Under His Influence

It’s all very well for Liam to say, Anna thought, but he was no reassurance. The same words from a steadier person might do the trick, but he was such a goofball. Still, perhaps he knew what he was talking about, and listening to him was better than listening to the fearful voice in her heart.

“Have some pizza,” he said, a note of desperation in his tone.

“It’s cold.” Anna sniffed, but the offer did seem to shock her out of the worst of her lamentations. “Yuck.”

“Cold pizza is the breakfast of champions. What are you talking about?”

“Ugh, I had a lucky escape from you, didn’t I? Thank God I met John.”

“Oh, thanks a bunch.” Liam pulled a droll face and punched her gently on the arm. “Well, if the pizza’s no good, perhaps you’ve got some snacks in that giant state-of-the-art kitchen Mimi’s told me about.”

“I suppose I might have some peanuts or something. To be honest, I don’t know what’s down there half the time. We get everything delivered, and Luana puts it all away. Shall we go and have a look?”

In the stainless steel and granite desert of the kitchen, they opened cupboard after cupboard, finding strange and wonderful things.

“Boquerones,” he said. “What?”

Anna laughed, squinting at a jar of molluscs in some kind of jelly. “I can’t even begin to guess. What the hell are these? They look like snails. Are they snails?”

“You can’t eat half of this, I bet,” Liam reminded her. “What is it you’re supposed to not eat when you’re pregnant?”

“Unpasteurised eggs and cheese, pâté, shellfish, liver, oh, loads of stuff, I can’t even remember it all. Alcohol, of course.”

“Blimey. Glad I’m a bloke. Is it really worth it?”

Anna’s face crumpled and she sat down on a kitchen chair, trying to breathe through the urge to cry.

“Sorry,” she mewled, scrunching the tears from her eyes. “Hormones. Just a bit emotional.”

“Anna!” He pulled up a chair next to her, crouching towards her, his expression one of earnest concern. “There’s lots of things you can eat. And drink. I’ll make you a smoothie. That’ll be good for you, won’t it? What fruits do you like?”

“Oh, it’s not about the food thing, you idiot. I just feel so alone, and so scared sometimes. And when I woke up this morning and John wasn’t there… I just had this horrible feeling that perhaps I’d never see him again and…” She broke down completely, bawling on the smooth cold surface of the

kitchen table until tear puddles formed.

“Anna.” Liam’s voice was pained. “Don’t be daft. Of course you’ll see him again. He’s in Russia, not, not, oh, the Bermuda Triangle. And he loves you. He’ll make sure he gets back as soon as he can. And I suppose maybe the mobile network isn’t very good where he is. I’m sure there’s a simple explanation.”

“But what about Mimi? The mobile network in Highgate isn’t that bad.”

“No. No, I suppose not. Look, if you want, I’ll stay with you tonight. Nothing dodgy.” He put up a hand rapidly, though he was sure Anna would have taken his offer in the spirit intended. “Just as a friend, y’know. I don’t want to think of you all alone in this rattling old place. I’ll stay with you till Mimi gets back. Yeah?”

“Thank you,” she said, fishing out her mobile and checking it miserably for messages yet again. Nothing.

“So,” said Liam, once the storm of weeping was past. “Do you want a boy or a girl?”

“Oh, I don’t care. I suppose John wants a boy. I want what he wants.”

“Wow. Really?” Liam ducked his head back, his surprise evident. “That was all very sudden, wasn’t it? Meeting him, marrying him, getting pregnant. How did you know he was Mr. Right? It always takes me ages even to realise I fancy someone.”

Anna giggled. “I know. I suppose…feminine intuition.”

“But he must have known too. And he’s not very feminine.”

She laughed again. “No, he isn’t, is he? But he knows what he wants. He’s that type of man. A go-getter. I suppose he’s used to that kind of pace of life, in the City and all that. They’re always yelling and jostling and running from one deal to the next. I suppose they learn to live life on the run, and grab what they fancy when they see it. There’s something to be said for it, I think. Life doesn’t pass you by. You and me, well, we’re used to just pottering along, aren’t we? Get bored, get a coffee, have a lazy long weekend, lie in bed staring into space. John would never see the appeal of that.”

“He sounds like Mimi. She’s not a laid-back type either. But look, if you are, and he isn’t, what drew you to him?”

“It was his kiss,” Anna said, her eyes dreamy. “I knew right from the moment his lips touched mine. Nobody else would ever be able to kiss me like that.”