Wisps of Cloud (2 page)

"The Russian Ballet … they sold out months ago. I know for I tried to buy tickets last month."

"Yeah well, I managed..." He grinned. "Would you be interested in going? I could ask Noeline you know."

Karla didn't know what to think! "You are asking me on a date to see the Russian Ballet?" she asked.

"That's about it!"

"But haven't you got a girlfriend... Sally I think you told me her name was?"

"Had one," Ryan whispered. "She moved on two months back."

"About the time you bought the ballet tickets."

"Yeah," Ryan said, "Quite a coincidence, isn't it?"

"Oh Ryan!" Karla laughed.

"So would you like to come with me?"

Karla caught his eyes and saw that serious look again. He was about her age but she had never thought of him being anything but another staff member. Now...

"It's very formal. You'll need to wear that flash gown you wore at last year's staff Christmas do."

Karla flushed. "You noticed?" she whispered.

"Every guy in the room did."

Karla grimaced as she thought about that evening. She hardly remembered Ryan being there for another item was imbedded in her mind.

*

Karla sat at the table and gazed around the restaurant at her colleagues from Tui Park School. She was actually enjoying Christmas end-of- year dinner more than she originally expected. The staff had lightened up after a few drinks and were laughing and giggling as stories were told and jokes made. She had been senior teacher at the school for term now and found her new position invigorating but demanding with the other senior staff members over a decade old than herself.

Murray was unusually talkative as he drifted around the tables reserved for their party and laughed at some joke one of the husbands was telling with a wave of hand movements. The meal was over, most of the wine bottles were empty and several of the partygoers had said their good nights and had left.

She had come by herself was about to leave also when Murray came up to her with two glasses of wine in his hand. He placed one down before her and sat himself down in the empty chair across from her,

"I noticed your bottle was empty," he said. "Try this white. It's one of those local wines. You might like it."

"Thanks,"

"Well have a sip."

She nodded but found the taste of the wine was almost tart and not to her liking at all. She turned, took a handkerchief out of a pocket and discretely spat the second mouthful out. She turned and noticed her principal was staring at her with an expression on his face that was different. Karla flushed in embarrassment for she realised the man was staring down her top at the cleavage of her breasts. If he wasn't twice her age and the boss she would almost think he was trying to make a pass at her. She smiled faintly and coughed. Even though she had only swallowed one mouthful of the wine she found herself feeling dizzy.

"You drunk quite a bit this evening, Karla?" Murray said.

She stood up and attempted to walk away. However, her legs felt like rubber and the floor seemed to be rolling. "You could be right," she muttered.

"No problem," Murray cut in. "Can't have you driving home in this condition, though. Is your car outside?"

Karla nodded.

Murray glanced around. "Damn, Sherrie my wife has already left. Tell, you what, I'll drive your car home and take a bus back to my place."

Karla was still feeling strangely detached from everything around. Sure, she had been drunk before, mainly back in her student days but this felt different. It was as if... Oh hell she was about to vomit.

"Excuse me!" she gulped, grabbed her purse and tore through an archway to where the toilets were. She made it just in time and was violently ill in the toilet. Afterwards she backed out and turned to the sink to splash water over her face.

She heard a cough and realised somebody else was there. It was Murray's wife, Sherrie. "I saw you rush in here after I returned to the restaurant." She looked almost sad. "I couldn't let him do it again, now could I?"

"What do you mean, Sherrie?" Karla asked.

The woman stared at her and frowned. "My husband gets a bit carried away at the staff events I'm afraid, especially with young attractive women like yourself." She opened her right hand out to show a small yellow pill. "Take this with a tumbler of water."

Karla wasn't sure what to do. Sherrie sounded sympathetic but there was something in her tone that she wasn't sure about. "Why?" she asked.

"To counteract the drug that spiced your drink. You're lucky that you vomited most of it up but I imagine there is still some in your system. This will make you feel better and quite quickly too." She grimaced. "It happened to me many years ago now and I suspect the new so-called uppers are even more potent than in my day." She sighed. "Please yourself though. I'm just trying to help."

"You're saying Murray spiked my wine?"

The woman nodded.

"But why?"

Sherrie shrugged. "A flaw in his character, I guess. You're lucky I decided to return this time. Normally I turn a blind eye." She blinked and Karla thought she saw tears in the woman's eyes.

Karla nodded, filled a tumbler sitting on the sink top and swallowed the pill with the water. Almost immediately she felt ill again and rushed to the toilet. After vomiting again she shook her head and came out of the cubical.

Sherrie had gone!

Karla took another drink of water and found that she did feel better. Her head ached a little but the spinning had stopped and there was only a sweet taste in her mouth. She wiped her face with a tissue and walked back into the restaurant area to find everyone leaving. Murray or Sherrie were nowhere in sight.

Deep in thought, she said goodbye to the few staff members still there and walked out to her car. Perhaps she was foolish driving home but she took the risk. Anyhow, she felt normal now and not even slightly drunk. Perhaps that pill Sherrie had given her had neutralized the spiced drink. But what was Murray intending? She thought back and remembered the expression on his face as he stared quite openly at her breasts and decided to be wary of him in the future.

However, by the time she reached home she felt quite relaxed and shrugged. Often people got silly when they drank too much. Perhaps she was as bad as he was and Sherrie was just one of those neurotic wives who didn't like her husband relaxing at a party.

*

Karla jerked her mind back to the present when she noticed Ryan looking intently at her. "Was there something about the Christmas do?" he asked.

