Fit For Purpose by Julian Parrott (novels for students .TXT) 📕

of her friends had hinted she needed to find out this exact information, but she was perturbed to think that Rachel thought Nia would be concerned about such financial issues. Nia swirled her brandy in its glass, contemplating what to say.

“Rachel,” Nia began and looked into Rachel’s eyes. “Thanks for letting me know but please understand that I have no worries about Tom and money.”

Rachel sensed Nia’s discomfort.

“Look, Nia,” Rachel said with a smile. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up any difficult subjects. And I certainly didn’t mean to cast aspersions on you or Tom, far from it. It’s partly because for most of my working life I was an accountant. I always see things in terms of assets, profits, and losses. Forgive me.”

Nia smiled, making it obvious that the issue was already forgotten. Both women took sips of their brandies.

“Why did you leave your career?” Nia asked.

“I met Owain and loved the idea of moving to the country. I was so tired of the big job, big city rat race. Tired of the bloody heels and hose, of being a smart woman in a male dominated field. It was wearing to always have to work twice as hard for half the respect.”

Nia nodded sympathetically and Rachel asked Nia about her encounters with sexism in the media industry. Nia laughed and said the whole industry is based on sexism. She recounted a story of an early visit to Hollywood. She had made several appearances on TV programmes and had been in a couple of British films where she had generated some positive buzz and recognition for her work. A US agent had seen Vampire Moon, which had picked up a small cult audience in the US and had invited her to Los Angles for a business meeting. Nia had been young and excited, and the American agent was suave and smooth talking. He had welcomed Nia into his office with an incredible view of downtown Los Angeles through a panoramic window. The office was huge, and he showed Nia to a long and wide leather sofa next to two matching chairs around a low steel and glass coffee table. The agent got her a bottle of water and sat down, directly next to her.

The agent was charming, Nia continued with her story. The agent made her comfortable; he asked about her family, her training, her plans and dreams for her career. The more the agent talked the more Nia relaxed. Nia told Rachel that she felt herself settling into the agent’s large sofa while he continued to ask her, about the roles she thought she would like to play. Then he asked her if she would continue to, as was obvious in Vampire Moon, feel comfortable with nude scenes. Nia said that with the right script, cast and crew that she didn’t have a problem with nudity. Then the agent leant over and squeezed both of her breasts with his two hands almost as if he was honking horns. They’re real, he had stated with evident surprise. Of course, they are Nia responded as she stood up and punched the agent in the nose. She flew home the next day.

Rachel laughed. “Nia Williams, I really like you,” she said.

“I bet you say that to all Tom’s women,” Nia said with a cheeky grin. She felt that she and Rachel were really bonding.

“No,” Rachel answered seriously. “No, not at all. I didn’t even like his wife. Tom couldn’t see her for what she was, bless him. Too nice again. It was a complete disaster. It was always going to be rubbish. I was so glad they didn’t have a child together.”

The words, even in a context beyond her, cut Nia. Rachel noticed the change in Nia’s expression and the stiffening of her body language.

“Oh Nia,” Rachel said. “I think I’ve said something hurtful.”

“No,” Nia stammered. “No, not really, but… yes in a strange way.”

Rachel leant over and held Nia’s hand, “Would you like to tell me about it?”

Nia didn’t know why but she did want to tell Rachel.

“When I was married, for the second time,” Nia began, “I became pregnant, accidently. I wasn’t exactly happy about it, it wasn’t a good time at all, but I decided to go ahead with it. My husband, the Goldenboy, was livid that I had let myself get pregnant. Like it was all my fault. He was worried that it would stymie our careers, especially his, and he was concerned about what it would do to my body, and so he gave me an ultimatum, the baby or him.”

“What a wanker,” Rachel said as she tried to remember tabloid stories about Nia and Goldenboy. She thought she remembered, but asked, “What did you do?”

Nia looked into the fire, “I tried to persuade him that we could make it work. I tried and tried and tried,” Rachel noticed a tear run down Nia’s cheek as she spoke, it shone in the firelight. “But he was adamant. I told him that I wanted to keep it, that we could be a family. He didn’t want a family. He gave me an ultimatum really. Then he just walked away from me, from our baby.”

“Oh Nia, I’m so sorry.”

“I was so scared. My childhood had been absolutely shit, and I was worried that bad parenting could be genetic or hereditary or something. But then something clicked. I was so happy. I planned a new life and then, and then…” Nia began crying. Rachel moved over and hugged her. “My baby died. I, I felt as if I’d lost everything. I felt it was my fault too.”

Nia hugged Rachel back, hard. She shook and sobbed until Rachel felt the dampness of Nia’s tears wicking through her shirt. “Nia, Nia, Nia,” Rachel whispered while she stroked Nia’s hair with her hand. Nia looked into Rachel’s eyes silently