Page 45 of Love or Your Money Back
CHAPTER
Just before Christmas, Freddy was on Donatella Versace’s yacht, sailing the Caribbean with a group of bikini-clad Victoria’s Secret models and enough champagne and lobster to potentially capsize. But eating curry with Kat at her cosy little house in Bloomsbury is a lot more fun.
Freddy finds himself asking Kat questions.
The sort of questions he would ask investors at dinner when trying to figure out what makes them tick.
Except this time, Freddy is genuinely interested in the answers.
He wants to know where Kat went to school.
What was her first big success as a kid?
What was her best-ever Christmas present?
Does she put ketchup on chips? What did her dad do?
Kat answers all Freddy’s questions, and he absorbs the answers like sun cream.
She went to school in North London, where there were more ethnic minorities than white kids, and she loved it.
She was head girl. Obviously. Her best Christmas present was a flute, which she learned to play at grade-four level.
She does not put ketchup on chips. What did her dad do?
He left her, that’s what he did. Other than that, she has no idea and no inclination to ever meet him and find out.
Kat asks Freddy questions too, and he answers them honestly.
He tells her he was shy as a kid. And skinny.
He liked reading. But he had a huge crush on an older girl, and he didn’t think skinny would cut it.
So he got into boxing and weight training.
He lifted scaffolding poles because his Dad sometimes worked on building sites.
Then he asked to join a local boxing gym, and they agreed.
Sadly, the girl Freddy had a crush on still wouldn’t go out with him, so he decided to make a lot of money to see if this would impress her.
‘And did it?’ Kat asks.
‘I don’t know,’ says Freddy. ‘By then, I’d met other girls to get spurned by.’
‘Tell me about the underwear modelling.’
‘It was designer
underwear. None of your rubbish. I used the modelling money to expand the gym business. A chain of gyms, then a marketing company and various other businesses, some failed, some succeeded.’
Suddenly, it’s 2 am.
‘That can’t be the time.’ Kat looks panicked. ‘I need to sleep. I spent all day out of the office. I should be at work tomorrow.’
Freddy dispels this illusion for her. ‘No, tomorrow you’ll be resting. I’ll take care of everything.’
‘You don’t need to. Honestly. I’m sure this is a pseudo-relapse. I’ll be better tomorrow, and if I’m not I’ll get some steroid shots –’
‘I’ll take care of everything.’ Freddy’s voice is warm, but firm. He stands and offers out his arms. ‘Climb aboard.’
‘You don’t need to carry me,’ says Kat. ‘I can crawl.’
‘Do you realise how stupid that sounds?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good.’ Freddy lifts Kat with his two steel rods of arms and carries her out of the room. When they reach the staircase, Kat puts her arms around Freddy’s neck.
‘You’re probably wondering why I don’t have a stairlift,’ says Kat, as Freddy lumbers up the stairs trying not to bump her body too much.
‘I’m not. But I have a feeling you want to tell me.’
‘It would make me feel like too much of an old lady,’ says Kat. ‘I’ll get a stairlift one day. But until then, I’m happy to crawl.’
‘I guess … when you get married, you won’t have to crawl. As long as your husband is a regular gym goer.’
‘I suppose that’s true. My bedroom is that one.’
Freddy shoulders the door open and lays Kat carefully on her neatly made bed.
Then he brings up water and painkillers.
As he leaves her bedroom for the second time, Freddy has an overwhelming urge to ask Kat if they can talk a little more.
But Kat needs sleep, so he resists. Instead, he finds the guest bedroom.
It’s full of books, just like the rest of the house.
Freddy reads a little of Beating Multiple Sclerosis – Stories for Thriving and Healing
. Then he reads the first chapter of Animal Farm
and remembers why he loves it. The publisher took a huge risk on that book because it wasn’t a good commercial prospect. They didn’t publish Animal Farm
expecting a profit. They did it to shine a light on society. And if they hadn’t done that selfless act, the world would be without a great work of literature.
When Freddy finally puts Animal Farm
down at 4 am, he thinks about courage.
Kat is brave in so many different ways. She shouldn’t have to crawl up staircases on her own.