Not Dead Yet

34

Anna only found out by chance, by a Google alert she had signed up to which picked up all online mentions of her idol, that Gaia was a guest on Top Gear tonight. Her Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, according to the alert, had been filmed earlier in the year, when she had last been over here.

Cars were not Anna’s thing. She had watched the show once before to see what all the fuss was about, and had turned it off in a huff when Jeremy Clarkson had been rude about Nissan Micras. That was the car she owned and liked, in an attractive shade of orange. It was a good car, easy to park, perfect for driving around this city. She did not need a Ferrari, even if she could afford one. Nor an Aston Martin. Or a Bentley. Although she had to admit that Gaia’s sports Mercedes was a bit special. She could see herself in that.

With Gaia, seated beside her, driving.

Now, on Sunday night she was glued to the screen, and suddenly, there, on the horrible old pea-green car seat, sat Gaia! Tonight’s Star in a Reasonably Priced Car!

Jeremy Clarkson, in blue jeans, an open-neck white shirt and a jacket that looked like he had borrowed it from someone much smaller, was interviewing her, or rather at this moment, in her soft Californian accent, she seemed to be interviewing him.

Gaia was dressed all in black. Her signal! The one they had agreed in their last telepathic communication. Gaia’s special colour worn just for her.

Black T-shirt. Black, figure-hugging leather jacket. Black leather skirt. Black tights. Long black suede boots.

Gaia, you are so good to me. So good. We are old spirits, you and I. We’ve met before in past lives. We’ve been lovers before, we both know that. Now sit sideways, please, to show me that you love me!

As she mouthed the words, Gaia suddenly obliged, uncrossing her legs, and turning provocatively sideways, her skirt sliding up her thighs. She threw Anna a direct glance. Looking with her wide blue eyes directly into her soul. Then she winked.

Anna winked back.

Jeremy Clarkson laughed at some joke Gaia had cracked and that Anna had missed. He was fawning over Gaia. But Anna didn’t care. She wasn’t jealous of Jeremy Clarkson. She wasn’t interested in what Gaia Lafayette and Jeremy Clarkson said to each other, nor was she interested in what either of them said to the millions of viewers.

She was only interested in Gaia’s responses to her. And her idol was responding just the way she had asked her to.

‘So you got your interest in cars from a very special lover, it says on your website,’ Jeremy Clarkson went on. ‘A Formula One driver. Could it have been the Stig?’

Gaia laughed. ‘We don’t know who the new Stig is, right?’

‘Not until he sells his story to the press like the last one, no.’

She pointed at her chest. ‘I’m not with him on that. People should not sell secrets.’ Then she raised her right hand, pressed her thumb, middle finger and ring finger together and raised the other two fingers in the air. ‘Secret fox! Right?’ It was her signature image, a shadow boxing image of a fox, mimicking the design which was on all her merchandise.

Clarkson laughed again.

But Anna didn’t laugh. Fury suddenly burned inside her. Secret fox. Gaia never did the gesture in public. That was their secret code to each other.

What did Gaia think she was doing?

Secrets were sacrosanct. Did she not understand? You didn’t share a secret gesture with the whole damned world.

She would damned well tell her that.