Pulpy and Midge. Jessica Westhead

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СКАЧАТЬ said Beatrice. ‘With salt on it? Yuck!’

      ‘In it, actually,’ he said.

      ‘Always with the specifics,’ said Dan, nodding his approval. ‘I keep telling everybody you’ll go far, Pulpy.’

      ‘Midge?’ Pulpy offered her the bag.

      She shook her head. ‘You and your Dutch sensibilities,’ she said, smiling. Then she turned back to the action on the rink.

      ‘Well,’ said Pulpy when the Follies were over, ‘we should get home.’

      ‘No, no, don’t go home!’ said Beatrice.

      Dan shook his head and grinned. ‘Beatrice was saying to me earlier that she’d like us all to play charades at our place tonight.’

      ‘Yes!’ said Beatrice. ‘Charades!’

      Midge looked at Pulpy.

      ‘Sounds nice,’ he said.

      Midge looked away.

      ‘Now, we don’t want the husbands and wives being on the same teams,’ said Dan. ‘Let’s mix it up a little. Midge, you be on my team.’ He patted the spot next to him on the sectional.

      Midge fitted herself into the corner of the suede L-shape and watched Beatrice shimmy across the room to sit next to Pulpy. ‘This is a soft couch.’

      ‘It is.’ Dan winked at her. ‘You sink right in.’

      ‘It’s new,’ said Beatrice. ‘This one here we had at our last place.’ She put her hand in the small space between her and Pulpy. ‘It’s a divan.’

      ‘Hmm,’ said Midge.

      ‘Don’t mind the boxes, by the way. We’re still unpacking.’

      ‘I didn’t see any boxes,’ said Pulpy.

      ‘Well, we’ve unpacked most of them, but still, there might be a few. You know what moving’s like.’ Beatrice stroked the divan.

      Midge watched her. ‘We’ve been in the same spot for a while.’

      ‘Okay, charades!’ said Dan. ‘Who goes first?’

      ‘You have a fireplace,’ said Midge.

      ‘We do indeed! It came with the house,’ he said. ‘Want me to turn it on?’

      ‘Turn it – on?’

      ‘You got it. Watch this!’ Dan picked up a remote from the coffee table and pressed a button.

      The fire flared to life and Midge’s eyes widened. ‘Oh my,’ she said.

      ‘You like that?’ Dan slapped his knee. ‘Fire and ice. I love this woman!’

      ‘Let’s toss a coin,’ Beatrice said to him.

      ‘Good idea,’ said Dan. ‘Who’s got one?’

      ‘I’ll bet Pulpy’s got a bunch of change in his pocket,’ said Beatrice. ‘I heard it jingling when he sat down.’

      ‘Hmm,’ said Midge.

      ‘Let’s see …’ Pulpy fished around. ‘How about a quarter?’

      ‘That’s fine,’ said Dan. ‘Hand it over.’

      ‘Have some more mini-pizzas.’ Beatrice handed Pulpy the snack tray she’d prepared.

      ‘Thanks,’ said Pulpy. ‘They’re really good.’

      ‘The way he’s going on about it,’ said Beatrice, ‘it’s like he’s never had food cooked for him before!’

      ‘He’s had food cooked for him,’ said Midge.

      ‘Of course he has. What kinds of things do you make for him, Midge?’

      ‘Oh, simple things.’ Midge frowned down at her skirt.

      ‘Simple but good,’ said Pulpy.

      ‘We’re just so glad to have you two here!’ said Beatrice. ‘Dan and I haven’t had a chance to get the lay of our neighbourhood yet, so we don’t know too many people.’

      ‘It’s a nice neighbourhood,’ said Midge.

      ‘Oh, it’s a lot like yours, I’m sure.’

      ‘It’s a bit nicer.’

      ‘Is it?’ Beatrice smiled.

      ‘Lots of good people in the office, though, hey Pulpy?’ said Dan.

      ‘It’s a good office.’ Pulpy glanced at Midge, who was observing Beatrice.

      Beatrice was looking at Pulpy’s hands. ‘Your fingers are very long,’ she said.

      ‘Pulpy has a gift for charades,’ said Midge. ‘He has magic charade hands.’

      ‘Midge,’ Pulpy said, and reddened.

      Beatrice giggled.

      ‘You watch,’ said Midge. ‘He’ll draw the thing in the air, just like that. No “sounds like” or “first word, second word,” or anything like that. He’ll just draw it. It’s amazing. Even complex things. You just watch.’

      ‘He is amazing,’ Dan agreed, taking the quarter. ‘Who’s heads?’

      ‘We are!’ Beatrice declared, grabbing Pulpy’s hand and waving it in the air.

      Pulpy smiled at Midge. ‘Midge is ambidextrous,’ he said. ‘She can write my name with both hands. Show them, Midge.’ He looked around. ‘Is there a pen she can use?’

      ‘Never mind, Pulpy.’ Midge was blushing. ‘Let’s just play the game.’

      ‘Here we go!’ Dan let the coin fly.

      They all watched it go up and then come down. It landed at their feet, rolled on the gleaming hardwood for a short distance and then was still.

      ‘Heads!’ Beatrice squealed. ‘We win!’

      ‘Ha, ha,’ said Dan. ‘You don’t win. You just get to go first.’

      ‘Oh, right.’ Beatrice smiled slyly. ‘I guess I was getting ahead of myself. I have great faith in my partner, that’s all.’

      ‘As well you should,’ said Dan. ‘I can see you becoming a real driving force in the office, Pulpy.’

      ‘You can?’ said Pulpy.

      ‘We can,’ said Beatrice. СКАЧАТЬ