Easy As Falling On A Bike.
by Angharad (Bonzi is out - hee hee!).
part:269

As I cooked the meal, I felt so much happier that my favourite cooking device had been fixed. Things cooked in an Aga just taste better. Tomorrow, I would slow roast a leg of lamb with rosemary and mint dressing.

The kitchen felt much warmer too, which was good, it had felt strangely cool last night, mind you that was good training for sleeping with my head out the window.

I was turning the fish under the grill when Stella appeared. "Where's the engineer blokey?"

"Finished." I smiled broadly, "Everything works again," I pointed at the saucepans on the top plates.

"So I see."

"You could be more enthusiastic, Stella."

"Sorry, was thinking about something."

"Oh, that's unusual for you," I said not exactly meaning how that sounded. What I meant to say was,'It's unusual for you to brood on things.'

"No, I think all the time," she said with irritation, "which is why I don't keep making stupid statements all the time."

I considered myself chastised, however, I would retaliate, the next time she needed something ironed, I wouldn't be available.

"What's for tea?"

"Salmon."

"Smells good," she seemed to be wanting to move on so I left the previous remarks behind and concentrated on the present.

"Does it, I suppose it doesn't permeate everything like Tom's curries, but it is his house."

"What is?" asked a male voice.

"Hi Tom," I said and he came in and hugged me and I pecked him on the cheek.

Looking at Stella, he said, "My goodness, we have a visitor, you must introduce me to this beautiful young lady, Cathy."

"What that old trout?" I winked at him and he glowered at me. "Oh her, that's my future sister in law, assuming she doesn't kill me before I marry her brother."

"That's quite possible, unless your cooking gets me first!" She riposted.

"Touche," I said and began switching into attack mode.

"Ladies please, can we call a truce. I've had an awful day and a quiet evening would make me feel much more relaxed."

"Oh dear, what happened?" I asked.

"A university is apparently more about money than excellence. We are plcs* not academic institutes. I was this close to telling them what they could do with their bloody plc," he held his thumb and forefinger about half an inch apart."

"But you generate quite a bit of income," I said feeling sad for him.

"Yes, but it isn't enough. They want us to make more."

"I'll have to do that film with Des, won't I?"

"Only if we get some of the revenue from it."

"I assumed you would."

"Probably, but it's all up in the air anyway until the BBC or whoever, says how much they will pay for it."

"What about royalties, lots of their stuff gets shown all over the world?"

"Yes but they then own it. They might sponsor the programme or arrange to buy it after viewing."

"What if they change their minds?"

"With you writing the script and appearing in it, I don't think that's an issue."

"I'm happy to write it if I have the time and to be the expert adviser, I'm not so sure about appearing in it."

"Cathy, remember what we were talking about last night?" Tom looked quite serious.

I shook my head and looked suitably blank.

"About looking beyond the small arena."

"Arenas, we didn't mention anything about arenas."

He looked exasperated and Stella switched the kettle on. She would have turned it on, but not in front of Tom.

"Do you remember what we spoke about yesterday?"

"Yeah, waiting for the Aga man."

"No, about where I thought you should aim for the future."

"Oh the bigger picture thing?"

"At last!" he shook his head in disbelief. "Some days I wonder if you have a twin sister."

"She has, me!" beamed Stella.

"I don't think so, Stella, nice try." Tom was patient with both of us.

I certainly didn't want him to tell me again that he thought I was special. I'm not, I'm just the girl next door with bike and a way with dormice.

"I tried to explain to Cathy why the bank, and Henry in particular, hired her to be their adviser."

"He fancies her," offered Stella.

"I think it's a little more than that, in fact I spoke to him this morning and he confirmed it."

"What, that he fancies her?"

"No, Stella, that Cathy has special qualities."

"Like what, being good with a bow an' arrow?"

"No, but maybe the courage that caused her to do that, is one of them."

"She's got bal...., I mean she used to have them, I mean....Oh shit!" Stella blushed a beautiful crimson, which clashed with the green top she had on.

"Cathy is a master communicator. I saw her hold an audience of journalists in total thrall."

"That was Spike, I was just there to stop her swinging on the chandeliers."

"I thought she did swing on them, just after she went out of camera shot." Tom smiled wickedly at me.

It took me a second to process what he had just said and I blushed even redder than Stella had. She sniggered and enjoyed my embarrassment as much as I had hers.

"What is a thrall, when it's at home anyway?" asked Stella.

"It's an ancient word, probably Norse, which means to hold power over someone, as one would a slave. Nowadays, with the exception of the public sector, slavery is largely extinct in this country, so it means to hold someone in total fascination. Like an orator does with an audience."

"Yep that's me, 'zero-rater'," I said smirking.

"Cathy, if you are going to continue to be so silly, I'm not prepared to discuss it further. But I tell you, if you don't make that film a success, we may not have a department once the survey money runs out."

"What! That's ridiculous, we are bringing in money all the time and producing good graduates."

"Not compared to Chemical engineering, their patents are worth several million."

"Oh!" I felt completely flat, then smiled to myself, "I bet they don't get two million hits on You Tube!" Everyone fell about laughing, they knew what I was on about without me even having to say.

*plc = public limited company.