his head. Gary whispered an aside to his friend.
“Pssst! There’s Jill over there. By the way, she still looks absolutely fuckin’ gorgeous. How did you manage to let her get away?”
“Och, leave it out, Gary!”
Ewan and Gary sidled through the busy tables, trying hard not to accidentally knock coffee cups over onto the dozens of users’ laptops and iTabs as they squeezed past. Jill, who had by then spotted them, stood up and gave them a hesitant wave. Ewan smiled back and thought that she did indeed still look drop-dead gorgeous, but she also had a tired strained look on her face. They all said their hellos and Jill gave Ewan a kiss on the side of his mouth. He knew it was just a platonic greeting from an old friend but the kiss sent a pang of emotion shooting straight to his heart. How did he manage to let her get away? Gary went up to the counter to order black coffees for him and Ewan and a fresh latte for Jill. Jill and Ewan sat and exchanged pleasantries while they waited.
“It’s good to see you, Ewan. It’s been a while. I’m really sorry I swore at you the other night. As I said – I thought you were Khan. We’d been having a tiff on the phone.”
“No worries, Jill. Just glad you phoned me back.”
“So what’re you doing with yourself, then? Are you the big-shot astronomer now?”
Ewan’s eyes dropped momentarily to his lap.
“No! I’m nothing like that. The jobs market in the UK for a recently graduated Doctor in Astronomy and Astrophysics is totally zip at the moment. I’m doing some part-time paid research work in Space Science on a post-grad basis at Edinburgh Uni. But, I’m afraid to say it’s mainly casual work in the World’s End pub that’s keeping the wolf from the door. Look at you, though - you’re looking great, Jill -”
“I dunno, Ewan – I’ve been feeling like shit recently.”
“You and Khan…?”
Ewan stopped himself and let the question hang. Jill shook her head.
“No, no. Well, not just that. Ach, you know what London’s like. It’s just so much more stressful than Glasgow or Edinburgh. Y’know – the job, relationships, traffic, even the bloody trains have been doin’ my nut in lately.”
Gary arrived back with the coffees and he set them down on the table.
“Ah’ve no’ interrupted a wee tête-à-tête, have ah?”
Ewan groaned to the heavens.
“Aw, Christ sake, Gaz. Sit down and zip it!”
Jill smiled genuinely amused. She had never fancied Gary Mackintosh, even when they were at Glasgow High School together, but he always knew how to lighten even the most serious of situations. Jill sipped her latte savouring the creamy coffee flavour, then spoke.
“Right, boys, what is the pressing matter that has brought you down to London to see me – one that you couldn’t talk about on the blower?”
Gary held up his palm and stopped the conversation with some of his usual toilet humour.“Gentlemen be seated and let the matter drop. Before we start – first things first…”
Gary put his upraised index finger to his lips to indicate that he required silence. Jill was amused but slightly confused by this cloak and dagger performance. He took out his laptop from his satchel and hooked it up to the café’s power socket and Wi-Fi internet connection. He gave a voice activation command to the computer.
“Run - Prog - Blood - Hound –“
Jill was now completely bamboozled.
“What are you on about Gary?”
Gary suspended his palm in the air momentarily.
“Hold on. Wait a wee sec. Right, that’s it operational. I’ve just activated a piece of software that is scanning the immediate area for any electronic bugging devices that might be listening in. If it detects any then it just fuckin’ blocks out the reception and garbles anything that we might say to each other. Ta, da!”
Jill shot a quizzical glance at Ewan.
“Ewan, what in hell’s name’s goin’ on here?”
Ewan looked nervously around the room but Gary butted in
“Pssst! There’s Jill over there. By the way, she still looks absolutely fuckin’ gorgeous. How did you manage to let her get away?”
“Och, leave it out, Gary!”
Ewan and Gary sidled through the busy tables, trying hard not to accidentally knock coffee cups over onto the dozens of users’ laptops and iTabs as they squeezed past. Jill, who had by then spotted them, stood up and gave them a hesitant wave. Ewan smiled back and thought that she did indeed still look drop-dead gorgeous, but she also had a tired strained look on her face. They all said their hellos and Jill gave Ewan a kiss on the side of his mouth. He knew it was just a platonic greeting from an old friend but the kiss sent a pang of emotion shooting straight to his heart. How did he manage to let her get away? Gary went up to the counter to order black coffees for him and Ewan and a fresh latte for Jill. Jill and Ewan sat and exchanged pleasantries while they waited.
“It’s good to see you, Ewan. It’s been a while. I’m really sorry I swore at you the other night. As I said – I thought you were Khan. We’d been having a tiff on the phone.”
“No worries, Jill. Just glad you phoned me back.”
“So what’re you doing with yourself, then? Are you the big-shot astronomer now?”
Ewan’s eyes dropped momentarily to his lap.
“No! I’m nothing like that. The jobs market in the UK for a recently graduated Doctor in Astronomy and Astrophysics is totally zip at the moment. I’m doing some part-time paid research work in Space Science on a post-grad basis at Edinburgh Uni. But, I’m afraid to say it’s mainly casual work in the World’s End pub that’s keeping the wolf from the door. Look at you, though - you’re looking great, Jill -”
“I dunno, Ewan – I’ve been feeling like shit recently.”
“You and Khan…?”
Ewan stopped himself and let the question hang. Jill shook her head.
“No, no. Well, not just that. Ach, you know what London’s like. It’s just so much more stressful than Glasgow or Edinburgh. Y’know – the job, relationships, traffic, even the bloody trains have been doin’ my nut in lately.”
Gary arrived back with the coffees and he set them down on the table.
“Ah’ve no’ interrupted a wee tête-à-tête, have ah?”
Ewan groaned to the heavens.
“Aw, Christ sake, Gaz. Sit down and zip it!”
Jill smiled genuinely amused. She had never fancied Gary Mackintosh, even when they were at Glasgow High School together, but he always knew how to lighten even the most serious of situations. Jill sipped her latte savouring the creamy coffee flavour, then spoke.
“Right, boys, what is the pressing matter that has brought you down to London to see me – one that you couldn’t talk about on the blower?”
Gary held up his palm and stopped the conversation with some of his usual toilet humour.“Gentlemen be seated and let the matter drop. Before we start – first things first…”
Gary put his upraised index finger to his lips to indicate that he required silence. Jill was amused but slightly confused by this cloak and dagger performance. He took out his laptop from his satchel and hooked it up to the café’s power socket and Wi-Fi internet connection. He gave a voice activation command to the computer.
“Run - Prog - Blood - Hound –“
Jill was now completely bamboozled.
“What are you on about Gary?”
Gary suspended his palm in the air momentarily.
“Hold on. Wait a wee sec. Right, that’s it operational. I’ve just activated a piece of software that is scanning the immediate area for any electronic bugging devices that might be listening in. If it detects any then it just fuckin’ blocks out the reception and garbles anything that we might say to each other. Ta, da!”
Jill shot a quizzical glance at Ewan.
“Ewan, what in hell’s name’s goin’ on here?”
Ewan looked nervously around the room but Gary butted in
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