It's a Gas, Man – Sandra 8

[For back story see lower numbers in archive]

More than half way through the day Sandra Xanadu Dedbury was cooking on gas in every way but one. With her electric hob frying up a good hearty lunch she was happily filing the done things from her to-do list into the done section her mobile phone app. There was a satisfying bleep each time another task hit the celebration banner and as she hit task number ten it played a short fanfare to which, despite herself, Sandra did a little dance.

As if sensing her readiness for the next challenge her chimed and she turned off the stove to answer. It was Daniel from Crown Apps. While she still felt she hadn’t apologised enough for her early mistake with this new client, it appeared that the miss-step had provided rocket fuel to the company. They had updated their app in several different ways, making it better than before and enabling her to identify several new key messages for another PR blast – this time sent to all the right people.

“We have a ‘go’ on the release,” said Daniel, and Sandra grinned as she could hear Daisy cheering manically in the background. “So do your stuff.”

“That’s fantastic,” said Sandra, “and ahead of schedule, right?”

“Oh absolutely,” replied Daniel. “We, er, had a bit of help in the closing stages of testing it and as a result everything sort of got resolved a bit quicker that usual.”

Having closed the call she headed back into her office and drafted a couple of invoices, just to make her day even better, and sent half a dozen smiley emojis, fireworks and confetti looking celebrations to Trinny. (That’ll put a spring in her step too, she thought, and she felt like a bit of rapid messaging action alongside everything else). Then she pulled up the Crown Apps file and rooted through it for the purposes of getting the PR campaign lined up. The release was ready, she needed to shoot it down for typos (of course) and get it back over the Daniel for the final sign off. But the invoices were the big win here. In the face of a pandemic, at a time when her main clients had expressed reservations at their marketing budget, at a time when everything looked uncertain, unclear and unchargeable, her business, herself, had flourished.

Rewardingly Trinny sent back several very large smiley emojis, hearts and a J-LUS XXXX text. 

Sandra finished the press release and flicked it over to Daniel. Xcet were next on her agenda and she found the contact sheet and release subject and settled to this task.

Her phone rang again and she answered without looking, thinking this would be the OK from Daniel or the chance for some witty banter with Trinny. It was, of course, neither.

“I’m outside,” said Rob.

“Out? Outside where?”

“Your house,” he said.

Sandra froze. 

“Seriously,” said Rob, his voice actually having the audacity to sound casual, “Come find me.”

“Do I have to?” asked Sandra, the colour seeping away from her day.

“Be rude otherwise,” said Rob.

When she open her front door he was, thankfully, still over two metres away.

“Are you going to invite me in?”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“I’m sure you can. I can stay back if you like. Plus I’ve had it and I’m not contagious anymore so there’s no real risk, is there? I mean, as far as we know. As far as – look I’m definitely not contagious. And other people are being. You know? Don’t tell me I’ve been through all this just to still be regarded as a health hazard!”

He smiled. It was a lovely smile and Sandra hated it from the centre of her being.

“Plus it might be difficult for us to – talk – out here,” said Rob. “People might wonder…”

Sandra paused to consider. She pulled out her mobile phone and texted him. His phone whooping as it received her missive.

Get Back In Your Car And Go Home - it read.

Rob didn’t look up as he replied.

I Love You and I Want to Be With You

Hard Luck - she shot back. I Don’t Want To Be With You

You Used To

With that sent and received he looked up at her. Their eyes met and for a moment there seemed to be something. After a pause Sandra sent:

Once. But Not Anymore

She turned and closed the door behind her. Rob hadn’t moved. He didn’t move for another five minutes, not that Sandra watched at all. But he did send her:

Still Not Over

And, pausing only briefly from the fantastic press release she was now writing, she sent back:

Send My Love to Frankie and The Kids