Sounds Like Radio Episode 19
Cesca focused all her attention away from Bill, and kisses.
It was too fraught with doubt, and it made her feel vulnerable as well as embarrassed.
Instead, she set about finding out who had been getting out all the sound effects bedding and sleeping on it.
Was some city-centre vagrant wandering in when they were all hard at work and having a kip?
Gerry said she had no idea what was going on.
She reminded Cesca that she had put the whole lot away when she found it lying about recently. Kevin didn’t know, either.
Then, one morning a few days later, Cesca came into work at half past seven.
She had slept badly and decided she might as well get some paperwork done before a booking.
She met Miriam leaving the drama studio with a kit bag over her shoulder and flip-flops on her feet.
The girl was blinking in the lights Cesca had just switched on and, oddly, was wearing the same navy skirt and yellow shirt she had worn the day before.
“Oh, hi, Cesca,” Miriam said, looking startled.
“Can I have a word?” Cesca said.
“Sure, but at nine o’clock when my shift starts? I’m just off to the gym.”
Miriam lifted her kit bag up, showing it to Cesca as if in explanation, and hurried towards the stairs.
Cesca didn’t want to let it go.
“You have come in very early and now you’re going out again, and to the gym?
“Miriam, I don’t want to be rude, but you don’t exactly give out gym bunny vibes.”
Miriam feigned offence.
“There’s always a first time,” she said.
She swung the kit bag over her shoulder petulantly and it hit the wall.
Things spilled out – shampoo, shower gel, a towel, another outfit that she wore for work.
There was no tracksuit or leggings in the heap on the floor.
“Do me a favour and come into the studio with me for a second.”
“I’ve got a gym slot,” Miriam said.
“Miriam.”
Cesca’s tone had the required effect, and Miriam walked back with her head bowed, and followed Cesca into the studio and up the stairs to the bedroom.
Sure enough, the bedding was all out again.
“You could at least have put it away,” Cesca said with a sigh.
“I know. But I’m always late.
“I do go to the gym, but it’s to shower, and it’s a bus ride away so it takes time . . .” She tailed off.
“Why are you sleeping here?” Cesca asked. “Didn’t you find a flat share?
“You seemed pleased with that,” she said more gently, as Miriam was close to tears.
“It didn’t work out and I couldn’t bear to tell you that I’d failed to sort myself out again.
“They all smoked in that flat and it was revolting. I felt sick and claustrophobic and they weren’t nice about it.”
Miriam looked at Cesca, her face tight with dismay.
“I was definitely going to tell you soon,” she said.
“This is why you’ve been so tired.”
“It’s stuffy at night.”
“It’s horrible. The air-con goes off, Miriam. Look, we’ll sort this out.”
“I really want to do my job well. It’s just that I . . . I’m not great at life.”
The day had begun strangely and it got stranger.