?

Me: Non-godmother. I’m not dunking my baby for anybody.

Thom: Jacki Jacki Jones?

Me: Yes, Thom.

Thom: [thinking] Sure, that sounds nice.