‘What is it?’
‘My name starts with a consonant, I’m fucked,’ she says. ‘The bastard’s going to ruin me.’
‘I can try to help,’ I say.
‘How? He wants to destroy me and I’ve got no money left. What will my children think?’
Tor is now where I need her to be. Imagining her ruin in garish colours.
‘I’ll pay it for you,’ I say. ‘I’ll make him delete everything.’
‘You’d do that for me?’ she says, her eyes wide with hope.
‘Of course I would, Tor. I can’t let you be ruined by someone so deceitful.’
‘You’re the best friend in the world,’ she says, throwing back half her G&T and embracing me.
I peel her bony arms from my shoulder, then I ask if she would be willing to do me a little favour in return.
‘Anything at all,’ she says.
‘You sure?’
‘Ask away. I’ll do anything for you.’
I smile. ‘Don’t be cross.’
‘I won’t be. You’ve saved my life.’
‘Yes, I have. Please sit down.’
‘Why?’
‘I think you’ll want to be seated, that’s all,’ I say.
Tor eyes me suspiciously, then flops onto a stool and folds her arms.
‘In return for solving your persistent problem, I was just wondering if you wouldn’t mind swapping Hero’s admissions number with Nelly’s,’ I say, looking out towards the garden.
‘What do you mean?’ barks Tor.
‘The candidates are given anonymous candidate numbers, which they put on their desks to enable blind marking. If Hero and Nelly swapped numbers, then whatever Hero answers on her test would be marked as Nelly’s effort.’
‘Right,’ says Tor, her eyes narrowing. ‘But then Hero would get Nelly’s marks.’
‘Yes.’
Tor is open-mouthed. ‘But Hero’s brighter than Nelly.’
‘She has a more measurable intellect currently, if that’s what you mean.’
‘I mean she’s bloody smarter, Lalla. You want Nelly to take Hero’s place at Adams? You want to cheat my child out of her place?’
‘I’m just trying to help you, that’s all.’
‘You manipulative, conniving bitch. I can’t believe what you’re asking me to do.’
‘It’s a small sacrifice to save your reputation,’ I say, staring coldly and unblinking.
