Warhol's Prophecy

96

AS HAILEY WALKED into the sitting room, Rob said nothing. He merely tapped his watch and shook his head.

‘All right,’ she said, kicking off her shoes, ‘I’m sorry. I know it’s late. I did phone, if you remember.’

‘Yeah, two fucking hours ago,’ he snapped. ‘It’s after eleven, Hailey.’

‘I know what time it is, Rob, and I said I’m sorry. If I could have been here any quicker I would have been.’

‘When you went back to work for Jim Marsh, you said it would be part-time. You didn’t say anything about being out until all hours of the fucking night.’

‘Don’t exaggerate. It couldn’t be helped – you know that. I didn’t want this any more than you.’

‘That’s two nights this week you’ve been out so late. What about Becky?’

‘You’re her father. It doesn’t do you any harm to look after her once in a while. How many nights have you been out late? Or how many nights didn’t you come home at all?’

‘Don’t start that shit again.’

‘Then how many times do I have to say I’m sorry? This gig is important to Jim. It’s important to me. I’ve done most of the work organizing it. So I want to make sure it runs smoothly.’

‘I thought everything was meant to be sorted.’

‘There were a couple of last-minute hitches: they had to be cleared up. It all happens in two days, you know.’

‘I know. Becky keeps reminding me.’

‘She’s looking forward to it, Rob – that’s why. She understands that I have to work on it. Why can’t you?’

‘I’ll be pleased when the whole fucking thing is over. Perhaps we can get back to normal.’

‘What the hell is normal around here any more? Our relationship?’

She slumped down in the chair opposite him.

‘After what we’ve been through, Rob, I’m not sure I’d know normal again if I fell over it,’ she said wearily.

He regarded her silently.

‘How do you feel?’ she asked finally.

‘I took a couple of painkillers earlier, so I’m OK. I was more concerned about you, and where you were.’

She was aware of his gaze trailing over her.

‘You’re wearing a different blouse,’ he said. ‘That’s not the one you had on when you left this afternoon.’

‘I spilt some coffee on the other one.’

‘Whose coffee?’

‘You think I’ve been with Walker, don’t you?’ she said irritably.

‘I didn’t say that.’

‘You didn’t have to. Christ, Rob, when are you going to believe me? Nothing happened between us and, like I’ve said to you before, you’re in no position to start lecturing me about adultery, are you? I mean, you wrote the fucking book.’

She got to her feet.

‘I’m going to bed,’ Hailey told him. ‘Are you coming?’

‘In a bit,’ he said, gazing at the television.

‘We can’t go on like this, Rob,’ she said, pausing at the door.

He didn’t look round.

‘No,’ Rob replied. ‘We can’t.’

She stood there a moment longer, then gently closed the door – leaving him alone in the room.