"Not really, Ryan. The boss got a little tipsy. That's all."

Ryan shrugged. "Yes, his character does change after a few drinks but everyone ignores him. But I was talking about the ballet…"

Karla turned and caught his eyes. "Sorry! Yes of course. I'd love to go to the ballet with you!"

She slid into her car and drove away before Ryan could notice her flushed face.

*

She didn't really know why but Karla found she had spent far more money than anticipated for the dark blue gown, cardigan and other paraphernalia such as earrings
to go with the expensive necklace and bracelet she had inherited from her grandmother. Ryan was coming at six-thirty to give them time to find a park and still be at the theatre by eight.  The ballet was to be held in the Michael Fowler Centre, one of the country's most prestigious entertainment venues.

She stared at her reflection in the hall mirror and added that little touch of make-up, pulled the gown top up and wondered if the vee shaped top was too revealing. She decided to button her cardigan up an extra button and also not to wear the long white gloves she had also purchased. They were too formal and not really her.

She sighed. Perhaps she was being too carried away with the whole thing! After all who would be looking at her in the darkened theatre? She was about to rush back to the bedroom to change into something less revealing, perhaps the gown she'd worn to the staff do, when the doorbell rang.

She glanced at her watch... six-thirty on the dot.

"Damn," she muttered. She had been counting on Ryan being at least ten minutes late. She picked up her shoes, high-heeled ones she hardly ever wore, gave her hair one last brush and headed for the door.

Outside stood Ryan dressed quite unlike she had ever seen him in a crisp dark suit, white shirt and a tie… oh my God, the number of times she'd seen him in a tie could be counted on one hand. He grinned sheepishly and held out a red rose to her.

"I thought I'd get a rose for an attractive lady but by hell, you're a stunner, Karla."

Karla found her cheeks redden as she ran her eyes over his clothes. "You aren't too bad yourself," she muttered. "You found my place okay?"

"No problem," Ryan replied. "Narrow driveway, though."

Karla laughed and thought of Ryan's pickup. She glanced up and saw a gleaming white BMW glittering under the outside security light. "Where did you get that?" she gasped.

"My mother's," Ryan replied. "Well actually it's my step-father's. When he heard I was going to the ballet with you he insisted that you'd be insulted if I expected you to arrive in my ute."

"Stepfather? I didn't know your family lived in town."

Ryan shrugged. "Over in Karori" he whispered. "Dad died in the nineties and Mum remarried a five years back. I've never actually lived with her new husband and herself. He seems a nice guy and Mum is much happier now. Alan tries hard, I guess." He said no more so Karla decided to not to pursue the subject.

"Come in," she said. "I just have to grab my purse."

Ryan stepped in, commented on her kitchen and living room and raised his eyebrows at her desktop computer and large screen television. "Looks like you." he complimented.

Karla grinned. "How?"

"That well organised busy look without being too messy or tidy." He glanced at a corkboard covered in school timetables and notices above the computer and the printer on the table. "So that's why you have everything always done and are never lined up at the school printers. You do it here."

"Some of it," Karla admitted and disappeared back into her bedroom where she had left her purse.

She chastised herself for feeling nervous. After all, they were just going to the ballet, not some nightclub or grand ball. She pinned the rose on, caught a glimpse of herself in the hall mirror, pulled up her gown top again and cursed it for being so low cut. It was that stupid girl in the department store who had persuaded her it was the latest fashion and far better than another more conservative gown she had originally considered.

But it was too late now!

*

The ballet was everything she had expected with fabulous dancing, lighting, music and backdrops. She was, however, aware that Ryan did appear to be bored with some of the longer pieces. He grinned at her at the conclusion and made complimentary remarks about the wonderful evening.

"Ryan," she said as they waited as the crowd walked slowly towards the exit. "Admit that you were bored with most of it."

He grinned. "The ballerinas and lighting were pretty good. I liked the music, too."

"But you'd rather be at a rock concert?"

"With screaming teenagers high on drugs and raucous music screaming out at five hundred decibels, no thanks. Perhaps something in the middle."

The crowd thinned and they walked outside. Moments later they drove out of a nearby car park building.

"Want to go straight home or would you like to stop at small bar?" Ryan's voice was almost nervous. "I know one in our direction that is more of a coffee bar so you needn't have the strong stuff if you don't mind."

Karla glanced across at him but he was staring out the window at the quite heavy traffic.

"That would be nice," she whispered.

He drove for a few moments and pulled into the kerb near a small friendly looking place. It was full without being overcrowded and they found a table in a secluded booth. Ryan pretended to study the wine list like a connoisseur and after asking her what she'd like, ordered a small bottle of red wine.

He grinned and they began to talk about school. Everything came out including Ryan's opinion of the hierarchy, how the boss was just drifting and Val's autocratic ways.

"But you know who's the real leader at Tui Park, don't you?" Ryan asked.

"Gillian?"

"Gillian is not a bad DP and handles the older kids well but..." he continued.

Karla sipped her wine and glanced up at him. His eyes were intense.

"Who then?"

"You," he whispered, "If you weren't there the school would fall apart."

"Yeah sure!" Karla laughed and stared at him. Oh hell, he was serious. "Thanks Ryan," she whispered. "I guess I do take it all seriously and get annoyed when others just drift along."

"Like me," Ryan also whispered.

She caught his eyes. "No not you. Talking about the school falling apart, if you weren't there to rush in to help when anyone demanded, it probably would." She dragged her eyes away. "Enough of school. Let's switch topics."