Page 15 of Chaos Theory

FIFTEEN

MAEVE

Maybe this was a good idea after all. In truth, I feel slightly deranged.

Maybe it’s the rum and Coke I just knocked back.

Maybe it’s because it’s been such a long week.

But after my phone call with Josh, I felt emboldened.

Maybe I just needed to shake things up a bit with The Kobi Project.

Do something different . So when Shane suggested we all go for after-work drinks, I only protested for about five minutes before giving in.

‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ he kept asking.

I do wish Jen was here though. But she left work early today, which is not like her at all. I guess it’s been a long week for her too.

‘Would you ever stop yawning?’ Shane says as I cover my mouth for the second time since we got here.

We’re standing at the bar, waiting for our drinks order.

I’ve positioned Kobi nearby, in a place we call ‘the dead zone’.

There’s an empty corner behind him where there used to be a cigarette machine.

Some of the work crew stand around him. So far they’ve been including him in their conversations, which has to be a good thing.

‘Sorry, I’m wrecked. This is my second time here this week.’ I nod at the barman as he places two IPAs in front of us. ‘I brought Josh here on Tuesday.’

Shane stretches and puts his hands on the wooden counter, as if he’s about to do a push-up against the bar.

‘I heard. Sounds very like a date. How did it go?’

I laugh lightly. ‘I’m not taking the bait. It wasn’t a date.’

‘Well, I’ll let you off the hook this time, because you did a rhyme. And sure – it looks like I’m joining the club too. Cheers,’ he says, clinking my glass.

I’m reassured by this exchange. The teasing about being on a date, the lameness of the rhyme – we’re definitely in the realm of casual office banter.

In spite of our hookups – which are in the past now anyway – we’re just workmates at the end of the day.

We can be honest. We don’t need to impress each other. It’s nice, actually.

‘Josh is an interesting person,’ I say. ‘It was good to hear about life’ – I gesture vaguely – ‘beyond.’

He raises an eyebrow at me. ‘He’s not one of those born-again Christians, is he?’

I laugh. ‘No! I just mean – it’s good to know there’s life beyond Go Ireland.’

‘That’s the rumour all right.’ He leans back against the bar.

‘We have to get out of here,’ I say.

He looks at his watch. ‘Already? Okay, I can skull this. Just give me five seconds.’

‘No!’ I slap his arm lightly. Try not to notice the muscle tone. ‘I mean – we both have to get out of Go Ireland.’

‘Something will turn up,’ he says.

‘Something did turn up.’ I point at Kobi. ‘Him.’

We both look over at our robot colleague.

Okay, he doesn’t exactly blend in, and he’s getting the odd sideways glance from other patrons, but it’s not the strangest thing I’ve ever witnessed.

In the taxi over here, the cab driver barely seemed to notice his unusual passenger.

I think I overhear someone in the work group say, ‘ Shots! ’ Maybe this is the new normal.

‘Josh – and Jen actually – seem to think this could be a good opportunity. For me. You know…maybe I can upskill. And move on.’

‘Like you always do.’ There’s something in his tone that catches me unawares.

‘What do you mean by that?’

He won’t look at me. ‘Nothing. Just what you’ve said yourself. You don’t stay anywhere long. I’m surprised you’ve even been at Go Ireland this long, to be honest.’

It might be true, but it feels like an attack.

I don’t want to keep moving on. I’ve loved Dublin ever since I came back here to go to college, having spent my whole childhood and teen years globe-trotting against my will.

And if I can’t seem to settle at a job or a career, well, that’s just the way I am.

The restlessness is in-built. Either that or it’s just too hard to break a habit sewn into me in childhood.

Did Dad have this feeling too? Is that why he dragged us to a different country every couple of years?

I can’t say any of this to Shane. ‘I’m going to the bathroom. Keep an eye on Kobi for me for a few minutes, will you?’