We all kept on watching her, not saying a word. Then we became aware that in another part of the office, a couple of the other <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>monster beats sale</em></a> women had noticed us. One raised a hand and gave us an uncertain wave. This broke the spell and we took to our heels in giggly panic.
WE STOPPED AGAIN <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap beats by dre</em></a> FURTHER DOWN THE STREET, talking excitedly all at once. Except for Ruth, that is, who remained silent in the middle of it. It was hard to read her face at <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>monster beats sale</em></a> that moment: she certainly wasn't disappointed, but then she wasn't elated either. She had on a half-smile, the sort a mother might have in an ordinary family, weighing things up <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>discount dre headphone</em></a> while the children jumped and screamed around her asking her to say, yes, they could do whatever. So there we were, all coming out with our views, and I was <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap beats by dre</em></a> glad I could say honestly, along with the others, that the woman we'd seen was by no means out of the question. The truth was, we were all relieved: without <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap dre headphone</em></a> quite realising it, we'd been bracing ourselves for a let-down. But now we could go back to the Cottages, Ruth could take encouragement from what she'd seen, and the rest <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>discount dre headphone</em></a> of us could back her up. And the office life the woman appeared to be leading was about as close as you could hope to the one Ruth had often <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap dr dre beats</em></a> described for herself. Regardless of what had been going on between us that day, deep down, none of us wanted Ruth to return home despondent, and at that moment we <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap beats by dre</em></a> thought we were safe. And so we would have been, I'm pretty sure, had we put an end to the matter at that point.
But then Ruth said: "Let's sit over <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>monster beats sale</em></a> there, over on that wall. Just for a few minutes. Once they've forgotten about us, we can go and have another look."
We agreed to this, but as we walked towards <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>monster beats sale</em></a> the low wall around the small car park Ruth had indicated, Chrissie said, perhaps a little too eagerly: "But even if we don't get to see her again, we're all <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap dre headphone</em></a> agreed she's a possible. And it's a lovely office. It really is."
"Let's just wait a few minutes," Ruth said. "Then we'll go back."
I didn't sit on the wall myself because <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap beats by dre</em></a> it was damp and crumbling, and because I thought someone might appear any minute and shout at us for sitting there. But Ruth did sit on it, knees on either <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap dr dre beats</em></a> side like she was astride a horse. And today I have these vivid images of the ten, fifteen minutes we waited there. No one's talking about the possible any more. <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>discount dre headphone</em></a> We're pretending instead that we're just killing a bit of time, maybe at a scenic spot during a carefree day-trip. Rodney's doing a little dance to demonstrate what a good <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap beats by dre</em></a> feeling there is. He gets up on the wall, balances along it then deliberately falls off. Tommy's making jokes about some passers-by, and though they're not very funny, we're all <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap dre headphone</em></a> laughing. Just Ruth, in the middle, astride the wall, remains silent. She keeps the smile on her face, but hardly moves. There's a breeze messing up her hair, and the <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>monster beats sale</em></a> bright winter sun's making her crinkle up her eyes, so you're not sure if she's smiling at our antics, or just grimacing in the light. These are the pictures I've <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap beats by dre</em></a> kept of those moments we waited by that car park. I suppose we were waiting for Ruth to decide when it was time to go back for a second look. <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap dr dre beats</em></a> Well, she never got to make that decision because of what happened next.
Tommy, who had been mucking about on the wall with Rodney, suddenly jumped down and went still. Then <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap dr dre beats</em></a> he said: "That's her. That's the same one."
We all stopped what we were doing and watched the figure coming from the direction of the office. She was now wearing a <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>monster beats sale</em></a> cream-coloured overcoat, and struggling to fasten her briefcase as she walked. The buckle was giving her trouble, so she kept slowing down and starting again. We went on watching her <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap beats by dre</em></a> in a kind of trance as she went past on the other side. Then as she was turning into the High Street, Ruth leapt up and said: "Let's see where <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>discount dre headphone</em></a> she goes."
We came out of our trance and were off after her. In fact, Chrissie had to remind us to slow down or someone would think we were a gang <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap beats by dre</em></a> of muggers going after the woman. We followed along the High Street at a reasonable distance, giggling, dodging past people, separating and coming together again. It must have been around <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap dre headphone</em></a> two o'clock by then, and the pavement was busy with shoppers. At times we nearly lost sight of her, but we kept up, loitering in front of window displays when <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap beats by dre</em></a> she went into a shop, squeezing past pushchairs and old people when she came out again.
Then the woman turned off the High Street into the little lanes near the seafront. <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap dr dre beats</em></a> Chrissie was worried she'd notice us away from the crowds, but Ruth just kept going, and we followed behind her.
Eventually we came into a narrow side-street that had the occasional <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap dre headphone</em></a> shop, but was mainly just ordinary houses. We had to walk again in single file, and once when a van came the other way, we had to press ourselves into <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>monster beats sale</em></a> the houses to let it pass. Before long there was only the woman and us in the entire street, and if she'd glanced back, there was no way she wouldn't <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>monster beats sale</em></a> have noticed us. But she just kept walking, a dozen or so steps ahead, then went in through a door--into "The Portway Studios."
I've been back to the Portway Studios a <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap dr dre beats</em></a> number of times since then. It changed owners a few years ago and now sells all kinds of arty things: pots, plates, clay animals. Back then, it was two big <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>monster beats sale</em></a> white rooms just with paintings--beautifully displayed with plenty of spaces between them. The wooden sign hanging over the door is still the same one though. Anyway, we decided to go <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap dr dre beats</em></a> in after Rodney pointed out how suspicious we looked in that quiet little street. Inside the shop, we could at least pretend we were looking at the pictures.
We came in <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap beats by dre</em></a> to find the woman we'd been following talking to a much older woman with silver hair, who seemed to be in charge of the place. They were sitting on either <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>discount dre headphone</em></a> side of a small desk near the door, and apart from them, the gallery was empty. Neither woman paid much attention as we filed past, spread out and tried to <a href=" http://www.cheapdreheadphone.com/"><em><strong>cheap beats by dre</em></a> look fascinated by the pictures.
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