‘So, I’m guessing thatyou’rean artist?’
Ruby supposed that Cindy was only making polite conversation, so she answered in kind, politely. ‘Yes, I’m a writer, well a poet I guess, but to pay the bills I do a fair bit of temp work, so I don’t know … I didn’t go to art school or anything.’ It was very unlike Ruby, to be flustered.
‘I can’t believe for a moment that you really think that going to art school is what defines an artist?’ Coming from someone like Jude a line like that would have sounded patronising, but Cindy’s tone was sincere.
Ruby laughed nervously. ‘No I don’t. Art school is a scam.’ She didn’t believe that either, but now she was thinking that perhaps she should try and sound scathing and cynical in front of Cindy.
‘Are you doing a reading tonight?’ Cindy moved closer and perched on the bar stool. She placed her elbow on the counterand rested her beautiful face on her hand, fixing all her attention on Ruby. Ruby found herself leaning ever so slightly closer, and she felt sure that Cindy had done the same.
By the time Jude got back, which couldn’t have been any more than five minutes later, the two women were laughing wholeheartedly about something – although even Ruby in that moment wouldn’t have been able to explain exactly what wasthatfunny.
‘Hope I’m not interrupting.’ Jude handed them both their beers and Ruby noted that the smugness from his previous expression had melted away. Ruby shot a look at Cindy, and they exchanged a meaningful glance. Ruby took it to mean that they were in agreement – hewasinterrupting.
‘Trading tips and tricks, are you?’ He’d regained a bit of swagger. But was met by blank expressions.
‘Sorry, babe, what do you mean?’ Cindy asked.
Jude’s face fell again. ‘Oh just you know, that maybe … you two were like talking about …’ He trailed off, and Ruby couldn’t resist twisting the knife in now she’d surmised where he was going with this.
‘About?’ she prodded, tilting her head to the side with mock curiosity.
‘About me,’ he said quietly.
‘Oh no! Don’t worry about that. We were actually just talking about Romaine Silver – you know that New York performance artist I told you about once?’ Cindy seemed to genuinely want to reassure him. Ruby felt a pang of shame. Maybe he’d been wise to upgrade to a prettier and kinder model – literally.
And yet, still she couldn’t help herself. ‘I told you about her once too.’
Jude shrugged. ‘Yeah, maybe.’ He took a swig of his beer and then added, ‘Aren’t you supposed to be going on soon anyway?’
Nicely played. Ruby had just about managed to calm her jangled nerves; now he’d set them on edge again.
‘Yeah, probably,’ she replied, with a shrug of her own.
And right on cue, the emcee walked onto the ‘stage’ – which consisted of four wooden pallets pushed together in the corner of the room.
‘Thank you, everyone, for coming tonight to the Thamesis inaugural open mic night. We’ve got a great variety of acts for you tonight …’
Ruby cringed at the word ‘acts’. It only reinforced her fear that this was the sort of crowd that were hoping for an acoustic guitar cover.
‘And first up we have …’ he squinted down at the sheet of paper in his hand ‘… Ruby Tongue.’
Her heart sank as the people in the room clapped enthusiastically. She was about to bring the mood tumbling down.
Ruby downed the rest of her beer and avoided making eye contact with either Jude or Cindy as she wove her way to the front.
The emcee handed her the mic and the static momentarily deafened the crowd. Once everyone had stopped wincing she began.
‘This piece is called “Your cock is not a sword”.’ Her nerves had evaporated the moment she’d stepped up, as they always did, and now she wasn’t Ruby Wallace anymore. She locked eyes with Jude as she spoke the first line.
‘You wield yourself like a knight,
I lay and take a joust,
There are no cheering spectators watching.
I’m rammed and wounded but not delighted
Why can’t you forget the fight?
